News

One Voice: Masterclass with RADA in Business

Yes, you can sing!

Can you sing? Most of us will say ‘no’ to that question.

This Masterclass, One Voice, held on 19th September, taught us that it is possible for anyone to sing, and how powerful and energising it is when done as a group.

This was the third evening event that CWN organised in partnership with RADA in Business. After focusing on posture and presence in earlier sessions, we now experimented with another essential leadership tool: our voices.

In a lively session of an hour and a half, RADA's Vocal coach and renowned West End musical director, the incomparable and fearless Tom Wakeley encouraged, cajoled and orchestrated some fifty attendees into performing as a choir - for the final performance when everything came together.

Find your unique voice

Tom began the evening by helping us better understand that often under-utilised leadership tool: our voices. On our feet within minutes, Tom started off with practical breathing and vocal exercises. There was no time to be self-conscious as our attention was cleverly directed to feeling what was going on within our bodies with each breath as we sustain sound.

Referring to Kristin Linklaters’ book ‘Freeing your natural voice’, Tom explained how we each have a natural resonance and a unique voice that is most effectively used when linked with our emotions. Also, any tension in the body will affect the quality of your voice.

What if we replace “I can’t” by “How can I?”

We moved right into the action when Tom introduced the lyrics of the song we were about to perform: ‘The Rhythm of Life’ from the hit musical ‘Sweet Charity’. The attendees did not have any time to have second thoughts, it was time to use those voices!

Tom organised the singers into groups, giving them roles, guiding their voices and encouraging them ‘to do something out of their comfort zone’. It was indeed a Masterclass in fostering a growth and change mindset.

Stumbling over words, losing and finding text, laughing out loud, we learned about pitch and volume, tune and harmony, choreography and movement. We savoured our success when things came together for the final performance.

The power of the human voice

This masterclass was a reminder of the power of the human voice. It also showed what rewards await when you push your boundaries.

The buzz at the networking drinks afterwards reflected the sense of achievement and the energy and joy that came from performing as ‘One Voice’.  

The evening was a powerful testimony to how we can work on our confidence and learn to express ourselves while supporting others.

This piece was inspired by a blog written by one of our attendees at this event, member Beverly Landais, who has captured the essence of the evening so beautifully. Thanks Beverly! 

The Power of the Business Leader as a Real-Model for Diversity and Inclusion

Sally Todd, CWN President, talks to Tracey Groves, CWN Membership Chair and a 2018 FT and HERoes Champion of Women in Business.

Today the Financial Times published the 2018 FT and HERoes Champions of Women in Business ranking. The HERoes lists celebrate company leaders who support women in business.

Congratulations to Tracey Groves, CWN Membership Chair, Founder and Director of Intelligent Ethics and former Partner at PwC, who has been recognised as a champion of women in business by the judging panel.

Tracey is ranked #48 amongst 100 senior female business leaders who are helping to increase gender diversity in the workplace and effecting the greatest changes in women’s careers both in the UK and beyond. 

CWN President Sally Todd caught up with Tracey to discuss the critical role of responsible business leaders in driving diversity across their business.

ST: Tracey, congratulations on becoming an FT HERo! As an award-winning leader of gender diversity initiatives in organisations, please give us your perspective on why workplace culture and creating the environment for a more diverse and inclusive workforce is so important to business performance?

TG: A culture that fosters diversity and inclusion is one that is built on respect and trust.  With high levels of trustworthiness comes a desire to innovate, to push boundaries and to exceed expectations of performance.  A climate of psychological safety that encourages each of us to take informed risks without fear of repercussion drives high levels of integrity and performance in organisations. 

When we respect difference, Sally, we work with a “we” mindset and a common sense of shared purpose is transformational in unlocking organisational results. A business that values difference is a business that has high levels of self-awareness and cares about its people, customers, suppliers, investors and its impact on wider society.  In my book, that’s not just responsible business, it’s smart business.

ST: Companies take their lead from the top. What actions do we need to see from senior business leaders to treat diversity like other key business drivers to optimise commercial success?

TG: At the very least, senior business leaders must be seen to value and care about diversity. The question is, how can they do that? 

By fostering open and candid conversations about all different aspects of diversity and inclusion (not just about gender and race), by taking a stand against inappropriate behaviour at all levels of the organisation (including the most senior), by endorsing and sponsoring initiatives that drive greater levels of knowledge and understanding about why we do what we do and the challenges of bias, and last but definitely not least, by being held accountable for creating an environment that is built on respect and trust. The power of the business leader as a ‘real-model’ as well as a ‘role-model’ drives a belief that this is the right thing to do and is brought to life by leaders treating diversity as part of the business strategy.

