Catalyst Blog

What does the word “sponsorship” mean to you? For Catalyst’s Sarah Dinolfo, Director, Research, at first it meant very little. But this changed as she uncovered the power influential sponsors had on her own career. In this post—the third in series by co- authors of Sponsoring Women to Success—Sarah draws on personal experience to suggest ways to attract a sponsor, and how to pay it forward.

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If you had mentioned the concept of sponsorship to me very early in my career, I would have looked at you with a blank stare.  I simply had no idea what sponsorship was in my first five years of work.  Yet later on, I realized that I had experienced it directly, and, as luck would have it, I recently conducted a study on the very topic! Catalyst’s report, Sponsoring Women to Success, cemented my views about the power of sponsorship. Here’s what I learned:

Though I was not always aware of it at the time, I’ve had several influential sponsors who have actively worked on my behalf to advance my career – from those maneuvering behind the scenes to help me land my first job placement, to others opening doors to the numerous opportunities and leadership roles I’ve had since.

I can also see now that there are several things I did to contribute to my sponsors’ willingness to go to bat for me.  These include:

- Showing initiative and delivering consistently solid performances, and demonstrating a willingness to learn and be challenged.

- Taking constructive feedback and adapting my approach accordingly.

- Being open to every experience that came my way, and taking on assignments or roles that brought me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to develop new skills.

- Demonstrating commitment in the face of challenges.

- Treating all of my colleagues with respect and courtesy.

These behaviors may seem simple, but to be honest, if you don’t demonstrate outstanding performance, collegiality, and the ability and willingness to act on advice, sponsors may pass you over for someone who better fits the bill.

I could not have made it to where I am now without my sponsors, and my willingness to walk through the doors they helped open for me.  So what should I, and others who have benefited from sponsorship, do next? Pay it forward and sponsor someone! Here’s how:

Look broadly and look deeply. Look for high performers who might get passed over by others.  Look down within the organization for those talented folks who could really benefit from your sponsorship and accelerate their careers with opportunities.  And look often—keep checking to see if there are people you can sponsor, because sponsorship is not a “once and done”!

Sponsor someone different from you.  Seek out those talented individuals who are not well represented at the top, and sponsor them to help achieve more of a balance.

And finally, encourage others to sponsor!  Whether it’s those who report to you, those you report to, or those you’ve sponsored, make sure they pay it forward to create a culture of sponsorship.

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Sarah Dinolfo directs research that examines and addresses barriers to women’s advancement, allowing organizations to more fully leverage employee talent. Drawing on her research and consulting experience with Fortune 500 companies in several industries, Sarah works with organizations to build diversity awareness and create more effective systems that can level the workplace playing field. She received her M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York, Geneseo.

Companies should have a conscience—gone are the days when profits, and profits alone, can grow a sustainable business. But how do smart companies boost their levels of corporate social responsibility (CSR)? As Catalyst’s Rachel Soares, Senior Associate, Research, explains, gender-inclusive leadership and increased CSR go hand in hand.

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What is the number one goal of a corporation? Seems like a foolish question—flip open any MBA textbook and the “right” answer is obvious: profit maximization. But is it really so simple?

If companies haven’t turned their ears to the Occupy Wall Street protestors yet, they should. The growing movement reflects an important trend in public opinion: 71% of Americans report an unfavorable impression of Wall Street and large corporations. It’s clear that while companies need to make money to survive, profit maximization, without regard to consequences or risks, is not a strategic business practice.

Cue corporate sustainability.

Through its focus on stakeholder relations, a key tenet of corporate sustainability is CSR, or corporate social responsibility—a consideration of the organization’s impact, both positive and negative, on the world. Companies committed to CSR pay more than lip service to their stakeholders, looking beyond the interests of quick-buck investors. They are positioned for long-term growth.

