The end of June can mean only one thing—graduation. For young women in the west, the future brims with promise of achievement and success.

This year, that season of personal hopefulness coincides with the “Arab Spring” movement to overcome political oppression and achieve individual freedoms. For young women in many nations, 2011 could be the year their dreams of self-determination come true.

Or not. In the past, democratic movements didn’t always include women’s rights, or those of minorities. In Canada, democracy didn’t acknowledge women as “persons” with the right to sit in the Senate until 1921. And it took the social upheaval of the 1960s to integrate education systems in the southern United States.

But I’m hopeful that women’s voices will be heard in today’s emerging democracies. One reason is the young women who participated in the G(irls)20 Summit last year in Toronto, and those who will participate in the second Summit in Paris later this year.

These are smart, confident young women with strong views on social and economic development. Their debates in Paris will allow them to test and broaden their opinions. The international experience will teach them how to  advocate for the changes they know will improve their own society.

I believe that these “Girls,” and the millions of other articulate young women like them, have the ideas, the energy, and the strength to change the world. Although it’s too late to become a delegate, there’s still a day for you to participate in setting the agenda for the 2011 (Girls)20 Summit. Go to the website today, cast your vote, and add your comments—help to change the world!

Champions make a difference. They challenge their colleagues to stretch for greater achievements. They encourage their communities to become better than they thought they could be. Their example motivates people they have never met to change their lives for the better.  They sponsor advancement for talented women and men.

The Catalyst Canada Honours 2011 Champions have done all of that and more. Company/Firm Leader Champion Monique F. Leroux would have set an example of achievement for young Canadian women if she had done nothing more than become the first woman to lead a Top 10 financial institution in Canada as Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group. But she chose to mark her career with a commitment to the advancement of other women. Perhaps most important, she has “walked the talk” as a mentor and sponsor of other women and as a speaker who generously shares her experience and knowledge with other women.

The Business Leader Champion is Jennifer Tory, Regional President, Greater Toronto Region, RBC. Her career and her community activities reflect her commitment to identifying and advancing talented people. Her business strategy of cultivating talent includes such
initiatives as increased development opportunities to allow high-potential women and visible minorities a greater chance to demonstrate their ability. As a community volunteer, she has promoted opportunities for participation by women, visible minorities and new Canadians.

Human Resources/Diversity Leader Champion Michael Bach, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, KPMG LLP, has a long history of advancing diversity through his work with Pride at Work Canada; Women’s Executive Network; the Canadian Board Diversity Council and the Rotman School of Management’s Back to Work Program. In his current position, Mr. Bach has been able to influence change at the organizational level and gain support for diversity initiatives from senior leaders within the firm.

These three champions share many traits: vision, the courage of their convictions, and the power of persuasion. They have personal stories that motivated them to become champions.  Together, they represent the many Canadian business people who recognize that advancing women in business is advancing women and business.  It is sound business practice, ensuring that our economy has the benefit of the broadest spectrum of talent and perspective.

Since the establishment of The Catalyst Canada Honours last year, we’ve seen encouraging signs of a growing recognition that what’s good for women is good for business. Our membership has grown as organizations in all parts of Canada recognize the need for active strategies to include and advance women and visible minorities. The conversation is expanding, and becoming more positive.

With all this positive energy, why are champions so important? One compelling reason is that more than 30% of all Canadian FP500 companies lack even one woman senior officer—with no significant shift in the past two years.

Champions can make the difference, as role models and as sponsors who are at decision-making tables advocating for talented women to advance and contribute value that will benefit their organizations.

This year’s honourees set a high bar! Thank you, Monique, Jennifer, and Michael, for leading change and offering inspiration to the emerging champions in corporate Canada!

Last week, Christine Silva, Director, Research, Catalyst Canada, led the most recent event in our Engaging Men as Diversity Champions series, sponsored by CIBC. Three terrific panellists shared their insights and experience: Bob Elton, former Chief Executive Officer, BC Hydro, and Executive Chair, Powertech Labs Inc.; Glenn Ives, Chairman, Deloitte & Touche LLP Canada; and John Silverthorn, Senior Vice-President, Talent Management, CIBC. And then a woman in the audience shared a story that made everyone stop and think.

After you’ve read Christine’s report, tell us your reaction.

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It isn’t often that silence descends upon a Catalyst event. But last week in Vancouver, a participant shared a story that made everyone in the room take a mental step back and think about the implications of a couple of our favourite words: diversity and inclusion. 