ST: A recent report from The Pipeline suggested that Britain is missing out on a £13 billion gender dividend by failing to get more women into decision-making roles in business. Why do you think substantial barriers to the development of the nation’s top talent continue to prevail and how can we banish them?

TG: I believe that barriers are still there because we are not doing enough to debias the organisational systems, Sally.  We need to look at the policies and procedures based on the evidence of what works to drive equality and reduce bias, so that everyone is treated fairly and the organisation benefits from 100% of the talent pool.  So often individuals set out to do the right thing, and then processes like recruitment, promotion, and reward intervene and result in an unlevel playing field. 

Practical things like using skill-based assessment tasks in recruitment, structured interviews for recruitment and promotions, including multiple women in shortlists for recruitment and promotions (shortlists with only one woman do not increase the chance of a woman being selected), and introducing transparency to promotion, pay and reward processes are evidence based actions that have been tested in real world settings and found to have a positive impact (see Government Equalities Office/Behavioural Insights Team, Reducing the gender pay gap and improving gender equality in organisations, August 2018

 ST: You have aptly said that “women and men need to work together to drive parity in the workplace.” Why do you think resistance still exists to men and women joining in a common endeavour? How can we realistically address such bias, implicit or explicit?

TG: I often wonder why this is so hard.  Since when did equality become a something that only matters to 50% of the population?  Being different is the one thing that you and I have in common, regardless of gender.  We need men to be our allies, to be part of movement that seeks fairness and equity for everyone, regardless of race, gender, orientation or any other characteristic that makes me me, and you, you.  It would be a truly boring world if we were all cut from the same pattern.  Just imagine it! 

Often men personally disclose to me their inner passion for equality but then struggle to maintain their belief in a world where behavioural norms can work against this.  We need to support and encourage men to work with us in driving equality openly and publicly, to be brave and to show that they care. We all stand to benefit.   

ST: More needs to be done to make the business world attractive to women at schools and universities. What can female leaders do to encourage and equip the next generation of (male and female) contributors?

TG: When you are visible as confident, competent and caring senior business leader, why wouldn’t anyone want to be like you?  Add “female’ to that list of attributes and I’ve just mentally shifted (probably) the image of the leader you had in your mind.

We need to see it to believe it.

My belief is that female leaders need to be visible to both men and women in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace, as champions of difference and authenticity, not just gender.  It’s vitally important that we engage with men and boys whilst doing this; valuing difference is not a gender specific attribute.  We need to empower others, energise their passion for being the best that they can be, and encourage them to envision a successful and healthy career in business as a force for good. 

 ST: The fourth industrial revolution has the potential to create brand new opportunities for those businesses that are innovative, collaborative and agile. How can business leaders best equip their workforce to embrace and prepare for the consequences of new technologies?

TG: The consequences of new technologies are far reaching.  With the opportunities that new technology, like artificial intelligence (AI), will bring, comes potential risks.  The pace and complexity of disruption is unprecedented.  Only those business leaders who are prepared to step up to this challenge will enable organisations and their workforce to thrive, not just survive.  

Will we see the pessimistic forecasts of huge job losses come true or will we see more jobs being created through AI than being lost, as some are predicting?  Leaders need to take ownership right now for transforming the workplace with technology as a force for good, through education and empowerment, with values such as equality, transparency and integrity at their heart. 

Just because something can be automated, should it be?  We need to work out how humans and machines can work together to create a positive impact economically, environmentally and socially.  Hardwiring our core values into creating a technology-driven world will enable businesses and their people to flourish and prosper, not wither.

ST: Finally Tracey, what three key attributes help you when dealing with complex business problems?

TG: I would say the three things that I constantly draw on are, firstly, the courage to be me.  To be authentic, to be real, and to be true to my values and purpose in life.  Sometimes that is easier said than done, but it’s when I perform at my best.  Secondly, my ability to build trusted relationships is so important.  It allows me to hold the mirror up to my clients and say, ‘so what?  why not?  how come?’  They know these questions come from a good place and a desire to drive organisational change with positivity and humanity. 

And thirdly, the ability to have fun and to energise others.  With complexity often comes fear, so breaking down problems into simpler, more achievable tasks creates a powerful momentum and a collaborative spirit that is hugely inclusive and energising.  You’ll be amazed at what we can overcome together. 

@intellethics   @traceyjgroves

@CityWomenLondon

#CWN40 #valuingdifference #realiseambition #femaleleadership #empowerment #intelligentethics #trust #respect #FTWomen

President's Newsletter - September 2018

 Dear Member,

As we look to the last quarter of our 40^th year, it has been a busy time for CWN! It was great to welcome many of our members, our corporate members and friends to our 40^th Anniversary celebration at The Devonshire Club in June. Do take a look at our photo gallery which captured many of the evening’s best moments, including inspiring talks by former CWN President Diane Morris and Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE, and our silent auction which made a substantial contribution to the over £7,300 we have raised thus far for our charity partner Haven House Children’s Hospice!