For members of Generation Y (that’s me), CSR isn’t just a passing fad. A company’s CSR activities are a visible way to judge their values. And one easily investigated metric—something that we at Catalyst measure for every Fortune 500 company each year—is the representation of women in senior leadership. Gender and Corporate Social Responsibility: It’s a Matter of Sustainability, a study I recently authored with Harvard Business School’s Christopher Marquis and Matthew Lee, shows that companies and society win when business leaders are gender-diverse.

My co-authors and I found that across a period of ten years, companies with more women board directors and more women corporate officers donated significantly more charitable funds than their less-diverse peers. Each additional woman board director translated to an added $2.3 million in annual philanthropic giving. And for every percent increase in woman corporate officers, companies gave an additional $5.7 million.

These findings can’t be explained away by factors other than gender diverse leadership. Women leaders still had a significant positive effect after controlling for financial performance, company size, and industry. While this could be a case of the chicken versus the egg, other research suggests that diverse leaders are employed before increases in CSR are observed.

So why might this be? We believe that operating with gender-inclusive leadership can provide diverse perspectives on fairness, which may broaden the company’s understanding of CSR and lead to greater philanthropy.

Obviously, CSR isn’t just about the quantity of philanthropic donations. The quality of initiatives is important too. We speculate that when leaders spotlight gender issues in their CSR strategies, for example focusing on the importance of women as customers and suppliers, they often position their organization for sustained growth, and the payoff extends beyond the company to society at large.

So the next time you are looking to invest, make a purchase, or take a job offer, consider the gender diversity of the company’s leadership. It might point you to a company that pays attention to its stakeholders, and not just the next quarter’s balance sheet.

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Rachel Soares conducts research on corporate governance and women in leadership, and oversees the annual Catalyst Census reports of the Fortune 500. She is also a member of Catalyst’s Work-Life Issue Specialty Team. Through her current role at Catalyst and prior positions, she has extensive experience working with quantitative and qualitative research methods in leadership, organizational change and effectiveness, and work-family contexts. She received her M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, Teachers College, and her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from New York University.

Girls ages 8 to 18 are exposed to about eight hours of media per day. What are these girls reading and watching? As Catalyst’s Senior Associate Librarian Cheryl Yanek explains, when it comes to news coverage of women, superficiality reigns supreme. This devalues women and our accomplishments.

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Women are more than their dresses—but you wouldn’t know this by the way women are covered in mainstream press.

The second paragraph of a recent New Yorker profile of New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson dug straight into the superficial: “Abramson, who is fifty-seven, wore a white dress and a black cardigan with white flowers and red trim. Her usually pale complexion glowed from summer sun, but there were deep, dark lines under her eyes.”

You get the idea.

Time and time again, newspapers and magazines start with the details of a woman’s outfit, her hair, and her physical appearance. When women are valued only for their looks—not their contributions—it reinforces stereotypes.  And when stereotypes are reinforced, it’s harder for women to move past barriers in the workplace and across society.

Examples of superficial coverage of women cut across industries, professions and even continents.

A recent article focusing on the lack of women in America’s corporate suites announced, “Bad Hair Day for Girls at the Top.” A stock photo used in an article about new mandatory quotas for women in leadership in Germany featured only women’s legs and black high heels. Pakistan’s new foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, is a “definite fashionista” and “a rare combination of beauty and brains” according to the Hindustan Times. And don’t get me started on the skewed coverage of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 presidential campaign—or current coverage of Michele Bachmann’s French manicures!

An emphasis on style over substance is nothing new. In the 1920s, Kentucky Democrat Katherine Langley was accused of interfering with House business by a Capitol Hill reporter—due to her flashy attire. In the 1960s, Illinois Republican Charlotte Reid made headlines not for her speech in support of the ERA, but for her black wool bell-bottoms. Even Nellie Davis Taylor Ross, the first woman governor, observed, “Writers describe my appearance from the cast of my features to the shape of my foot.”

Stated simply, men are described by their actions and potential, while women by their appearance. Our media should reflect the reality of smart, powerful women and in the process, give girls positive, inspiring role models. Fortunately, we have a voice that can help shift the coverage.

