Published in Inc., June 7 2012

In my 20s and most of my 30s I was the employee you wanted on your team. I was highly ambitious, worked insane hours and prioritized nothing above my job. When I learned I was pregnant, I was certain I would return to my job--as VP of global marketing communications at SuccessFactors--after a brief maternity leave. Yet four months later, I was still at home cuddling my precious daughter, knowing there was no way I could go back to the international travel and 70-hour weeks.

But I still wanted to work. Being a woman had never held me back in my career--being a mom was a different story. So I looked around at positions where I could work normal hours, yet not compromise with a more junior role… crickets. Then I sought the advice of a former mentor and colleague, Dave Yarnold, who had just joined an early-stage startup, ServiceMax, as CEO. He needed executive marketing help but didn’t have the funding yet to go full-time. He hired me on the spot for a half-time job with the goal of shifting to a full-time VP role later on. Offer accepted. 
I spent the next eight months in bliss--working 20-hour weeks in a strategic role for a dynamic company, and the rest of the time focused on family. I got a lot done in little time by focusing on the important deliverables, staying on task and saying no to anything that wouldn’t have a big impact. 

Once my sweet girl turned one, I became a full-time VP again, but with a new outlook: These days I rarely arrive before 9 a.m. and I’m always out the door before 4 p.m. I do have to put in night and weekend hours, but it’s not at the expense of my time with my family, and no one at work ever questions my output or work ethic. 

Three years later (and pregnant again), I run a team full of moms like myself who were all in my same predicament. Out of 12 reports, I have five moms with kids under five, and I guarantee you the jobs are getting done. Instead of one full-time generalist, I hired two experts who work fewer hours. They are senior-level high performers who do phenomenal work, yet also get solid time at home with their children. Everyone wins. 
Why don’t more companies do this? There are so many phenomenal women who have much to contribute but have trouble finding organizations willing to hire in a flexible manner. Everyone loses. Here are few pointers for CEOs and other leaders who haven’t yet caught on: 

Results matter. Hours don’t.

Do you care more about the number of hours people are in the office, or how well the job gets done? Does it really matter if someone finishes the workday at home because she needs to leave at 4 p.m.? Evaluate your people on performance, not on the amount of time they’re at their desk. (Half of your full-timers are on Facebook right now, anyway.)  


Read the full article in Inc.

Published in The Grindstone, April 2 2012

According to new research, student loans may be part of the reason women are putting off marriage and starting a family.This contributes to the debunking of the “selfish career woman” that doesn’t want to have kids or settle down because they are too busy focusing on their career. These women may be saddled with debt from trying to get the right education to help their career and want a healthier financial life before they start a family.

A new report by economic forecasting firm IHS Global Insight  points out that while other forms of debt have been going down since 2007, student loan debt has been growing, both in terms of the number of borrowers and the size of the loans. This is believe to be correlated with the trend that more young people are delaying marriage and having children.

In November, a study showed that most women aged between 30 and 34 want to have children, but could not for reasons often out of their control. Only 20 of the 569 Australian women surveyed by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health researchers said they did not want to have any children. It really isn’t that these women are saying I am too obsessed with my career to have children, it is more that they haven’t found the right man to have a child with that delays having a family. Other reasons listed in the study could be lack of cash, education debts and housing costs as well.  “This blows away the assumption that it’s a voluntary thing for women, that they can choose when and how many children they have,” said study author Dr. Sara Holton.


Read the full article in The Grindstone

Last week, we met 34 years-old Ines, who stopped working to stay with her children and who wants to give her career a new start. She wanted advice on on how to handle this career transition. 

Here is what our coach had to say: 

Dear Ines,
 
Yes, it’s true, it’s certainly not a great time to be looking for a job. Recruitment is really slow, even more in sectors like corporate communications, among the hardest hit in hard economic times. Managers are becoming increasingly careful when hiring, so they are quite picky. Your main weakness is not so much having 3 children, but the fact that you haven’t worked in the past 5 years and that you don’t have any work experience in communications.

Unless you have a very strong network (friends, old college friends, business contacts, old colleagues…), your chances of getting your dream job seems are slim. If you do have contacts, I encourage you to leverage your network to the fullest!

How do you feel about having a Plan B? You have 2 great cards up your sleeve. You have 6 months ahead of you. It means that you’re motivated. And according to what you told me, your husband is in a position to keep the family finances afloat, which grants you a bit more time.  

Broaden your outlook as much as you can. Forget about the past and ask yourself what you’d like to do. Look around you. I often advise people in your case to read everything they can lay their eyes on: women magazines, newspapers, etc. You should make notes of words, titles, pictures or interviews that have a special meaning for you, and why. It’s a good way to discover hidden truths about yourself, to target new interests and to highlight your intuitions.