Member Engagement Survey … get more involved with CWN

We want to hear your views on your experience of CWN. Please do respond to our membership engagement survey if you have not already done so. It will take just over 10 minutes to complete and will provide us with valuable feedback to help us understand what you find most beneficial about being a member and where we could improve.  We'd also like to hear from you if you would like to get more involved in the delivery of our vision and objectives and join a CWN committee. Equally please let us know if you would be interested in working with us to help shape our diversity and inclusion strategy; we will be actively recruiting for a new dedicated role!

Female Leadership, Valuing Difference and the Gender Dividend

Looking at today’s 2018 FT and HERoes Champions of Women in Business ranking  which celebrates company leaders who support women in business, it is not hard to see why workplace wisdom has long been skewed by uniformity! Homogenous groups of any kind tend to come to decisions too quickly and don’t question their assumptions since everyone at the table seems to agree with each other. Generating alternatives, and gathering diverse views is key to teasing out a whole range of bad cognitive habits from groupthink to confirmation bias when trying to solve complex business problems. As Nobel Laureate Thomas Schelling said: “One thing a person cannot do, no matter how rigorous his analysis or heroic his imagination, is to draw up a list of things that would never occur to him.”

Looking at the opportunities and threats presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the speed with which disruptive technologies are affecting our lives, not least the many projections of how many jobs will be lost, gained or changed by artificial intelligence (AI), there will doubtless be scenarios that would never occur to many of us! We need to bring evidence back into the debate and stimulate ideas and ethical reasoning on how we can ensure we all benefit from an AI-enabled future. To succeed in this endeavour, we need the collaboration of different voices round the table. 

At a grass roots level creating the environment for a more diverse and inclusive workforce is critical to business performance. A recent report from The Pipeline suggested that Britain is missing out on a £13 billion gender dividend by failing to get more women into more senior, decision-making roles in business. Still, an incisive report released on Monday by The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and University of Exeter Business School found that while 98% of FTSE 100 and 88% of FTSE 250 companies have a Board diversity policy, only a tiny 15% of the FTSE 100 and a tinier 6% of the FTSE 250 comply fully with the FRC’s guidance on diversity and are likely to view it as an issue of strategic importance to company strategy.

But why, given the evidence that greater diversity leads to greater financial resilience? In a CWN interview today, Tracey Groves, CWN Membership Chair,  who has been recognised today as an FT and HERoes 2018 Champion of Women in Business, explains that such barriers still exist because companies are not doing enough to debias their organisational systems.

Champions of Women in Business

The FT and HERoes 2018 Champions of Women in Business rankings applaud (male and female) company leaders who support women in business and play a major role in driving diversity across their business. Congratulations to Brenda Trenowden, Former CWN President and Member who is ranked #1 and to Tracey who is ranked #48 amongst 100 senior female business leaders effecting the greatest changes in women’s careers in the UK and beyond by the FT and HERoes judging panel. Our Q&A session, 'The Power of the Business Leader as a Real-Model for Diversity and Inclusion’, goes on to discuss the critical role of responsible business leaders in treating diversity as part of the business strategy.

In other CWN news, on behalf of the Board, I am delighted to announce that Paula Kienert has joined the CWN Board as Co-Chair of the Events Strategy Committee. Paula will make a valuable contribution to the Board in her oversight and contribution to the ongoing planning and execution of our programme of events and partnerships.

CWN Events

On the subject of events, since our break over the summer, we got back in the saddle in early September with an inspiring talk from Polly McMaster, Founder of The Fold. You can review the highlights of the event on our website. Last night we held the third in our Masterclass series with RADA Business, an inspirational and interactive workshop looking at the art of projection of one’s voice using pitch and volume, tune and harmony, choreography and movement. Skills often not fully appreciated in our busy lives but invaluable to improving communication and confidence and how to express oneself.

We have an equally exciting programme of events planned over the rest of 2018, please do review these via the website, and to register. And please do let us know of topics and issues you would be keen for us to explore in 2019.

9 October: Membership drinks for prospective and current members

17 October: “What are they thinking?” Reverse mentoring event with FV, our associate network

7 November: Masterclass with King’s Business School, Purposeful Leadership and Meaningful Work

14 November: 8@8 Prospective Members Breakfast

27 November: The Changing Workplace, hosted by Derwent London

3 December: Financial Literacy in the Boardroom with PwC

Charity Initiatives and Trustee Leadership Programme

If you are interested in becoming involved with our activities to support our charity Haven House please get in touch with our External Relations Chair Anne-Marie Balfe. Haven House provides holistic and palliative care services for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions (aged from birth to 19 years). Would you like to help us increase CWN’s activities and volunteering with Haven House to help us contribute in a meaningful way towards the charity’s ‘Vision 2020’ initiative? If so please get in touch! Next up, we are supporting the Haven House 15th Birthday Ball on 11th October; Pumpkin Fest on 28^th October; Christmas Wonderland on 1^st December and the Haven House Business Breakfast on 7^th December with Deborah Meaden of Dragon’s Den fame!