If you see something sexist, don’t simply change the channel or flip the page—do something about it:

- Fight back with your pen. Write a letter to the editor or to the director of a news station, carefully explaining why you won’t support them with your readership or viewership. The Girls, Women + Media Project offers great tips on how to write an effective letter.

- Educate yourself through workshops and resources by the Women in Media and News.

- Familiarize yourself with research from Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. For instance, did you know that women are almost four times as likely as men to be shown in sexy attire in family entertainment?

Take a stand against news coverage that devalues women and their accomplishments. Women are a lot more than what we wear.

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Cheryl Yanek, Senior Associate Librarian, leads the Catalyst Global Issue Specialty Team and the Twitter Team. She has an MLS in Library and Information Science from Queens College and an MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University. Cheryl is a sponsored athlete on Team Odwalla for her ultramarathon running.

Following the release of Sponsoring Women to Success, I invited all three co-authors to share some of their most interesting—and important—findings about sponsorship. In August, we heard from Heather Foust-Cummings, who discussed how sponsorship offers a unique “triple win.” Today, Jennifer Kohler outlines four things all women can do starting today to get a sponsor and encourages leaders to do their part too—to become talent scouts who look beyond the “usual suspects.”

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It’s a well-known fact: many employees wait to get noticed, keeping their heads down and just working hard. Don’t do it—there’s a good chance you’ll be stuck in that posture for years.

As our Sponsoring Women to Success report and accompanying tool demonstrate, advancement can take more than just hard work. Sponsorship can be a powerful career accelerator that combines the active advocacy of a leader with the “rising stock” of a high performer. In short, sponsorship can take your career to the next level.

Our research points to four things you can start doing today to give yourself the best chance of earning sponsorship:

- Consistently exceed expectations.

- Ask for and act on feedback.

- Make yourself visible.

- Develop a reputation as a respected, flexible colleague.

When you do secure a sponsor, forget entitlement—the sponsor only opened the door. It’s up to you to walk through and make your mark. And let’s be clear: sponsorship is not about favoritism. Protégés earn their sponsorship and have to prove their worth every day thereafter.

For senior leaders committed to building a pipeline of talent, it’s about noticing a top performer with future potential and providing the kind of pivotal opportunity that can take her from “stellar individual contributor” to “influential leader.” This kind of talent scouting generates nothing but positive outcomes for the organization, not to mention a reputation as a key cultivator of talent.

So if you’re a senior leader, look broadly, look deeply, and look often. Pay attention to talent all around you—not just those already “on the list.” Anyone should be eligible. As one male sponsor we interviewed put it: “If I’m rewarding performance and showcasing performance and recognizing value contributions, then everyone has a shot at my sponsorship.”

Taking calculated chances on high performers happens every day, but all too often our research shows that sponsorship typically works in favor of men. This results in a future crop of leaders who precisely mirror those who came before—and we know this isn’t good for women or for business.

To the high performers: own your success and get noticed.  And to the senior leaders: get focused on the talent all around you. More female sponsorship can mean more career acceleration for talented women—because they earned it.

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Jennifer Kohler, Director, Advisory Services, consults with companies and firms in the areas of diversity and inclusion, with an emphasis on the advancement of women. She is a frequent speaker and has facilitated workshops on a range of subjects, including unwritten rules, work-life effectiveness, and mentoring and sponsorship. Prior to coming to Catalyst, Ms. Kohler received her M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, where she conducted research on work and family issues, later published in the Sloan Work and Family Research Network encyclopedia, and her B.A. from Cornell University, summa cum laude.

In this guest-post, Catalyst’s Anika K. Warren, Senior Director, Research, discusses her latest report, Checking the Pulse of Women in Bioscience: What Organizations Need to Know. As Anika makes clear, the lack of women in leadership in this vital industry can have far-reaching implications.