Whatever you choose, tell yourself that you have a job: to build your own professional project. Start putting aside specific times of the day where you can work on it. When you move back home, you’ll  have tons of things to take care of, so plan to hire a housekeeper and a baby-sitter. You should also set up an office in your new house.

Be very clear about your priorities, which for you seems to be about balancing your family life with a career that you like.  
Work your network! Don’t forget the very powerful “Mommy Circle” at the school gate. You could end up meeting your next boss there or a fellow mom could put you in contact with someone they know. Word of mouth is powerful.

Have faith in yourself and don’t let people bring you down with their unsolicited advice.
 
I hope you’ll find these tips useful. Don’t hesitate to write again.  

Helene

About Helene

Having had her fair share of new beginnings, our coach Helene is specialized in career transition (new start, new job, new project). She does freelance work for clients and also coaches in an HR firm. Over the years, Helene developed a real passion for coaching and showing clients how to stop being a supporting actor in their life. It’s all about teaching them how to lead and taking matters in their own hands. In her spare time, she blogs  about careers and professional life in general. She also plans regular meetings, lunches, where people come together to discuss societal trends and coaching.

THERE’S NEVER A PERFECT TIME TO ASK FOR A RAISE
Good news! As the economy is slowly gaining some traction (at least in the U.S.), the latest economic data shows that it may be time to ask for a raise. It’s hard enough to ask your boss for a raise in normal economic times. So why would you do it just as the economy is starting to recover? Well, some salary pros say, that’s one of the best times to ask for a raise. Uncertain economic times can be the perfect opportunity to highlight the value you bring to an organization.

It's never easy to ask for more money. And it’s especially hard for female employees. Women suffer economically because they fail to ask, but they can also be punished for their nerve when we they do ask. The Daily Muse provides some tips to make the most of your negotiation skills.

First step is to learn your market value. Women tend to underestimate their worth for many reasons, but once they get to know their real value they can begin to have a conversation leading to agreement.

Second, ask your employer some “diagnostic questions” about his needs, priorities and preferences.

Third, once you know what your negotiation partner wants, you can offer to provide it to him before you ask for a single thing yourself.

Fourth, don’t let your employer get away with it. Play “tit for tat”, respond to outbursts with dignity and quickly return to cooperation when he calms down.

Fifth step is to practice and practice some more. Negotiation is a sport, and you’ve got to train for it. So don’t shy away and use every opportunity you have to practice your skills.

While we’re on the topic of pay, check out Forbes’ list of jobs where women earn more than men. That should make you feel better.

ARE WORKING MOMS MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES?
It’s all about having the choice and making the right one. That’s in essence what new research is saying about new mothers and their decision to go back to work or not. According to Human Relations Journal, if new mothers do the opposite of what they really want to do–whether it’s stay home with the kids or return to work–their rates of serious depression are much higher.

Among those who achieved their ideal work or stay-at-home status, 14% experienced clinical depression levels. But the rate of depression was significantly higher–25%– among moms stuck doing the opposite of what they wanted to do.

Researchers found that 71% of mothers in their sample did not do what they really wanted to do postpartum, whether it was going back to work  full or part time, going back to school or staying home. 

As the New York Times puts it, “It’s impossible to predict exactly what your preferences will be and how they will change over time.” But it’s another story to get what you want. Many mothers don’t have the option of working part time, or taking a career break…

IS EUROPE THE NEXT BIG STARTUP SCENE?
Is the Silicon Valley losing some of its appeal? Well, maybe for European companies. A lot has been said recently on the rise of startup hubs all across Europe.

In recent days, Inc. reports that London has come out as a strong contender for best place for startups (at least in Europe). The UK capital hopes to lure talent with its East London "Silicon Roundabout", the area boasts a new Google-sponsored space for start-ups as well as 300 innovative companies. The city has also taken measures to boost the city's start-up scene, including £75 million in funding for high-tech small and medium businesses from the government’s new Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth and the Digital London summit showcasing local tech talent that's due to be held March 13 to 14.

Other business hotspots in Europe include Paris (check out StartInParis, a new pitching event for aspiring startups) and Berlin, aka Silicon Allee.

Some even say that European startup culture has lessons for entrepreneurs in the United States. Forbes argues that the conditions and culture surrounding most European startups lead to a deeper sort of analysis at the beginning of a startup, one that leads to more disruption. In Europe, you don’t have one large uniform market like you do in the US. The Euro zone has 24 countries with even more business districts. This fragmented market changes the way you address a startup.

Kristof De Spiegeleer, CEO of Incubaid, a Belgian incubator, says: “Because markets are diverse, to have any chance of success, our companies must start with a technology that has significant potential to solve many problems in many markets. If we don’t have a disruptive idea, we can never make it work in so many different markets.”