We are also supporting the Trustee Leadership Programme created and delivered by social enterprise Cause4 in partnership with Close Brothers Asset Management and the Clothworkers’ Company. This course will give potential Trustees the skills and confidence needed to join a charity Board and provide a refresher on essential elements of Trusteeship.  This course runs over 5 evenings in London and you can sign up via the CWN external events page, where we also list other external events of interest.

Do follow us for updates and further details as well as other news and developments on LinkedIn and on Twitter @CityWomenLondon. I look forward to seeing many of you at some of our forthcoming events and at our special New Year Drinks event in January, details coming soon!

Best wishes,

Sally Todd

CWN President

#CWN40 #femaleleadership #inclusionjourney #ValuingDifference #inspire #realiseambition #leadingthroughuncertainty

CWN Summer Drinks  2017 - ‘Inspiring confidence and realising ambitions’

Debbie Wosskow OBE, UK’s most well-known serial entrepreneur

We welcomed Debbie Wosskow OBE as our main guest speaker at the beautiful and historic Chandos house. With lots of self-deprecating humour and self-mockery, she talked us through her business successes. From being brought up in an entrepreneurial family, through how she created home swapping , after watching a boring movie, to the challenges she faced from working with civil servants on research related to the sharing economy. This led her to giving advice on the sharing economy in the UK and to launch her latest business, Allbright, a platform to give support and invest in female-led businesses. One important message she wanted to get across was that cultural change is needed to get more female investors investing in female-led businesses. Currently only 7% of total investors are female.

She ended her inspirational and energetic talk with one of her main mantra’s the 3G’s, which according to Debbie are all of equal importance to be successful. Graft (putting the hours in), Grace (be gracious and giving back) and Grit (it takes 10 years of chewing glass before being successful).

Jocelyn Hillman OBE, Working Chance’s  founder

Our second speaker of the evening was Jocelyn Hillman OBE. CWN has been supporting Working Chance for 18 months and Jocelyn shared with us that we have raised £18.000. Over 760 women have been helped back to employment since the start of the charity with Working Chance working closely together with businesses to get these women back on track. She linked some examples back to Debbie’s speech; that most women could be brilliant entrepreneurs but first need to build a normal life, because financial autonomy will lead to independence.  ‘Women backing women’ was Jocelyn’s mantra for the evening, stating how important networks are for these vulnerable women who have to start from scratch again. We raised future funds for this valuable and important charity during the evening by running a raffle with great prizes.

The rest of the evening we were able to enjoy the nice surroundings of Chandos House while drinking a nice summer drink such as Pimm’s or Prosecco, which were accompanied by delicious canapés.

High Impact Communication

On the evening of Tuesday 13th June, we were delighted to have our guest speaker, Sophie Clark from Denison Clark, speak at an event on the subject of “High Impact Communication” in the attractive setting of the Brand Exchange members club near Bank, in the city of London.

As a communications expert in helping individuals and teams in organisations improve their communication skills, Sophie shared her wisdom and insights on helping people to speak with confidence and speak with impact.

Sophie delivered a lively seminar where we listened to her insights and observation, woven with the participants doing some individual exercises in the moment. We then worked in pairs so as to enable us to learn from each other whilst networking and getting to know other participants.

Top tips included the importance of pausing to allow the audience time to digest the information, sharing your career success and using the right language to have real impact.

Sophie shared her golden rules on eye contact and body language. Sophie’s creative use of video, observing people in the public eye and their various communication styles, helped illustrate her points in a colourful and impactful way – role modelling and providing practical take-aways for all in the audience.

After a lively Q&A session, conversation continued over drinks and canapes between guests until well after closing time .

The Gender Tension Gap

Women at work must identify and address inherited motivational barriers that prevent them from realising their true leadership potential, argues Dr Celia de Anca.

One might wonder why the UK’s 20% gender pay gap among senior executives has not narrowed after two decades. While ‘external’ barriers, such as the lack of childcare support, social pressures and restrictive laws explain much of the difference, there is also a wide range of ‘internal’ barriers such as self-confidence, passive expectations of pay and promotion, and guilt over time spent away from children to consider.