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It’s amazing to think that 2011 marks the 100-year anniversary of Marie Curie winning her second Nobel Prize. While she represents both the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to earn Nobel Prizes in multiple sciences, stereotypes about women’s aptitude in science and math persist. So much for female firsts!

As I think about my experiences leading Catalyst’s latest research report on women in bioscience, Curie’s theory of radioactivity comes to mind. Admittedly, I’m a social scientist with a background in finance, so the instabilities of atoms aren’t my specialty. Yet, over the past two years, I’ve become increasingly familiar with the effects of market instability on the bioscience industry.

In this study, Catalyst research demonstrates how the interactive nature and unique complexities of bioscience influence the need for industry-wide diversity and inclusion efforts. The reality that higher rates of women are graduating with advanced degrees in science and medicine and make most household health care decisions, added to the fact that bioscience impacts everyone’s life, should signal that maintaining male-dominated senior leadership teams is not the most effective way for bioscience companies to maintain a competitive advantage, foster innovation, maximize talent, and in effect, save lives.

My interviews with experts in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and academic medicine revealed that women are vital to the future of bioscience. However, women in most science sectors are paid less and receive fewer advancement opportunities than similarly qualified men, despite their determination to achieve individual and organizational success. Given the aforementioned realities, companies are struggling to prevent top female talent from jumping to competitors to advance their careers – have they become like the atoms losing energy that Curie studied in her research on radioactivity?

One thing is certain: critical information isn’t trickling down the pipeline and, as a result, most women aren’t informed about important career opportunities at their current companies. Moreover, data indicates that the lack of communication between senior executives, managers, and direct reports remains a major advancement barrier for women, challenging gender equity and placing hierarchical organizations at risk of losing key talent.

In our latest bioscience report, we share emergent industry trends and proven strategies to aid organizations in getting the most out of their talent. The report offers innovative solutions for increasing capacity, building effective relationships, establishing sponsorship and coaching opportunities, and holding managers and senior leaders accountable for gender diversity and workplace inclusion.

Overall, I’m encouraged by the success of the experts, practices, and organizations showcased in this report, and I look forward to the day when gender stereotypes and pay inequities are eradicated. It’s time to make changes in science sectors. It’s time to save more lives.

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Anika K. Warren, Ph.D., leads and supports research projects focused on organizational change and effectiveness, women of color, and women in leadership. Prior to joining Catalyst, Dr. Warren was an Assistant Professor at Teachers College of Columbia University, where she continued to teach until September 2010. She consults to professional service firms, bioscience corporations, and telecommunication companies, provides career coaching, and publishes research articles and book chapters on issues related to diversity and inclusion, organizational change and effectiveness, and counseling psychology. She has served as an educator, consultant, and counselor to numerous Fortune 500 and multinational companies, universities, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and community health organizations. Dr. Warren also develops training videos catering to the unique needs of multicultural clients and their individual and organizational challenges. Prior to graduate school, Dr. Warren worked in finance at Gap Inc. and The Charles Schwab Corporation and was involved in recruitment and career development efforts at both corporations. She received her B.B.A. in Finance from Howard University and earned her M.A. and M.Ed. in Psychological Counseling at Columbia University, focusing on organizational, multicultural, and school psychology. She completed her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at Boston College.

To mark the launch of Sponsoring Women to Success, I invited lead author, Heather Foust-Cummings, to discuss its key findings. In the coming weeks, we’ll also hear from Heather’s co-authors, Jennifer Kohler and Sarah Dinolfo. In today’s guest post, Heather cuts through the jargon and describes how sponsorship offers a unique “win/win/win” opportunity that benefits protégés, sponsors, and organizations.

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Sponsorship can be a squirrely concept, leaving many of us sensing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s dilemma when he issued his 1964 opinion on pornography in Jacobellis v. Ohio: we may not be able to define it precisely, but we know it when we see it.

