Will 2012 be the year that we acknowledge and begin to address the biases that persistently hinder the advancement of women in many workplaces? In this week’s Catalyzing, Ilene Lang points out that the myth that women are less ambitious than men excludes many talented women from consideration for senior positions. And that is costing women, the businesses that employ them, and the economy.

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Do women lack ambition? Not on your life.

Women want to succeed, yet even when they do “all the right things” Catalyst has found that they earn less and progress more slowly than men. The fact that some women adjust their career advancement strategies after crashing into institutional barriers is a rational response to inhospitable workplaces. It is not an example of a lack of ambition.

Catalyst has been studying women’s ambition for nearly a decade. Our 2004 report, Women and Men in U.S. Corporate Leadership, surveyed nearly 1000 senior-level employees who shared similar backgrounds and characteristics. We found that women aspired to be CEO in equal proportions as men. But the women—to a much greater extent than men—ran up against barriers, namely exclusion from informal networks, stereotyping, and a lack of role models. Likewise, our report, Leaders in a Global Economy, found that women and men have similar work values. The problem is this: men find workplaces more aligned with their values, women don’t.

What’s changed since 2004? Not much—women remain ambitious, but barriers still block their paths. And with few exceptions, women’s leadership is stalled in corporate America.

The Myth of the Ideal Worker, the latest report in our series on high potential employees, examined the career advancement strategies of thousands of MBA graduates from top schools around the world and the impact of these strategies on their careers. Women and men were equally represented in the two most proactive groups, indicating that ambition ran high among both genders. But being proactive paid off more in promotions and pay for the men.

In Pipeline’s Broken Promise, we found that among MBA grads who aspired to be CEO or senior executives, women progressed more slowly than men. And parenthood, industry, and previous experience didn’t explain the gender gap. The leadership and pay gaps balloon over time, suggesting that the problem lies with the system, not the women.

So what is the problem? Cascading Gender Biases, Compounding Effects revealed how gender biases are unintentionally embedded in talent management systems—biases that exclude those who don’t fit the male leadership model. Addressing these biases and rooting them out at the source are better ways to tackle inequality than blaming the women. Smart organizations are proactively addressing the barriers women face and are reaping the rewards.

Our research has pointed to one more powerful solution: sponsorship. Sponsors advocate for you from behind closed doors and ensure you’re visible when opportunities arise. The problem is that many women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. Some companies are recognizing this and are instituting formal sponsorship programs for women. At the same time, individuals are taking the lead on this front without waiting for a formal program to kick in by actively seeking sponsorship and being a sponsor to others, especially talented women who deserve it. This is one proven way to help narrow gender gaps.

The misguided assumption that women are less ambitious than men puts companies at risk of inadvertently underutilizing talented women and overlooking, or outright dismissing them, for key roles. This is a real loss for companies. Organizations need to step up and clear a path for women’s success.

Women are ambitious. But systemic barriers in the workplace mean that ambition, even when coupled with talent, isn’t always enough.

Women could beat the gender gap if they would just speak up and ask for promotions and better compensation, right?

As it turns out, asking isn’t enough.

A few weeks ago Catalyst released the fourth report in our longitudinal study following the career paths of women and men MBAs around the world. The Myth of the Ideal Worker revealed that when it comes to negotiating for increased compensation or a higher position, women do ask. But even when women ask, the pay gap between women and men doesn’t close.

According to the study, women who ask by making their accomplishments known are more likely to achieve an increase in compensation or a promotion. But do we perceive the women who step up and ask as “pushy”?

Worse, are “nice” Canadian women reluctant to point to their achievements because they don’t want to be seen (or feel) as though they’re bragging?

Perhaps the solution is to increase active sponsorship of talented women across all industries in Canada. That way, the onus isn’t only on talented women to increase their visibility—any more than it is on equally talented men. Someone else would also be highlighting their achievements for them, advocating for them at decision-making tables, and encouraging them to speak up effectively on their own behalf.

So today, I’m asking!

I’m asking all of you in corporate Canada – women and men – to take the findings from our latest report and examine how your most talented employees are compensated and advanced. I’m asking you to seek out any gender biases in your talent management systems – especially those not readily apparent. I’m asking you to voice your support for the talented women in your workforce by making their achievements visible and pushing for their advancement when it counts.

Imagine the energy and innovation we can achieve by unleashing the full potential of an increasingly talented Canadian workforce. Let’s all ask what we can do to close the gap.

The recent Catalyst report on sponsorship was based on interviews with sponsors and protégés, and yielded some eye-popping revelations of the powerful impact of sponsorship. For those of you who think sponsorship is only important to the protégé, read on….

