Catalyst Blog

Among the many insights shared at this week’s sold-out Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner (and I’ll be highlighting more on Catalyzing in the coming weeks), was this gem from Rhonda Joy McLean, Time Inc.’s Deputy General Counsel. “You better speak up for yourself, baby!” she told attendees.

Rhonda’s advice really resonated with me—especially after a recent bout of laryngitis.

After launching the Catalyst Israel Census in Tel Aviv, I was stricken with a full-blown case. Under doctor’s orders, I had to stop trying to talk. This was a new experience for me—I’m not used to not being heard!

After several maddening days of silence, I realized that voice is a privilege not to be taken lightly. And with that privilege comes the responsibility to speak up for yourself and speak out when you see women valued less than men at work and across society.

As I told the crowd at the Waldorf-Astoria, say something—and do something—when you see men advance more quickly than equally qualified women, when you are asked to appear on a panel or participate in an event where there are no or few women, or when people tell you there weren’t any qualified women to fill a position. Ask: Did they look hard enough? Did they assume a woman didn’t want the role?

Use your voice to fight against sexist stereotypes that devalue women, and use it to advocate for yourself. Your voice is powerful and will inspire others to act. Use it to speak up!

The days leading up to the Catalyst Awards Dinner and Conference are always exciting. Anticipation is high, work is frenetic—and it’s all worth it!

At this year’s sold-out dinner, I will be joined at New York City’s Waldorf=Astoria by close to 100 CEOs and leaders of major corporations, academic institutions, and nonprofits—plus more than 1500 guests from 140 companies from around the world. Ursula M. Burns, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xerox Corporation, is chairing the dinner, which honors trail-blazing programs by Kaiser Permanente, McDonald’s, and Time Warner. And at our sold-out conference during the day, we’ll hear more about what really works to advance women and diversity at the breakout sessions and keynote discussion with Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods Inc.

If you are unable to attend this year’s festivities, be sure to follow all the action on Twitter—the official hashtag for this year’s Conference and Dinner is #Catalyst2011.

See you there!

On March 18, 1976, Catalyst held our first-ever Awards Dinner at The Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City to honor women board directors who supported Catalyst’s mission. Reflecting the mindset of the time, a 1979 New York Times article in the Family/Style section highlighted that year’s winners’ “conservatively styled long-sleeved evening dresses, a minimum amount of makeup and simple pageboy hairdos.”

Catalyst was expanding opportunities for women and business at a time when many believed that women had little to bring to the table of business leadership. Year after year, our Awards have been a platform for the change-makers destroying this myth.

And the 2011 Awards are no exception.

Kaiser Permanente, McDonald’s, and Time Warner drive change in the workplace through initiatives that value women’s talents, perspectives, and leadership skills. Their powerful initiatives are transforming business culture—benefitting employees, families, communities, the economy and society along the way.

So please join me in congratulating this year’s inspiring Award-winners—bravo, brava!

Are you a Catalysto?

A Catalysto is a man who wholeheartedly supports the work of Catalyst. He is an advocate for women, a role model for other men, and a positive force for change.

Catalystos are influential. In March, at the 2010 Catalyst Awards Conference, Frank J. McCloskey, Vice President of Diversity at Georgia Power and a true Catalysto—spoke about the impact one voice can have in the fight against inequity. “If you can just get one or two of several hundred to understand [gender inequity]—that’s a success,” said Frank. “They might impact millions.”

With this in mind, I wanted to amplify the voices of the Catalystos I knew. And I’ve started with the ones closest to me—the men who work at Catalyst.

I asked them why they support our mission, and I’ve broken their responses into two blog posts. I’ve changed their names to protect their privacy.

These Catalystos have some common traits, including a deep-rooted sense of empathy and fair-play. I was inspired by their answers. Hopefully, you will be too.

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Todd, Marketing and Public Affairs:

I come from a family predominantly of men (father and three brothers). My mother, not allowed to maintain a profession once a wife and mother (a nasty combination of religious, cultural, and patriarchal beliefs), channeled her formidable entrepreneurial and natural talents into creating sons who believed in boundless opportunities for themselves—a great challenge since we were in rigid boarding schools by first grade! She was my biggest and most unflappable fan—another challenge since I was not becoming a priest as assumed by said boarding school (and father).

I was in my late teens when my parents divorced and my mother found herself quite free to pursue her passions. She went back to her profession of nursing where I witnessed her nurture in ways I could only envision being honored to do. My own career has been very much shaped by my mother. Since her passing, I have worked solely for women and for women’s causes, and I have been extremely satisfied in those choices.

Jeffrey, Information Technology:

My wife works as a chemist and I saw that her pay is not the same as her male colleagues. Most of her supervisors are men. Hopefully, she could get paid the same someday and move up to better opportunities within her company. I do think many women out there also experience this.

Connor, Consultant:

Social justice has been a core concern of mine all of my adult life.  As a consequence, I have been involved in one form or another with empowering those at the margins.  Having worked in both corporate life in the States and having lived and worked in the developing world for ten years, I have witnessed firsthand the disparities in both access and equity so many women face every day at home and at work. I believe passionately that Catalyst’s mission, and the delivery of its expertise, has the potential to ably address these issues within corporate culture, and hence, to more broadly influence women’s lives across the vast expanse of their endeavors.

Vincent, Information Technology:

Since my wife and I are expecting a daughter soon, I care about the Catalyst mission now more than ever. I hope that my daughter never meets with discrimination based on stereotypes so that she can do and be whatever she wants.