It was the story of a hockey team one of her colleagues plays on. The league had a rule that 50% of the players must be women. But then they decided their goal shouldn’t only be diversity, but also inclusion. After all, what good is it to have different people on the team if they aren’t full participants? So the league made an additional rule that 50% of the goals must be scored by women.

What, she asked, did the panellists think about that?

The panellists were three strong champions of women. They had already shared their personal journeys to becoming diversity champions, including some of the challenges and successes they’ve had along the way. They talked about the difference between treating people equally and fairly, the importance of recognizing what leaders and individuals value, and the need to set goals as an organization and make sure you have a way to track progress.

And they had already spoken about sports, in terms of coaching soccer and bringing senior managers out to the golf course.

But this?

This fundamentally changes the game, one thought out loud. Is it necessary? Is it desirable? The panellists went back and forth, finding no obvious right answer. Of course inclusion is the end goal, but should we completely change the rules to make it happen?

After the panellists talked, the woman who asked the question shared the outcome of the rule change. The men on the team passed the puck more. They now had a vested interest in making sure everyone had an opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skill.

The question had caused discomfort for many in the room—after all, rethinking the status quo is never easy. But it created a real learning opportunity. As someone reflected after the event, organizations should be striving to figure out how to create a rising tide that will lift all boats. What a perfect way of describing the win-win of diversity and inclusion.

Women are making their mark in many traditionally male professions, but not all.  This month, two articles discussed some fields where women are not playing—and some rinks where they are!  Also in C This Canada! the ways that lack of diversity in the boardroom is hurting Canadian businesses, and a report on a discussion of whether the Norwegian approach of legislating a quota for women on Boards would work in Canada.  And, with the departure of Premier Danny Williams, Newfoundland becomes the first province where women lead the three major political parties.

Why Women Still Aren’t Chasing an Iron Ring

Universities and professional engineering associations are seeking ways to convince young women that they can meet their goal of making a difference by becoming an engineer, but female engineering students continue to feel pressure to adapt in a male dominated environment.

READ: “Why More Women Aren’t Becoming Engineers” by Jennifer Myers, The Globe and Mail, 09/11/10

But Are Playing Hard for the Clarkson Cup

This year saw the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  We know our women’s hockey teams are champions, but the majority of Canadians who have taken up the game in the past decade are female.

READ: “Jersey Girls: Women Lead the Way in Hockey’s Growth”, by Josh Wingrove, The Globe and Mail, 7/11/10

Canadian Boards on the “Cusp of Change”?

Canadian boards continue to be disproportionately white and male, but will  a generational shift bring greater diversity?

READ: “Boardroom Diversity Advances at ‘Glacial Pace’”, by Tim Shufelt, Financial Post, 21/10/10

Or Should Diversity be Legislated?

The Rotman School for Business and the Norwegian Embassy brought together business leaders and investors to consider legislated quotas for Board diversity, and some alternatives.

READ: “Should Gender Diversity on Boards Be Law?”, by Mary Teresa Bitti, Financial Post, 29/11/10

Is It in the Air, or the Culture?

Newfoundland is renowned for colourful politicians—but the province’s latest political first is that women are leading all three major parties on the Rock.  Newfoundlanders speculate on whether it’s because politics is in their blood, whether it’s the culture, or whether Rick Mercer is right that Newfoundland is simply the “coolest” province.

READ: “Women Rule on the Rock”, by Susan Delacourt, thestar.com, 26/11/10

When you hear that Jennifer is working from home, do you picture her burning up the computer in her home office? Or do you suspect she’s watching daytime TV in her pyjamas?

If it’s the latter you’re probably a bit envious, and more than a little resentful about picking up the slack for her.  It’s fair to be envious, but the resentment may be misplaced.  Savvy employers, including Catalyst Canada, recognize that work-life effectiveness—things like flexible schedules and working from home— can help organizations be more agile, boost morale and create a reputation as a great place to work.

My Catalyst colleagues and I won’t be in our downtown Toronto office this Wednesday.  We’re working from home to support the call for a National Work From Home Day.  (OK, full disclosure:  We may turn on CPAC for a few minutes to see Nova Scotia MP Mike Savage introduce the National Work From Home Day resolution in Parliament.)

Just like employees working in many Catalyst member organizations, our team has all the tools and technology we need to be able to work successfully and seamlessly from other locations, and  conduct a normal day’s work. Where we might have an advantage is our commitment to focus on what gets done, rather than where work happens.