Sponsorship impacts the broader organization.

Sponsors begin to develop a different perspective on the organization and what it needs to grow and thrive:

[Sponsorship] keeps me thinking about my own development, and it keeps me thinking about what I’m trying to achieve at [my company] from an employee perspective—like what kind of people do I believe [we] need to have to continue to grow, the right cultures, differences of opinion, different styles—it’s all healthy at any organization. Not everybody needs to be cookie-cutter. It’s made me more conscious of that and how important that is.

—Woman Sponsor

Sponsorship makes employees more loyal.

Organizations benefit from the loyalty and commitment that sponsors and protégés bring to the team.

I would argue that our most successful partners or the people with the best potential are the people who are sponsors. And the reason it’s so is because it’s a reciprocal relationship. My sponsor, I would run through a brick wall for him because of what he does for me. That’s how you build a team.

—Woman Sponsor

Not your father’s (or mother’s) sponsorship.

The days when sponsors tended to choose protégés who looked like them (and everyone else in the senior group) are disappearing. And that’s leading to a culture shift.

“Who are the ones that you’re sponsoring?” I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that question. Just the fact that I’m going to get asked the question, I better be thinking about [it so no one] says, “Yeah, but these three guys look just like you. How are you helping to change the culture and the structure of the organization if you’re only creating opportunities for people who look just like you?…Show me where you’re not just mentoring, you’re coaching. You’re actually sponsoring somebody that is out of the mold.”

–Man Sponsor

Sponsorship is particularly impactful for women.

Catalyst research demonstrates that women start their careers at lower pay than their male colleagues, and they don’t catch up…unless they have a sponsor at the senior ranks of the organization.

I do think that women need more sponsorship…because there’s a tendency for people to be less risk-taking with women or diverse candidates than they are with non-diverse. And so if the risk appears to be higher, then there needs to be more tipping of the scale. That tipping of the scale comes from sponsorship.

—Woman Sponsor

Sponsorship opens doors for protégés.

While sponsorship can open doors for high-performing individuals, simply providing someone with an opportunity does not guarantee success. It’s up to the person being sponsored to deliver once given the opportunity.

[Sponsors] just open the doors, right? It’s up to you then to walk through the door and show that you are capable of finding the path.

—Man Protégé

Sponsorship is a core leadership competency for senior leaders.

Many organizations expect their senior executives to be sponsors. Some are committed to formal sponsorship programs to ensure the relationships work and provide benefits to the organization.

Sponsorship of high-performance [individuals] in order for the company to do better—because that performance can have a greater impact on the next level—is my job as a leader….I get paid to develop, nurture, and grow a leader. That’s my job.

—Man Sponsor

Looking for real-life examples of sponsors? You need look no further than The Catalyst Canada Honours Champions. These three outstanding individuals understand the power of sponsorship to change lives and influence corporate culture.

Read their bios, then look around your own organization. Who are your sponsorship champions?

Perhaps it’s because one million Canadians are of Indian descent, or because diversity is a defining characteristic of both India and Canada. But for some reason, the sounds, fragrances, and colours that I experienced during my recent visit to India felt strangely familiar.

Certainly, as I met with business leaders in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi, our conversations about the challenges women face at work could easily have taken place in any Canadian city—struggles with work-life effectiveness and the lack of role models, mentors, and sponsors were at the top of the list.  (And who would have thought that a story about Canadian ice hockey would resonate with a business audience in Mumbai?)

However, the Indian cultural context adds layers of complexity to the issues facing women and organizations. Women in India are fighting battles that Canadian women have largely already won, for personal safety,  reliable childcare options, and more egalitarian societal assumptions about women’s roles. As a result, organizations are adopting programs that go beyond the flexible work arrangements or talent management practices that are familiar to North American ears. They are providing transportation to and from work sites, implementing recruitment programs that target women who have been out of the workplace, and reaching out to the parents and families of current and prospective employees.

The good news is that a hungry economy is creating jobs for young, educated Indians at an amazing pace, and organizations understand that women represent an underutilized talent pool. (Going to India, I expected to hear about the rapid pace of growth, but I wasn’t quite prepared to hear business leaders casually talk about hiring tens of thousands of people!)

Every day, some newspaper—and there are many—carried an article on the important role played by women. One talked about the growing number of women pursuing higher education and urged businesses to be prepared to open their doors to a generation of bright, well-educated, and confident young women. Another talked about the fact that the oldest woman in a family had been declared the “head of the household” for the purposes of a new program that will distribute food to families living in poverty. And in a story that is close to the heart of Catalyst researchers, “the gender gap” was the theme of National Statistics Day!