POLITICS AND THE WAR ON WOMEN
There’s been a lot of uproar surronding the Republican Primary debate in the U.S., principally on women’s right to use birth control. It’s 2012, and the hottest topic in Washington is legal access to birth control. No really.

Short version of the broader debate: President Obama at first wanted to make even religious organizations like Catholic hospitals provide contraception to their employees; when those institutions protested that this was a violation of their deeply held beliefs against the morality of birth control, Obama shifted the payment responsibility to insurers. Republican Primary candidates have taken over the issue, making it a hot topic of their campaign and trying to outdo each other in pro-life stances. 
 
The Grindstone argues that the debate sends a wrong signal to the male population. “When male political leaders start debating women and their health without any women present, it makes it acceptable for them to feel like deciders on women’s issues, without actual female opinions necessary. And that message can permeate into a company, especially one run by men.”

The current political climate has the ability to make these conservative principles, where females are submissive and males are dominate, more acceptable. While the nature of this debate is a real throwback to the 1950s, it implies that women should be ready to gear up for a fight in order to fight bias and preconceived ideas in the corporate world. 

WANTED: FEMALE DIRECTORS AT THE OSCARS
In case you haven’t heard, The Oscars ceremony is taking place tonight. The Grindstone has published an interesting post on female directors. Behind all the glitz, glamor and fashion of films it is still a male dominated industry.

In 84 years, only 4 women have been nominated for a best directing Oscar and 1 has won. Only 7%  of the top 250 top-grossing films released in 2010 were directed by women, 10% were written by women and 24% were produced by women. Even George Clooney recently said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly :

“There’s this strange thing that’s happened over the last 25 or 30 years where there’s this decision being made that women aren’t able to carry the box office. Now, Bridesmaids has proved that to be bullsh*t, and The Help has proven it to be bullsh*t. But it’s much harder to get a film with a woman lead made. When a man hits 40 is when roles just begin to happen. And for women it doesn’t happen. I find that to be a very concerning issue.”

We need to get more women behind the camera because early research shows that when the number of women in behind the camera roles increases, so do the roles for women in front of the camera and so does the content interesting to women and girls worldwide. Pop Culture Pirate and Women And Hollywood made a video showing the lack of women in the director’s chair. Check it out! 

IS THE WAGE GAP A MATTER OF CHOICE?

In the U.S., the average female worker still earns about 81 cents for every dollar a male worker makes. While this difference can be explained by the types of careers women choose and other factors such as education, age and experience, the gap still remains in all job sectors after having controlled those factors. What’s a girl to do?

Choose wisely. A New York Times article looked at which college majors in the U.S. have the biggest wage gap between men and women. The only one of these disciplines that graduates women who earn more than their equivalent male counterparts is information technology. Mechanical engineering and management information systems have about equivalent earnings. The majors whose male graduates earn the biggest premium over female graduates are architecture, education and criminal justice.

How can we explain that male and female graduates from a similar major have very different pay levels? Business Week argues that the pay gap isn't entirely a function of discrimination against women. It's largely a function of the choices men and women make.

As they put it: “If more men are using their business degrees to pursue careers in finance and consulting, more will end up working in some of the highest-paying industries. And if more women are pursuing careers in HR and marketing, more will find themselves working in lower-paying industries.”

In another article, the New York Times explains that perhaps women are making a trade-off between pay and other aspects of work that make them happy. “When asked whether their jobs make the world a better place, women were much more likely to say “very much so” than were men”. :-)

HAVING IT ALL: MOTHERHOOD AND A SCIENCE CAREER

A new Cornell study has determined that motherhood is causing a major drop off for women in science and math academia. It is not because their performance is devalued or they are short-changed during interviewing and hiring but because policies at institutions where these women work that make motherhood incompatible with a tenure-track research career.

Most scientists apply for tenure-track jobs in their late 20s and early 30s. If a candidate wins a position, she often has to relocate for it and then devote about six years to the research, teaching, publishing and grant applications necessary to create an impressive portfolio— which sounds impossible if you’re raising young children.

The news of motherhood hindering a career in scientific academia is not new. Women are in short supply in math-intensive fields, such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering and computer science. For example, in the top 100 U.S. universities in 2007, women full professors in these fields numbered only 4.4 to 12.3 percent, and women were only 16 to 27 percent of assistant professors.

According to Working Mother, one solution would be for universities to reconsider the tenure model that was created when only men (most with stay-at-home wives) achieved full professorships. Alternative paths, such as part-time tenure-track jobs and shared full-time positions, could help women stay in the field while their kids are small; making sure there’s no penalty for taking time off from a career would help women pick up where they left off when their family demands are more manageable.