When our team is productive—conducting research, planning events, and serving our members across the country—it really doesn’t matter whether we’re working from a house in the suburbs, or the office an hour’s drive away.

Catalyst’s research suggests that work-life effectiveness, including the option to work from home, can be so much more than an employee benefit.  Sure, employees can better manage other priorities in their lives when they eliminate travel time from their workday.

But giving employees control over when and where they work can also boost motivation and help them eliminate the distractions that they might ordinarily have to deal with in their office. Motivated and focused employees are likely to be more productive.  Senior leaders and employees can tackle the problems they face by launching creative work-life effectiveness policies that help both sides meet their goals.

And, if you need yet another reason to support National Work From Home Day, Workopolis will donate $10,000 to the World Wildlife Fund if their Facebook supporters reach 50,000 by November 24.  Join us from home!

What else will you do this week that could make workers happier and more productive, make business more agile and sustainable, and support a great cause?

This past month, we’ve been focused on The Catalyst Canada Honours, but we’ve been interested to read about senior women in Canadian business.   We’re encouraged by the inclusion of “Women in Power” as one of The Globe and Mail’s leadership issues in their provocative series on national issues.

Canada: Our Time to Lead

The Globe and Mail series offering in depth consideration and discussion on critical issues facing Canada, including women (or the lack of) in power

READ:  “Time toLead: Women in Power” , The Globe and Mail

Catalyst Canada was asked to respond to some of the misconceptions about programs to advance women in business.  Catalyst research demonstrates that two popular beliefs are misconceptions—that women have it made and that women are promoted at the expense of their male colleagues.  In fact, the continuing under representation of women at senior levels hurts business and the economy by failing to use all  our potential.

READ: “More Women in the Workplace is Good for Business” by Deborah Gillis, The Globe and Mail, 10/13/10

Home Depot Canada Gives Its President Free Rein — ‘But You Have to Produce’

In an interview, Home Depot Canada president Annette Verschuren shares her story, from childhood on a Cape Breton dairy farm to growing the company to 179 stores from 19.

READ:  “Home Depot Gives Its President Free Rein”, by Bill Mah, Edmonton Journal , 10/5/10

Top Team: Executive Class at Harris Bank

And a novel introduction to formal mentoring programs at the US arm of BMO Financial Group:

Harris Bank is using a variation on speed dating—speed mentoring—to introduce promising employees to mentoring, and to a broad range of executives within the organization.

READ: “Top Team: Executive Class at Harris Bank”, by Glen Fest, US Banker, 10/10

If a single theme predominated the inaugural dinner of The Catalyst Canada Honours last night, it was change.

Scotiabank President and CEO Rick Waugh,  who is also Chair of Catalyst Canada Advisory Board identified the most important change over the past ten years in the business world as “the cultural shift that has begun in Canadian business and in our broader society.”

Champion Sylvia Chrominska spoke of the cultural shift at Scotiabank since she started in 1979, as more women joined the senior ranks, and both women and men began to recognize the business benefits of diversity at the very top.

TD Bank Financial Group’s Ed Clark—another champion—spoke of the journey for answers to the increasingly complex issues of diversity, and the importance of commitment from everyone in the organization.

Champion Colleen Sidford’s leadership as Vice-President of Ontario Power Generation has shifted attitudes and created opportunities for women in the traditionally male nuclear industry.

In preparing my own notes, I also thought back to one of my earliest disillusionments:  the realization in my final year of high school that a university education would likely allow me to earn only 69.6 cents for every dollar in the pay packet of my male colleagues.

Time for introspection.  Some of it, not pretty.

I thought about the first Catalyst research project in Canada.  In 1997, Canadian CEOs believed that women in senior management would jump from 13% to 24% by 2002.  Well, by 2002, senior management ranks were 14% women.  In 2008, the percentage had reached 16.9%.  In fact, if we continue at the current rate of change, we won’t see that 24% prediction until 2022!

And the pay gap that shocked me so much in 1983?  In 2008, women earned 68.3 cents to every dollar earned by our male colleagues!

So what is this cultural shift that everyone is seeing?  I believe we’ve seen a fundamental shift in the conversation, a shift that gives me hope that things are about to change.

Back in 1983, I believed that women should earn as much as men because it was fair.  Fairness was the basis of the equality rights section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Fairness was the foundation of the Employment Equity Act of 1985.

Businesses complied with the legislation, but compliance alone does not create equity or an inclusive workplace.  Today, CEOs like Rick Waugh, Ed Clark, and Bill Downe know that their businesses are stronger, more competitive, and ultimately more profitable because their senior ranks reflect the Canadian population in all its diversity.  They know that women bring a valuable perspective to their senior tables.