Each of these stories describes a country that is coping with the social and cultural jolts that accompany rapid growth. I’m thrilled that women are recognized as a critical success factor in navigating the changes, and I look forward to forging closer connections with India as Catalyst grows and learns from this amazing country.

Next Tuesday we’ll mark the 100th International Women’s Day.

Although we may have many reasons to celebrate, the numbers revealed in the 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners aren’t one of them.

There’s some good news in the Census. The number of FP500 public companies with 25% or more women senior officers has increased by almost eight percentage points since 2008. But more than 30% of all Canadian companies lack even one woman senior officer—with no significant shift in the past two years. That’s the bad news.

Since 2006, the percentage of senior officer positions held by women has increased by 2.6 percentage points. And since 2008, the number has only grown by 0.4 percentage points per year.

Why haven’t we seen greater numbers of smart, well-educated women breaking through the glass ceiling? I posed that very question to a group of business students at the Richard Ivey School of Business earlier this week. One student suggested that we need more time for turnover and change to happen at the top. Others challenged that view, arguing that that the slow pace of change pointed to systemic cultural issues that require action from leaders and their organizations.

And they’re right. Successful organizations would never adopt “wait and see” as a strategy for change. We need less talk and more action if Canada’s corporate leadership is going to reflect the strengths of all Canadians.

So, here’s my challenge to anyone in Canada working for an organization listed on the FP500.

Go to our list of companies with 25% or more women senior officers. Is your organization listed there?

No? Then, check the list of companies with zero executive officers. Is your company listed there? If you didn’t find your company on either list, look on this list to see whether you are closer to zero or 25%.

The answers will tell you something about your organization, the commitment of your leaders to building a truly inclusive workplace, and your own opportunities for advancement. If you like what you see, celebrate and keep up the good work, remembering that equity is still a long way off.

If you’re embarrassed, speak up, and let that sense of disappointment be the fuel that drives you to take action.

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We’ve been a bit overwhelmed by the media interest in the 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners! Check it out for yourself at:

“Women Still Scarce in Top Ranks at Canada’s Biggest Companies,” by Janet McFarland, The Globe and Mail, March 3, 2011.

“Executive Gender Gap Remains, Catalyst Report Says,” CBC News, March 3, 2011.

“More Women in Top Senior Positions,” QMI Agency, March 3, 2011.

“Women Rising to Executive Levels Still Few in Number,”` by Vanessa Lu, The Toronto Star, March 3, 2011.

“Good News, Bad News for Women’s Advancement Found in Latest Catalyst Census of Corporate Canada,” CNW Group, March 3, 2011.

“Women`s Leadership Slows to Crawl in Corporate Canada: Report,” by Darah Hansen, The Vancouver Sun, March 3, 2011.

“Good News, Bad News for Women`s Advancement,” Canadian HR Reporter, March 3. 2011.

“Good News, Bad News for Women in Canada’s Financial Services Industry: Catalyst,” by Megan Harman, Investment Executive, March 3, 2011.

“Comprehensive Plan Needed to Advance Women,” by Wallace Immen, The Globe and Mail, March 3, 2011.

“Cadres supérieurs et salaries élevés: la representation des femmes progresse lentement,” Branchez-Vous.com, 03 mars, 2011.

“Encore peu de femmes nommées à des postes de haute direction,” par Marie-Eve Shaffer, Métro, 03 mars, 2011.

This past Friday, CBC Radio’s The Current featured a panel discussion on the lack of women on corporate boards in Canada. Arlene Dickinson kicked off the conversation by sharing parts of an interview I had given ahead of time. In those clips, I recapped the bleak numbers—only 14% of corporate board seats in Canada are held by women and almost half of public companies on the FP500 have no women directors at all.

The three panelists—a Canadian Senator, an American business professor, and the former CEO of a Calgary credit union—all strongly agreed that we need more women on boards. They shared well-established research as well as their personal experiences that having diverse perspectives around the table leads to better outcomes for businesses.

But they disagreed on how to get there. Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette has proposed legislation mandating quotas to increase the representation of women on boards in response to the lack of progress companies have made on their own. Amy Dittmar, Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, reviewed Norway’s experience with similar legislation, which has led to just over 40% of Norwegian board seats being held by women. She noted that there had been concerns regarding the availability of qualified women board directors, and she argued that with only 16.9% of corporate officer positions held by women in Canada, the same concerns will probably be voiced here as well. She also mentioned a “modest change” that the United States took through the SEC to spur the inclusion of women on boards by implementing the mandatory disclosure of boards’ diversity considerations. Dave Gregory, former CEO of First Calgary Credit Union, said that rather than imposing quotas on companies, we should focus our energy on communicating the bottom-line benefits of diversity so companies will be compelled to make change on their own.