Catalyst’s latest research on sponsorship, Sponsoring Women to Success, tackles this ambiguity head-on and puts the clichés on the sidelines. We define sponsorship in clear terms: it is active support by someone with significant influence on decision-making processes or structures who advocates, protects, and fights for the career advancement of an individual.

Through in-depth interviews conducted with nearly 100 executives and high-potential leaders across the globe, we learned first and foremost that sponsorship represents a unique “triple-win.” Sponsorship benefits the protégé, the sponsor, and the organization.

High-potential protégés gain career advancement. This is especially important for women, who are often overlooked for plum assignments and big promotions.

Sponsors benefit, too. In our study, sponsors reported that they received access to information at different levels of the organization that enabled them to better understand the business and become more effective leaders. Leaders who play sponsorship roles also learned that talent in their organizations needs to be more diverse to support business growth. Beyond that, sponsors reported that they gained a deep sense of personal and professional satisfaction from helping others to become more successful.

Sponsorship also boasts direct and indirect benefits for organizations, producing more committed leaders. According to the leaders in our study, having a sponsor made them want to “pay it forward,” and increased their job satisfaction and intent to stay.

Likewise, sponsors argued that sponsorship was critical to team-building. As one woman told us, “I would argue that our most successful partners…are the people who are sponsors.  And the reason it’s so is because it’s a reciprocal relationship. I would run through a brick wall for [my sponsor] because of what he does for me.”

Okay, one cliché—but you get the idea. Sponsorship is not just for protégés. In an effective sponsorship relationship, everyone wins.

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Heather Foust-Cummings, Ph.D., leads research projects on women in leadership and organizational change and effectiveness for Catalyst. Her current work examines the role of sponsors in influencing the advancement and retention of senior-level women. Prior to joining Catalyst, Dr. Foust-Cummings taught at Columbia University and Barnard College, and also conducted brand analyses for the Corporate Research Department at Young & Rubicam. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science (American Politics) as well as a Certificate in Women’s Studies from Emory University in Atlanta. She received a dual B.S. in Political Science and Secondary Education (Social Sciences) from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Last month, Catalyst’s Debbie Soon, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Marketing, headed “Down Under” to meet with leaders committed to diversifying Australian workplaces. In today’s guest-post, she outlines the lay of the land around gender diversity—including the challenges and opportunities—in a country known for its male-driven “blokey” culture.

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I recently returned from Australia, visiting a number of Catalyst members, partners, and colleagues (and discovering some of the most interesting wildlife I have ever seen—did you know that a cassowary is the most dangerous bird in the world?!)

Birds aside, I found that the Australian economy is vibrant and businesses are buzzing. Within corporations, in the news, and even in Parliament, the phrase “unconscious bias” seems to be at the forefront of conversations about gender diversity. Who would have thought to look “Down Under” for an example of how to mobilize a country to embrace gender diversity in the boardroom and throughout the business environment?

By 2013, all companies with 100 or more employees must report their gender statistics to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA), Catalyst’s census partner in Australia, which will compile the data and report the results to the Australian Parliament. Are companies taking this reporting requirement seriously? You bet!

No one wants to see government mandates.  (Been there, done that—don’t want to do that again!) So, businesses are taking matters into their own hands and proactively seeking ways to improve their company images and their workplaces to better appeal to women and to ensure that women stay and advance through the ranks.

Corporations appear to understand that it’s their responsibility to reach out to women, starting with the top. According to the Australian Institute of Company Directors—which partnered with the Australian government to implement mentoring, coaching, and education programs for women aspiring to board positions—29% of all new appointments to ASX 200 boards so far in 2011 have been women, an improvement over the 25%, 8%, and 5% numbers in 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.

Whether this momentum will continue is yet to be seen. And what the organizational diversity numbers will be in 2013 when the first reports are due, is also yet to be seen. But this much is clear: Australian companies seem to be answering the gender diversity question, “If not, why not?” with the response, “Why not!”