These deeply embedded motivational barriers, many of which have been passed down for generations, are at odds with the modern aspirations of women. The resulting internal tensions they create prevent women from realising their true leadership potential, according Dr Celia de Anca, IE professor of Global Diversity, and Director of IE’s Centre for Diversity. In conversation with the FT’s employment correspondent Sarah O’Connor, at a recent Financial Times | IE Corporate Learning Alliance event held in partnership with City Women Network, Dr de Anca discussed initial research findings of an ongoing three-year research project

This gender tension gap (GTG) model measures five dimensions of professional women’s lives: success, career journey, leadership, competencies, and reputation and identity. Three key observations emerge:

• that the gap between traditional and emerging gender expectations may be easy to identify;
• but tensions created between present and aspirational gender expectations are not easily recognised; and
• that there is a wide diversity of those aspirational models.

The GTG is not correlated with economic development. The World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Gender Gap index ranks Iceland first, having the narrowest GTG, with Nicaragua ranked 10th, the UK 20th, and the US 45th. Rather, GTG is historically and culturally rooted, notes Dr de Anca. The early division of gender roles dates back to the agricultural revolution and evolved into enlightenment concepts of citizenship based around a male centred household. These norms were only seriously challenged in the 20th century. ‘How unpleasant it is to be locked out’ reflected writer Virginia Woolf on male-dominated institutions, before adding that ‘it is worse perhaps to be locked in.’

“Failure to recognise the tensions arising from traditional and future expectations carries consequences.”

The failure to recognise the tensions arising from these incongruous traditional and future expectations have always carried consequences—whether it’s the disappearance of women in music after composition became more ‘mathematical’ (or masculine) in the 18th century, or more recently the loss of women in the video games industry, Dr de Anca says. But how does this happen?

Consider, for example, the female response to work-place stress such as having a difficult boss. Most men would soldier on or seek another job. But many women seriously consider leaving work altogether to focus on home life. This is not to suggest that men (especially those from poorer or minority backgrounds) do not struggle with inherited cultural norms of their own, particularly to be the family breadwinner. Yet when it comes to career, they tend to retain a ‘linear’ perception of success (e.g. to be manager by age 30, director at 40 etc.) while women tend to be linear in their view of domestic success (i.e. first child by 30, family complete by 36 etc.). The question is whether this attitude represents an authentic choice or a cultural holdover?

Equality through authenticity

Women’s career challenge therefore lies in Kafka’s reference to ‘living in the present’ which requires women come to terms with the past while simultaneously preparing to fight for the future, Dr de Anca says. Women may have inherited a normative model from their parents and grandparents. But in challenging these expectations they can establish a multiplicity of future models, including those that place individuality above gender. Moreover, typical internal barriers may change over time as women adopt less conventional family lifestyles or perhaps choose not to have children. It may even be that rebellious daughters reject their mothers’ quest for workplace equality, and decide to work part time or be stay-at-home mothers.

The path to equality may not run smooth. But determining authentic motivations (in men as well as women) through the gender tension gap model will help women better define what they are struggling against.

Action points for women in leadership positions

Reflect on whether the cultural assumptions that underlie your working behaviour are indeed normal, or merely reflect inherited expectations that you may or may not wish to accept. Then you are in a stronger position to decide whether to accept these tensions or how to reduce them.

Consider national differences. Just as women face different external barriers in different countries, we should not assume that internal barriers are the same everywhere.

Get digital support. The GTG’s digital tool will be able to help female executives identify unconscious biases between their traditional and emerging perceptions and guide their responses.

Mentoring workshop with RADA

On 22nd November CWN and RADA joined forces to host an evening built around the topic of mentoring.

This highly engaging and practical workshop was run by one of RADA in Business’ experienced coaches, Sheelagh McNamara. She led us through 90 minutes of highly interactive exercises to help each one of us build our skills, both as mentors and mentees.

We learned about the power of exuding energy and how important it is in both roles, to stand out from the crowd. We practiced breathing techniques, how to adopt a confident stance and how to “think the voice forward” for clearer articulation.

We covered a lot of ground and came away with ways to tell our stories using an easy-to-follow structure, more skilled at getting that crucial first impression right, and more confident about communicating inspiringly. We had a fascinating discussion on setting the tone for a valuable communication by being credible yet approachable – something both parties of the mentoring relationship will find useful.

There was no shortage of questions as the workshop was drawing to a close, and as we walked out of RADA’s historical studios – inspired and hungry to learn more – some wine and delicious canapes proved very welcome.

CWN takes part in British 10K London Run

CWN once again took part in the annual British 10K London Run around Westminster on Sunday 11 July 2016 on behalf of our Charity of the Year, Working Chance. A team of five CWN runners, amongst a turnout of around 17,000 participants, completed the race, supported along the way by the CWN Charity Committee.