This week’s roundup includes a video promoting the Toronto-based 2010 G(irls)20 Summit, plus articles about the upcoming Equal Pay Day, Justice John Paul Stevens’ exit from the Supreme Court, boardrooms Down Under, and the unwritten rules that still hold women back. Oh, and a word to the wise: beware of the glass floor…

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Putting the ‘G’ in G20

This video vividly captures the impact every girl can have on their family, community, and the world. Inspired by the clip? Then apply by May 7^th to take part in the 2010 G(irls)20 Summit. From June 16th – 18th, 2010, a girl from each G20 country will meet in Toronto to craft recommendations for G20 leaders on issues that impact girls and women. Let your voice be heard— you can represent the world’s 3.3 billion girls and women.

Watch: “The Girl Effect,” GirlEffect.org/GirlsandWomen.com

 Mind the Gap

Equal Pay Day is just around the corner. April 20, 2010 symbolizes just how far into 2010 women must work to earn what men earned last year. On average, American women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man—and the gap has barely budged since 2001.

Read: “Not All Differences in Earnings Are Created Equal,” by Carl Bialik, The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2010

 Supreme Parity

Columnist Charles M. Blow calls on Obama to replace Justice John Paul Stevens with a female justice. “The question isn’t why more women,” he writes, “but rather why not?”

Read: “O’Connor on the Court,” by Charles M. Blow, The New York Times, April 9, 2010

Dropping Down Under

Companies with a higher percentage of women on their boards do better, on average, than those with fewer. So why is the number of women in ASX200 boardrooms dropping?

Read: “The Fairest Board of All,” by Suzanne Daniel, WA Today, April 9, 2010

The Glass Floor

Channeling the message of our 2010 Awards Dinner Video, Larke Riemer, head of women’s markets at Westpac, said: “You’ve not only got a glass ceiling, you’ve got a glass floor. Who actually falls through the glass floor because they don’t get the support and the opportunities, so they leave?”

Read: “Time for Women to Tackle the ‘Hour-Glass’ Ceiling,” by Anneli Knight, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 8, 2010

Exposing Unwritten Rules

Catalyst research has found that unwritten rules play a major role in career advancement. Here are some tips on navigating these invisible, yet powerful forces.

Read: “6 Steps to Take On the Unwritten Rules Keeping Women out of Leadership Roles,” by Lynn Harris, The Glass Hammer, April 9, 2010

C This is a new feature on Catalyzing that highlights specific articles, podcasts, and videos on the topic of women and work that caught my eye. Have you seen something this week that you don’t see listed? Let me know in the comments. Enjoy!

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Women and work—now and then

Forty years after Newsweek was sued for sex discrimination, a current Newsweek writer and one of the original litigants reflect on what has changed—and what hasn’t—for women and work.

“Not Your Mother’s Sexism,” The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC, 3/26/10

You’ve waited 23 years for this day…

This year’s potent Catalyst Awards Dinner video captures why we must pay attention to where women and men are placed and what they are paid.

“2010 Catalyst Awards Dinner Video,” Catalyst, 3/25/10

Sleazy Politicians

Men behave badly— but do women?

“Female Politicians ‘Too Busy’ For Affairs,” National Public Radio, 3/31/10

MBAs

What do women want out of business school? The same thing as men!

“What Women Want – From an MBA,” by Andy Holloway, Financial Post, 3/29/10

Quotas

A recent University of Michigan study into the effects of boardroom gender quotas is still drawing a lot of heat.  

“Study Says Female Board Members Hurt Stock Prices. Really?” by Margaret Heffernan, BNet, 3/25/10

Engaging Men

What would you do if you were denied a promotion because you got engaged?

“Fired From the ‘Mommy Track,’” by Lisa Belkin, The New York Times, 3/26/10

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“If you want to understand the past, look at current conditions,” said PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi at last night’s Catalyst Awards Dinner, quoting an old Chinese proverb. “But if you want to understand the future, look at today’s actions.”

All the great speeches and conversations about the Award-winning gender initiatives from Campbell Soup, Deloitte, RBC, and Telstra demonstrated a bright future for women in business. A lot of work remains to be done, but I left The Waldorf last night knowing we were a little closer to gender parity in business leadership.

The day was filled with engaging, inspirational, and sometimes hilarious moments. I appreciated the down-to-earth advice on men championing women from Frank McCloskey, Vice President of Diversity at Georgia Power. “It’s a manager’s obligation to create a work environment where everyone is valued,” he told a standing-room crowd. “I hope y’all change your culture—if not, we’ll take your people,” he jibed.

Later that day, Irene Chang Britt, President of Campbell Soup, North America, discussed her views on work-life. Like me, she does not like to use the word “balance.” She prefers the term: “work-life integration.” After all, she said, “We’re all nuts if we think we’re balanced.”

(more…)

It’s finally here!

This Wednesday, March 24, I will gather with thousands of Catalyst supporters, CEOs and other leaders at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York for our annual Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner. The day will be filled with lively panels on women’s advancement into leadership, plus in-depth presentations by CEOs from Campbell Soup, Deloitte, RBC, and Telstra whose initiatives won the 2010 Catalyst Award. In the evening, we will formally recognize our Award winners’ initiatives and celebrate their success.

This year, close to 80 CEOs from Fortune 1000 companies and leading professional organizations will attend along with a sold-out 1,500 guests for an evening of celebration. If you can’t make it to the Waldorf, join us virtually via our special Awards Conference Twitter feed.  Online or in-person, I want you to be a part of our special day. I look forward to seeing you and sharing in the excitement.