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Debbie Soon is responsible for Catalyst’s business strategy and planning, market assessment, and overall marketing operations. For Catalyst’s entry into new markets, she sets priorities and develops the business model, entry strategy, and plan. In addition, she is responsible for brand management, corporate events, public affairs, IT, and Catalyst’s Corporate Board Services.

Debbie holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of California at San Diego and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. She also completed special studies in Mathematics at Cambridge University, England. Ms. Soon is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Advisors of DirectWomen Board Institute and a member of the Advisory Panel to the Diverse Director DataSource, a CalPERS/CalSTRS board diversity initiative.

In April, Catalyst’s Brande Stellings and I went to the 2011 Women’s Power Summit on Law & Leadership at University of Texas School of Law. Following the success of the 2009 Summit and creation of the Austin Manifesto, this year’s conference focused on the theme of power. As Brande makes clear in today’s guest post, we all have power—whether we know it or not. The question is how to use it to reach our goals.

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When I was in law school, a professor told us that associates in law firms could be subversive by not laughing at the senior partners’ jokes. At the time, this advice seemed wholly inadequate on so many levels, but I found myself thinking about it while at the recent Women’s Power Summit on Law & Leadership.

Over 100 leaders in the legal profession and corporate world gathered to consider what it will take to achieve the ambitious goals set forth for the legal profession in the Austin Manifesto. Among other things, the Manifesto pledges to reach 30% women equity partners by 2015 and 10% women of color equity partners by 2020.

At first, I couldn’t help but feel that these were unrealistic goals. Like the progress of women in the C-suite, the progress of women in the legal profession has stalled. Women’s increased representation in the partnership ranks is measured in tenths of a percentage point each year.

But if there’s any group that should be able to make change in the legal profession, it’s this one.  As you might expect at a “Power Summit,” the attendees were a high-powered group: firm chairs, general counsels, judges, thought leaders. They affirmed that while we may feel discouraged by the glacial pace of organizational change, we have the power to reach our goals.

For example, Harvard Business School Professor Robin Ely posed a simple question, “Power for what?” It is important to define your purpose, she said, as clarity about your purpose will help in surmounting barriers.

UT Professor Christine Williams also spoke to us about personal power. She highlighted Debra Meyerson’s research on “tempered radicals,” who are “people who want to succeed in their organizations yet want to live by their values or identities, even if they are somehow at odds with the dominant culture of their organizations.” In other words, tempered radicals rock the boat—without falling out.

The Summit’s takeaways were clear: Set a purpose. Get power. And if you do not feel you have meaningful institutional support or clout, mount your own gender equity campaign: Refer business to women, mentor a man, or become a role model for other women.

At the end of the three-day conference, I thought again about that advice I received in law school. The point is not whether you smile at the senior partners’ jokes, it’s that you have the power not to.

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Brande Stellings, J.D., leads Catalyst’s efforts to advance women and promote inclusion within the legal profession. She serves on the Board of Directors of Legal Momentum (The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund), on the Honorary Advisory Board of Pace Law School’s New Directions Program for lawyers returning to practice and formerly chaired (2007-2010) Women in the Profession, a committee of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Ms. Stellings practiced law for more than 12 years within a large corporate law firm and as in-house corporate legal counsel. At NBC Universal Inc., where she served as Vice President, Litigation, Ms. Stellings was co-leader of the award-winning New York/New Jersey chapter of the GE Women’s Network and a member of NBC Universal’s Affinity Council. Prior to NBC, she worked at Cravath, Swaine & Moore as a litigation associate. Ms. Stellings received her J.D. cum laude from the Harvard Law School and graduated magna cum laude from Yale College.

Last month, my colleagues Jan Combopiano, Vice President & Chief Knowledge Officer, and Michael J. Chamberlain, Senior Director, Brand Management & Events, hosted a webinar on our latest research on the importance of sponsorship. The event was a tremendous success, with more than 1,500 people from around the world logging in and participating in the conversation. In fact, Jan and Michael received more than 150 questions from participants—far too many to address within the one-hour session!