Most importantly, they know that Canadian companies and the Canadian economy can no longer afford to ignore the talents, skills and commitment of 50% of the population – not to mention those who are outpacing men in higher education degrees.

What I see is both a conversion and a conversation that has shifted from fairness to business case.  The participants in the conversation are no longer only women standing outside the senior management door.  The conversation—and the passionate advocacy—has moved through that door, and men have become partners in the conversation.

And the question is no longer “Why?” but “How?” and “How quickly?”

I take considerable pride that Catalyst Canada has lived up to our name over the past ten years.  Our partnership with business has provided a venue for the conversation.  Our research has informed business programs to support the advancement of women, such as Sylvia’s work at Scotiabank, Colleen’s emPOWERed women program at OPG, and Ed’s Women in Leadership initiatives.

The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner marked our tenth anniversary.  Our Champions—Ed Clark, Sylvia Chrominska, and Colleen Sidford—are leading the way.   And, if the enthusiasm of the sell-out crowd of over 500 members and friends is any measure, their advocacy is gaining supporters in all sectors and businesses across Canada.

Let the conversation continue!  Bring on the change!

The hum of excitement around Catalyst Canada’s office is becoming a crescendo as we prepare for The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner on Wednesday, October 6.

We are delighted that it’s a sold-out event—500 members and friends of Catalyst Canada will join us to celebrate our tenth anniversary!  Ten years of making friends and building partnerships.  Ten years of research and advocacy for the advancement of women in Canada.  Ten years of producing what is considered the “gold standard”  research on advancing women and business.  And ten years of growth and taking on new challenges.

We’re thrilled to celebrate three of the people who have been leading change by encouraging and supporting diversity in their organizations.  The first Catalyst Canada Honours Champions—  TD Bank’s Ed Clark; Scotiabank’s Sylvia Chrominska; and OPG’s Colleen Sidford—are proving what we already know:

What’s good for women is good for business.

Earlier this week, parents across Canada watched their kids go off to school, college and university.  Yesterday, the Canadian Education Statistics Council told us that the bright little girl we’re sending off to school is likely to attain a higher level of education than the boy in the next desk—but she’ll earn 63 cents for every dollar he makes. 

After years of struggle for equal opportunity in the workplace, this is disappointing.  But it’s not a surprise.

It supports—yet again—Catalyst research that female graduates of top M.B.A. schools enter the workforce at lower levels than their male colleagues, and earn $4,600 less.  Their promotions are slower, and less lucrative.  So the initial gap continues and grows, year after weary year. 

Women continue to be underrepresented at senior levels of business, despite their educational achievements and despite the influence of women in the economy.  For the individual woman, that is reflected in less personal income and reduced career satisfaction.

Businesses and the national economy are the biggest losers.  They’re losing the opportunity represented by 50 percent of the talent pool, brain power, and capacity for innovation and productivity.  And they can’t afford to continue losing that contribution.

As young women gained strength in business and professional schools, it seemed that equal access to the workplace would lead to equity in the workplace.  Now, we understand that workplace culture has to change—or those little girls who started school last week will be fighting their grandmothers’ battles, all over again.

Isn’t it time to fix it?

Friends and I were talking about the “bad old days” recently.  The days when one of my early managers – after asking a senior woman lawyer to get him coffee—could grumble, “It’s so confusing. The secretaries look like lawyers, and the lawyers look like secretaries.”  The days before employment equity standards and a broad understanding of the value of a diverse workplace. 

Changes in policy and celebration of diversity in the workplace came about because leaders —in business, in politics, and in the community—stepped up and changed things. 

That kind of leadership continues to be crucial to the advancement of women in business.

Recently I met a young mother of three who had withdrawn from a competition where she was clearly the most qualified candidate because the more senior position would not accommodate her flexible schedule.  At that point, the CEO intervened.  Based on her proven record of success, she got the promotion, and kept the flexible schedule she needed to fulfill her family obligations.

That CEO was willing to change some of the rigid rules and expectations in order to get the best person for the job.  In doing so, she made it clear to other women that this firm was one that valued talent and performance,  one where their aspirations could be achieved. 

Yes, we’ve made strides toward a more equal workplace.  Women and minorities have legal recourse against overt discrimination.

But women are also finding leaders with the vision to  recognize that company policies create barriers for the advancement of talented and capable women—and the courage to change those policies.