Working Chance, CWN’s member-nominated charity for 2016, helps female ex-offenders to find meaningful work and aims to break down the barriers they face in their pursuit of employment by changing attitudes amongst employers.

The CWN team aims to raise £4,000 as a result of this initiative to go towards our fundraising efforts on behalf of Working Chance in 2016.

Jocelyn Hillman founder of Working Chance awarded OBE

Jocelyn Hillman, founder and chief executive of Working Chance, CWN’s Charity of the Year for 2016, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2016. Jocelyn was recognised for services to the rehabilitation of women ex-offenders.

After running employability workshops in HMP Holloway, she was determined that the untapped potential of the women she met be recognised. In 2007, she founded Working Chance, a specialist recruitment consultancy for women ex-offenders, to help them get quality, paid work and become financially autonomous. 

The charity is now based in a busy office in north London. There, a skilled team of recruitment consultants, 40% of whom are ex-offenders themselves, help women get work and employers to break down barriers to diversity. 

Since 2007, Working Chance has helped place more than 1000 women into jobs so that they can become role models to their children and communities. Jocelyn Hillman said: “This is not only an honour, it is recognition of the hard work of all the staff at Working Chance, the talented women who have found jobs through us, and the many far-sighted employers for whom they now work. Helping women with convictions get jobs enables them to move across the social divide from lives of exclusion to lives of contribution.”

Nicki Fisher from Pret A Manger said: “We always know when one of the women we are interviewing is a Working Chance candidate, as they are well prepared and very professional. We are looking for future leaders and the women coming to us from Working Chance have the talent and skills to succeed.” 

Michelle (not her real name), a Working Chance candidate said: “Working Chance has transformed my life and my children’s lives. Now that I’ve got a job, I can support my family properly and pay my own way. I’ll always be grateful.”

Working across Cultures with Allyson Stewart-Allen – hosted by Nomura

On Wednesday 3rd February Nomura International hosted both CWN members and members of their own Women’s network for an interactive session moderated by Allyson Stewart-Allen, an internationally recognised marketing and executive education expert.

The aim of the workshop was to explore working across cultures by discussing both the theory and real-life examples. Allyson was joined by panelists representing three of CWN’s corporate members:

Kristin Wolfe – SABMiller
Maurice Benisty – GE Capital
Aya Kawamoto – Nomura

The Theory: 3 Models for working across cultures

Allyson took the audience through 3 models which can be used to improve performance in working across cultures: Thunderbird, Richard Lewis, and TMA. These models provided the audience with an insight into how people from different cultures may perceive risk, make decisions, approach hierarchy, and how best to navigate direct or indirect approaches for success.

For example Allyson talked through how in certain cultures a business topic can be approached and discussed from multiple angles rather than in a linear way. Some cultures will prefer to focus on the theory as opposed to the facts, and some cultures will focus on the foreground information rather than wanting to understand the background in depth.

Allyson warned of falling into the trap of expecting our own way to be the “right” way. Rather we should be prepared to “drive on their side of the road”, adapting our style to their culture in order to create lasting global relationships and impact.

Panel’s experience

Each panel member shared amusing anecdotes on when cultures can clash, local sayings can backfire, and conference calls can create mayhem when different members of a global team come together.

The panel also discussed how performing research beforehand will unfortunately only get you so far, and time needs to be spent investing in the relationships to understand others’ perspective, and adapting your style to theirs in order to build trust. Once you have built trust, you will able to move forward in your professional relationship more effectively.

The audience’s experience

After a period of discussion on the individual tables, several members of the audience made their own observations and asked for advice navigating different cultures and also the sub-cultures including gender, religion, race. There was strong agreement that individual personalities also needed to be taken into consideration.

Allyson shared her experience that the key is to guage the atmosphere in the room, be aware of people’s backgrounds and frame of reference, and wherever possible to research the cultural background.

Putting theory into practice – advice from the panel

The session closed with the panel members giving their own advice for effectively working across cultures. The main themes were to keep in mind the other person’s frame of reference throughout all communications, and most importantly take the time to invest in relationships.

The panel were in agreement about how much organisations benefit from a diverse and inclusive working environment, and how important it is for success to achieve a balance across all cultures. Once again, ‘tone from the top’ was seen as vital.

CWN supports newly established women’s network

CWN is to advise and support a new cross-sector independent network for early stage career women working, or considering working in the City.

Fractio Vitri – Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Fractio Victri (FV) ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ aims to provide women with a supportive community to connect and engage with other like-minded women in a non-competitive environment, particularly key for international citizens and new graduates and women embarking on the first stages of a career in the City.