7 STEPS TO BUILD YOUR NETWORK

Do you want to grow your business? Do you want to connect with people who can help you? Inc. Magazine suggests that you start doing what men do: build a big network filled with talent. As we said it in a previous post, women don’t take advantage of their ability to connect and are often reluctant to ask for help. It’s the networking gender gap!

For entrepreneurs, a network is especially important. Entrepreneurs with larger and more diverse networks, and whose networks include professional advisers, such as accountants and lawyers, tend to grow bigger companies, according to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: 2010 Women’s Report.

Inc. suggests 7 steps to get things started. Among those, focus on your “elevator pitch”, a short message to explain who you are and what you do, just to make them want to hear more. Also important during networking events: talk to lots of people and ask many questions. It is also a good idea to start by offering something to the person you’re talking to, your help for example. It’s about giving first. Lastly, follow-up with a phone call, a meeting or an invitation to connect on LinkedIn.

And if you want to find out what type of networker you are, head to The Grindstone. Read up to find out if you’re an “Observer”, “Reactor”, “Initiator” or “Director”.  

SKILLS FOR LIFE

This week’s self-improvement is all the rage. Brazen published a great post summarizing the 5 skills you need to sharpen if you want to improve your job prospects and your clout.

Number One: Web Design. Even the truly neophytes can learn basic web design skills. If your boss knows that he or she can call on you to make quick changes to the company’s website, it avoids having to hire a (costly) dedicated web person.

Number Two: WordPress. WordPress powers 14% of the internet, so the odds are pretty good that if a company has a blog, it’s being powered by this popular platform. If you’re in the market for a job, it may give you an edge to start a personal blog and hone your writing skills for a web audience.

Number Three: Learn a language. Sure, English is spoken widely across the globe, but Spanish and Mandarin are important for business interactions, with Arabic gaining momentum. If you’re looking to work overseas or pursue a position that requires foreign travel, knowing how to speak the local language will be an attractive quality for potential employers.

Number Four: How to sell. Knowing how to pitch has endless applications in the business world. From convincing your boss to give you a raise to cold calling clients to bring in commissions or revenue, solid selling skills are invaluable when dealing with customers.

Number Five: Social Media. Tools like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn and blogs greatly influence consumers on trends and ideas, with the ability to reach anyone virtually around the globe. These are highly marketable skills for companies.

Also, if you want to find out more about building your personal brand online, read the Daily Muse’s latest advice. 

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

Leah Eichler published a great post this week about career regrets. There are some regrets that arrive early enough to be fixed, but others strike us later as we gain a clearer picture of what could have been done. Don't let time pass you by and do something about it!

Eichler argues that women specifically may avoid confronting their career regrets because tackling them requires introspection, and that takes time, an ever-elusive commodity.

“People tend to have signs. Their instincts will tell them they are not happy, that they are not aligned to what they should be doing,” said Patricia Barbato, author of Inspire Your Career: Strategies for Success in Your First Years at Work. “When you feel that, you need to act on it. You can’t just sit around and let another three years go by,” she warned.

A Canadian study on retirees who reflected on their careers showed that those who regretted their career choice but did nothing about it suffered a mental and physical toll that had an impact on both their personality and personal relationships.

It’s important to talk about your frustrations and regrets. So take the time to review your choices and tell yourself it’s never too late to do something about it. “Don’t try to fit into a box because it will give you a good career. Find your personality and then find the career that matches your personality.”

STOP NEGOTIATING LIKE A BABYSITTER!

We’ll end our web review with a really funny post by Logan Sachon in the Hairpin about her long established habit of saying “okay” to whatever money offer is made. As The Grindstone puts it, if you’ve ever accepted a horrible baby-sitting job for $5 an hour, you’ll sympathize with “Recalled Transcripts of My Salary Negotiations,” which traces Sachon’s long history of inept salary negotiations. 

Here’s an excerpt: “We’ll pay you $8 an hour to hang out with our baby and then watch HBO until we come home.” “You don’t have to pay me! I’m your neighbor and friend!” “Kid, take the money.” “Okay.”

“What would you charge for this project?” “Um, what are you paying?” “That’s not how this works. You tell me what you want, and I tell you if I can pay that.” “But don’t you already know what you’re going to pay me anyway? Can we just skip this part?” “No.” “Okay. I want, fifty … one … hundred? One-hundred? $100.” “$100 what?” “Um, per thing?” “Per day or per article?” “…” “How about you keep track of your hours and we pay you $20 an hour.” “Okay.”

More seriously, I suspect that lots of women still feel like that 13-year-old babysitter when they negotiate their salary…