DM Coaching and Development

Beyond the Boys' Club at EPWN on November 12

On this coming Thursday night, November 12 I am speaking at an event hosted by the European Professional Women's Network and Deloitte. I will be speaking about my book "Beyond the Boys' Club" and a panel session with senior successful women from Deloitte, two of whom I interviewed for the book, will then take questions about their own paths to success. The event is open to the public and I would love to see you there. For more information, please visit www.epwn.net/london to book your place! 

Breadwinner Mothers still Very Sensitive to Family's Needs

As joblessness rises in many male-dominated fields during the recession, a great number of women are becoming primary breadwinners and leaving their husbands at home to take care of the children - both an economic necessity and a way for some couples to offer children stay at home support from at least one parent. In an interesting article "Paradigm Shift: Power Lawyer Mom, Stay at Home Dad" for American Lawyer, the author Vivia Chen commented that the mothers in such couples were still concerned that their partners were doing interesting side projects and that they as mothers were still home to cook for the family or shop a few times a week. It make me wonder  - are working dads as concerned that their partners are finding child raising fulfilling and that they are home at night as fathers to still do their fair share? Would make for some interesting research....

We Need More Women in Finance for Changing Face of Wealth

An increasingly important reason why more women are needed in banking is that the very demographics of money are changing as well. Historically, private bankers in the UK dealt primarily with aristocratic families of inherited wealth — but this is changing. As explained by Joanna Hewitt, a private banker I interviewed in "Beyond the Boys Club": ‘We have always had female clients, but they have tended to be the wife of a wealthy man. Now we have more female entrepreneurs and women who have been awarded large divorce settlements. Some clients will want a male private banker and some will want a female private banker. Having diversity within private banking means we can offer both.’ The increasingly diverse group of individuals with money to invest means that the old public school ties, that used to be a main breeding ground for private bankers and their male clients, are becoming irrelevant. Women are earning far more money than ever before, through private incomes and business ownership. In fact, by 2025, women are expected to own 60 per cent of all private wealth in the UK. Currently there are more female than male millionaires between the ages of 18 and 44 — and then again among those over 65 years old.

Plans for Women to Be First Astronauts in 1950's Scrapped

It turns out that in the 1950s when researchers were deciding who could best handle the rigours of space travel, scientists deemed women the stronger of the sex. A fascinating article "A Woman in Space" details the first archives of space research where scientists felt that women were the natural choice to be the first astronauts in terms of physiology and practicality. "They recognized that women's lighter weights would reduce the amount of propulsion fuel being used by the rocket's load and that women would require less auxiliary oxygen than men. They knew that women had fewer heart attacks than men and their reproductive system was thought to be less susceptible to radiation than a male's. Finally, preliminary data suggested that women could outperform men in enduring cramped spaces and prolonged isolation." The article goes on to explain that, surprise, surprise, despite the fact that there were indeed well qualified female pilots available, the plans met great resistance further up the government food chain and that eventually, plans to use professional women at all were scrapped in time for the world to see John Glenn orbit the earth in 1962. Makes you wonder, where would be today if "Joan Glen" had been the first?

Polishing Your Professional Profile - October 30th Workshop in London

On Friday 30th October 2009, from 10am to 4.30pm at the womenintechnology offices, 114 Middlesex Street London, E1 7JH, I am running a full day workshop on "Proactively Polishing Your Profile to move Beyond the Boys' Club". The most successful women working in male-dominated fields know that you can't win the game if you're not willing to play the game.  We will take a interactive approach to look at how career progression, especially in male dominated fields, is a blend of aptitude and attitude, manoeuvrability, understanding office politics, coupled with self awareness and confidence. The day will help you develop self-promotion skills to increase professional visibility, identify strategies for career enhancement according to your values and current options and improve ability to influence others and develop effective relationships. The day cost just £213 plus Vat and includes a complimentary copy fo the my book "Beyond the Boys' Club" and lunch. To book your place, visit www.womenintechnology.co.uk

Women and Self Doubt in Sunday Times and Perils of Long Maternity Breaks in Sunday Telegraph

This past weekend was a fantastic weekend for my book, "Beyond the Boys Club" as I was interviewed for my opinion as an executive coach who works with professional women, for two national newspapers.  The first was in the Sunday Times Style section on "Why Women Suffer from Self-Doubt"  and another article "Perils of the Pregnant Pause" about the downsides of extended maternity breaks in the Sunday Telegraph. If you missed either article, just click through the links above.  

The Challenge of Moving into Management and Away from Technical Skills

Many women who enter male-dominated fields initially pride themselves on their technical skills. As they progress, they may worry about losing these as they move into management. This is understandable: it was the technical know-how that drew them to the field in the first place. However, most people recognise that managers naturally lose some of this technical knowledge in such fast-paced industries, as they spend more of their time developing strategic skills and have to delegate much of the hands-on work they are used to doing themselves. The most successful women realise this is not a

net loss but a demonstration that they are focusing on and growing other skills — namely leadership, management and communication. In fact, as I recommend to many of my clients, if you have a choice between technical development or people management training, you should choose the people management. These skills will prepare you well for future roles in a variety of industries. In today’s fastmoving global economy, they are skills that are less likely to be off-shored and are sure to remain in demand over the long term.

Alpha Females can Outperform Men in Finance

This past Sunday, the Times ran "Hedge Fund Heroines Outdo Men in the City" about the few women who are doing well in the downturn and indeed whose investments are outperforming their male colleagues. I think it is fantastic to celebrate their successes, especially in the financial sector, a field that is among the least welcoming to women. However, we mustn't allow examples of the very few women who are breaking through the glass ceiling suggest that discrimination is not pervasive.  As found earlier this year, " by the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that women employed full-time in the City were often sidelined into relatively low-paid support roles, receiving on average 80% less in bonuses and 47% less in salary than men - in a report ordered by Harriet Harman, the women’s minister, to shed light on the “hidden discrimination” in the City. Kudos indeed to the top earning women, but there is still much to do in helping more professional females get to the top, and succeed as women, not in spite of the fact they are women.

Support Women's Films TOMORROW ...."Three to Tango"

I recently met this most fabulous movie producer/director, Yvonne Deutschman,  who told me about her plight to get a major movie she has just completed, to the big screens. Yvonne worked at the BBC for 30 years but now makes movies about women’s lives – but they are deemed to have “limited appeal” by largely male funders and distributors in the UK. She invited me to a free movie screening in London at 127 Wardour Street in Soho of her movie “Three to Tango” which is about a trio of women whose relationships with each other falter and then improve as they age, tomorrow the 8^th of October, If you want to come too rsvp yvonne@po3productions.com  

How Much Do Your Male Colleagues Earn? Bring on the Compulsory Pay Audits

Traditionally, companies have had gag clauses on employees discussing how much they earned with colleagues. It has been a highly secretive way of keeping employees in the dark when it comes to negotiating their packages - useful to companies - but rife for abuse and gender disparities. As discussed in a recent article in Australia's The Age magazine "Women Still Trail in Pay Stakes" : "Many Australians believe women won equal pay in the `70s — but they are wrong," ACTU president Sharan Burrow said. Among the union demands are compulsory "pay equity audits" which would require companies to disclose what male and female employees are paid — including bonuses — at all levels of the corporation. It would be a simple way of changing the corporate culture if people knew what it was that men and women were earning up through the pay scale. Making them part of the reporting cycle for companies would make a huge difference." I think there is a long way to go, but I suspect compulsory pay audits would split the City assunder for all that they would unearth.