Fuelling the pipeline of female talent

FV has been founded by four motivated and ambitious women intent on fuelling and sustaining the pipeline of female talent across a range of industries. FV co-Founders Keily Blair, Claudia Buffini, Harriet Sassoon and Sophie Sinclair-Kemp will form the FV’s steering committee. The steering committee is a mix of undergraduate students, early-stage and established career professionals.

“Our committee is passionate about creating a community that is aware of the importance of leadership, ambition and self-development which we believe can ultimately help address gender imbalance on corporate boards and harness a new generation of females to lead businesses.

“We are confident that FV will appeal to the generation that businesses are so keen to attract, interact with and employ,” said Keily Blair, Co-Chair, FV.

Supporting early-stage career decisions and choices
“CWN is excited to advise and support FV. We all want to see the pipeline of talented women expand and build on the momentum already advancing the business case for greater diversity.

“FV will welcome graduates and soon-to-be graduates – as well as those already progressing on their career paths – providing a supportive and engaging platform for women making decisions about their chosen or desired careers,” said Sally Todd, Board member, CWN.

The launch
FV will host its launch event on Tuesday 27 October, an evening of speed networking, sponsored by Morrison Foerster. The speed networking session will be hosted by CWN Board members Brenda Trenowden, Sally Todd, Sandy Lucas, Donna Halkyard and Ann Iveson who together form CWN’s FV advisory committee.

For further information: fractiovitri@gmail.com

Securing the future success of senior businesswomen

CWN President Emeritus Brenda Trenowden interviewed by the Financial Times

Brenda Trenowden, President Emeritus of CWN, in her role as the new head of The 30% Club is focusing that group’s energy on making sure there are more suitably qualified female candidates for the top jobs of the future.

Fuelling the pipeline

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Brenda acknowledged the success of The 30% Club and of the Davies Review in significantly increasing the number of FTSE 100 Board roles filled by women to 25%, but emphasised the need for continued action by companies on improving the pipeline of female talent.

Focus on ‘mezzanine’ level of women executives

New voluntary targets are to be set by the Davies Review, and by The 30% Club, before the end of this year which will focus on increasing the number of females in executive management positions – those at the crucial ‘mezzanine’ or Board-ready level.

Greater diversity means better business performance

It is now rare for a Board to fail to recognise the business case for greater diversity in the workplace, says Brenda, and that the concerted push for greater diversity is going to produce better performing businesses.

Stepping into the spotlight - CWN members take the stage at RADA

On the 9th September, CWN members were invited to strike a power pose, find their voice and experience a small taster of RADA in Business’s skills development programme: Executive Presence for Women.

Led by RADA senior tutor Lisa Akesson, the audience were able to experience on a practical level how the course supports senior women in business to hold their space and make an impact.

Performing with confidence

92% of women recently surveyed expressed lack of confidence as being a major stumbling block for progression within their organizations. Combined with not being heard in meetings, spoken over and “manfirmation” (the owning of your idea by a male counterpart) many women have expressed frustration at seeing male peers outprogress them – despite not perceivably out-performing them.

Lisa took CWN members through a series of exercises to “power up” their voices, bodies and ultimately their physical presence in this short taster session.

Adopting the “power pose” for just a couple of minutes, based on Amy Cuddy’s research, has been proven to increase testosterone and decrease cortisol levels in our blood – significant factors in enabling us to perform with confidence. Our network had the opportunity to try these and other exercises out – and the effects were extraordinary.

Participants started to walk with greater confidence, speak at a more intense and powerful (though not necessarily loud!) level and command greater attention when introducing themselves.

All this in the George Bernard Shaw theatre at RADA – an appropriate backdrop as the playwright and socialist was dedicated to improving women’s standing and treatment in society.

Sustaining this impact in the workplace

RADA in business draws on the pedagogy from 111 years of the drama school to develop people to perform at their very best at work.

The Executive Presence for Women programme offers a unique approach for senior women to transform their performance in the workplace. By experimenting, learning and embodying the behaviours and skills needed to develop heightened presence and impact, the experience is profound and meaningful for each individual.

The experience enables the group to try out the multiple exercises, to practice in safe but exposed settings and to re embed the learnings via methods beyond just classroom training.

https://www.radainbusiness.com/execpres

A memorable evening at The City Women Network Annual Gala Dinner 2015

The CWN Gala Dinner continues to be a wonderful highlight of the year.  Members and guests enjoyed an evening of networking, inspiring talks and fundraising at this year’s event, in the magnificent Edwardian building, One Great George Square.

Making a difference to women in need

Thanks to the generosity of those attending we raised over £16,000 for CWN’s Charity of the Year, Eaves,www.eavesforwomen.org.

Tom Best from Christie’s led a particularly spirited live auction and guests also enjoyed winning lovely prizes in a raffle. The money we raised will make a real difference to Eaves which supports women who have been exposed to violence either through trafficking, discrimination or domestic or other abuse.  One of the beneficiaries of the charity spoke movingly about how Eves has transformed her life.