Had I been part of the discussion, I would have reminded the debating panelists that we have a shared goal—getting more women on corporate boards. While the strategies we could use to get there may vary, the key is that we do get there. Quotas are one proven strategy, but I welcome any innovative ideas to make change.

Let’s not waste time and energy arguing about the best ways to get there—let’s get the journey started. We welcome any and all ideas to increase the representation of women on boards. If we want to have impact, we’re going to have to work together to reach our common goal.

Did you take your kids (or a borrowed one or two) to work last week?  Were you surprised by their questions and insights?  Maybe, like me, you sometimes think about the things you wish you had known about work when you were in Grade 9?

I was delighted when a couple of young women were part of our Winnipeg Catalyst Connects event,  a lunch meeting where only women’s voices were heard exchanging ideas, debating, and learning from each others’ experiences.

They heard from  some terrific women who are pursuing fulfilling careers, and balancing the demands of busy families.  They heard about jobs that they may not have known existed.  And they heard that individual careers are built on hard work and relationships with others: sponsors, mentors, co-workers, friends, and families.

Not your typical work day!  We all know that most women are more likely to bolt a sandwich at their desk or squeeze a multitude of errands into their lunch time.  And women are often a minority at meetings, where men lead the agenda.

I hope they learned that women can reach the top, that they can succeed and share that success.  I hope they also sensed the impact of the barriers that these women had to overcome to achieve their professional success.  And that the barriers that can do the most damage are the invisible ones.

I was reminded of the reaction of a teenage friend of mine to our Catalyst Canada Dinner video. She didn’t understand what was stopping those women in mid-stride.  In some ways, that’s good.  When you anticipate success, it breeds success.  But it was also a teaching moment about glass ceilings and other barriers still facing women in the workplace – in effect, a reality reset.

Taking them to work not only offers our kids a peek into what we do, where we work and with whom. It also helps them understand the challenges.

Because, just maybe, if they’re prepared to see them, our kids will also be prepared to topple those barriers!

We hope that you and your kids will take the time to share a story about how you saw the workplace as a child and join the conversation started by our Research Director Christine Silva at our Catalyst LinkedIn group.  Or add your thoughts to our comments section below.

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

C-This, Canada! is a chance for me to highlight recent articles, podcasts, and videos about women and work that have struck me as interesting, informative, or thought provoking.  I hope you’ll use the comments section to let me know about any that I’ve missed—or give your feedback on any that I’ve listed.

First, some media reaction to the report that, despite educational success, Canadian women still earn 63 cents for each of their male counterparts’ dollars:

Canada lags on pay equity

September 8, 2010—Canadian women outperform men at all levels of education, but still make significantly less money in the workplace.  Canada’s gender-wage gap is much wider than that of most developed countries, according to a new report from the Council of Ministers of Education.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/09/08/15282501.html

Women at work: still behind on the bottom line

September 10, 2010—Women in Canada earn less than two-thirds of what men do, a ratio that has scarcely budged in more than a decade and is well below that of other developed countries.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/women-at-work-still-behind-on-the-bottom-line/article1699176/

And some intergenerational thoughts on feminism:

The ladies who lambaste

September 3, 2010—With time on their side, and feminism’s wind at their back, older Canadian women are taking action on issues from AIDS to Palestinian peace.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-ladies-who-lambaste/article1696077/

Outraged  moms, trashy daughters

August 10, 2010—Young women think that feminism is old-fashioned.  Is today’s “Girl Power” taking us backwards, or is it the new expression of women’s empowerment?

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/08/10/outraged-moms-trashy-daughters/

“Third wave” of feminism urged by prominent Canadian women

September 9, 2010—Equality gap dominates Governor-General’s conference, following suffragettes and push to enshrine women’s rights I law, new focus must be….

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/third-wave-of-feminism-urged-by-prominent-canadian-women/article1701942/

And, finally, new Canadian research suggests that women are getting caught in the middle:

Promotion bottleneck blocks women, minorities, study finds

September 21, 2010—Women and visible minorities lag behind white men because of a promotion bottleneck in middle management, a Canadian study tracking advancement says.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/864206–promotion-bottleneck-blocks-women-and-minorities-study-finds

Glass ceilings, sticky floors, and the bottleneck in the middle

According to Ivey Professor Alison Konrad, women are crashing through the glass ceilings—but only if they can get through the bottleneck in the middle.

http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/publications/impact/default.htm