With this in mind, I’ve invited them to answer one of the most frequently asked questions related to this research: How can I secure sponsorship if I do not have direct access to influential people in my organization? Jan and Michael, take it away!

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An influential sponsor can make all the difference in your career, but how do you secure one? Even if you do not have direct access to influential people in your organization, you can still land a sponsor who will advocate for you from behind closed doors.

Here’s how.

First, be good at what you do. In fact, be awesome! Sponsorship is not about entitlement—you need to earn it. You need to be a top performer to inspire others to take you under their wings.

Once you are on top of your game, you need to get noticed. You might not work on the same floor—or even in the same time zone—as your company’s most influential leaders. But that’s OK. Impress the people around you—every colleague you have exposure too might have the connections you need. You might not have the top boss’ ear, but others might, and they can speak highly about you to the people that matter.

For added visibility, try to volunteer inside your organization. Or organize networking events outside the office. Attend conferences where you think influential coworkers might be and speak with them there. And, have an elevator speech prepared—make sure colleagues get to know who you are and what you want to do. Do you know anyone who works on the company newsletter? If so, volunteer to write an article, or try to get featured.

There is no silver bullet to finding a powerful sponsor—everyone’s path is different. The important thing is to do a great job, take risks, and be creative. Leaders are always on the lookout for the next crop of talent. Get their attention. Help them notice you.

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Jan Combopiano, Vice President & Chief Knowledge Officer, Catalyst, leads knowledge management efforts at Catalyst, leveraging resources and expertise to serve stakeholders, preserve the organization’s history, and maintain the knowledge infrastructure. As head of the Information Center, Ms. Combopiano oversees library functions, including research requests from Catalyst staff, member organizations, the media, and outside researchers. In her operations role for the Research Department, she shepherds Catalyst work from concept to historical preservation, including the content for the annual Catalyst Awards Conference.

Michael Chamberlain, Senior Director, Brand Management & Events, is responsible for the care and keeping of the Catalyst brand, with major responsibilities including assessing external perceptions of the brand by target audiences and creating consistent positioning across, and external to, Catalyst. Mr. Chamberlain also plans and oversees all events related to Catalyst Research launches, CEO Summits, member and non-member convening opportunities, and the annual Catalyst Awards  Conference and Dinner.

What is India Inc.? For me, it’s not just India’s booming business sector. It’s also a phrase suggesting tremendous opportunity for Indian women and business.

India is undergoing explosive GDP growth—and a skilled labor shortage to match. Yet amid this tremendous thirst for talent, deep gender gaps persist. Women represent only 36% of the labor force—less than half that of men—and only 3% to 6% of senior management.

To mark the launch of our new report, Leadership Gap in India Inc., I’ve asked our Senior Advisor in India, Deepali Bagati, to write about what’s at stake in this emerging market. Women, she says, are core to India Inc.’s sustainable growth.

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Deepali Bagati writes:

India Inc.—the land of opportunities, relationships and contradictions—is a place where organizations find themselves thriving on growth and innovation, but also challenged by the talent crunch: finding and keeping top talent. Organizations are hiring aggressively, and employees are jumping ship even more aggressively especially at the skilled/managerial level. Culturally, the importance of relationships cannot be emphasized enough, and “who you know” continues to be critical in getting close to the ladder, let alone moving up the ladder.

Although women continue to be bogged down with familial and societal stereotypes about their roles and abilities, the burgeoning middle class, intense consumerism and a thirst for upward mobility in urban India is opening doors for women. In rural India, a million plus women are functioning as grassroots leaders in the Panchayati Raj Institutions, and rural India has already been anointed as the unexplored and untapped market with unprecedented opportunities.  

The India story is no longer about whether this is a growth play, but more about maximizing and accelerating this growth by leveraging female talent. A unique window of opportunity beckons the key stakeholders and decision-makers—the majority of who are still male—to set in motion processes and programs that bring more women into the workforce and create an agile and inclusive workplace.   (more…)