Inspiring words from accomplished mountaineer, Rebecca Stephens

Rebecca Stephens, a journalist, whose successful mountaineering feats include being the first British woman to climb Everest, delivered the keynote speech.  She delivered an insightful and humorous account of what it was like to take on such a challenge and to be successful as a woman in this male-dominated arena.

Making the evening a success

Jackie Ronson, Chair of the CWN Social Committee, her fellow committee members and other CWN members who took on a role to organise this terrific evening deserve a big thank-you. CWN would also like to extend a special thanks to GE Capital, the Gala Dinner Sponsor.

Click here to view the Gala dinner brochure

How to be Brilliant Every Day – A Holistic Approach to Your Wellbeing!

Words by Maria Mackenzie

Advice on Developing Resilience and looking after your Mental, Physical and Nutritional Wellbeing

CWN held an informative and fun seminar evening recently, hosted by RPC, where a panel of experts shared their advice and knowledge on developing resilience and adopting a holistic approach to your wellbeing.

As we lead increasingly pressured and complex lives, and become subject to greater demands on our time and energy, it is essential that we are mindful of our personal wellbeing and develop the tools and techniques to respond and “bounce back”.

The evening presented a full programme, packed with evidence-based advice and techniques from a panel of experts who were on hand to answer any queries at the end of the night.

Each panellist emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for your own wellbeing and noted that a high proportion of injuries and conditions can often be prevented rather than treated. By being aware of our personal wellbeing across the full spectrum of our mental, physical and nutritional health, we can start to make simple lifestyle changes and incorporate positive routines into our daily lives.

Physical Wellbeing – Turn Your Working Day into a Workout!

Clare Fone, Founder of Westminster Physiotherapy & Pilates Centre, led an inspired discussion on the impact that stress and lifestyle choices can have on our physical wellbeing.

As a highly experienced physiotherapist, Clare has treated a wide range of clients with a wide range of conditions over an extended period of time. In her extensive experience, Clare has identified that in many cases the underlying condition could have been prevented rather than treated, if the patient had taken greater care and responsibility for their overall wellbeing.

Clare shared her practical advice based on her wealth of experience on how easy it is to make small changes to your daily routine, starting with thinking about your working day as your work out. The key is to make small changes and be consistent, for example standing or walking during conference calls, rather than spending lengthy periods of strenuous exercise on an infrequent basis. Clare encouraged us to think about our “energy bank” and “emotional bank” and as always, it is often good to check how the bank balance is looking!

It is also beneficial to be mindful of the types of exercise we do, the way we exercise and to remember that exercise can be fun! Dancing, swimming, yoga and pilates are all encouraged and can be a good counter-balance to our hectic lifestyles.

More information and advice on consultations can be found here: http://westminsterphysio.co.uk/

Nutritional Wellbeing – What is “Healthy”?

One of the greatest challenges in making nutritional and wellbeing choices is the plethora of information now available – how do we know “What is Healthy?” and what is credible? It was reassuring to hear expert advice from Natalia Traxel, resident nutritionist at Westminster Physiotherapy & Pilates Centre.

Natalia explained the role that stress and hormones can play in affecting our food choices, in particular in seeking out foods which are high in fat and high in sugar. This in turns creates a pain relief pattern and cycle of poor-eating which can have longer term effects on our energy levels and emotional wellbeing.  Foods which contain high nutritional value and promote overall wellbeing include avocadoes, flaxseeds and chia seeds, whilst sugars in all forms should be minimized where possible.

As always, it is important to make the right food choices based on evidence and expert advice and Natalia recommended seeking appropriate professional advice and consulting your GP for thorough diagnostics tests if needed.

Natalia has extensive experience in preventative medicine and encouraged attendees to adopt a common sense and moderated approach to diet and lifestyle.

Mental Wellbeing – How to be Resilient Every Day

Katie Ledger, Coach and Team Facilitator from Complete Coherence, provided the final panel presentation on ways to maximize your potential and be brilliant every day. Using a range of diagnostic techniques, Complete Coherence can measure and map the “Human Operating System” and develop an integrated Personal Energy Plan to maximize your development. Katie noted that in many cases, potential is underestimated and it is thought that people operate at 9-10% of their true potential. By being cognisant of our mental wellbeing, and understanding our emotional intelligence, we can begin to unlock this potential and promote greater success and wellbeing. A distinction was also made between horizontal learning and vertical development – it is important to be mindful of both and not only think about “what you know” but the “way you know it”. Further information on Complete Coherence can be obtained here: http://www.complete-coherence.com/

We look forward to taking the small steps needed to make big changes in our physical, mental and nutritional wellbeing!