The SheEO Blog

Firms pay more to keep men than women - new survey reveals

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:03:00 GMT

Okay girls... for those of you working in banking and finance and professional services firms: brace yourself! A survey of 2095 accounting and finance professionals by recruitment firm Marks Sattin Australia found 360 had resigned at least once in the last six months and of those 31 per cent had received a counter offer from their employer to stay. The survey found that the number of men and women offered more money to stay was about equal. However, of those, 25 per cent of the men were offered 20 per cent or more to stay compared to just 15 per cent of the women.

Retirement gender pay gap – why it affects more women than just those with kids and why you need to consider it when making career decisions

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:41:00 GMT

I posted a blog a while back about post-career considerations and why it’s important that we’re active in addressing the pay gap that women will get in retirement, primarily because they take time off paid work to have kids. But with an increasingly aging population, women are usually the first ones to step up to take care of their aging parents who require support. This can also cause a paid work gap that can devastate one’s super. This can be a game changing opportunity for employers, who can quickly implement initiatives to solve this issue for their female staff, and become one of the best places for female talent to work.

If you’re keen to find out what the Sexual Discrimination Commissioner is doing about, click here. I also recommend you start considering such issues in your choice of employer. Increasingly companies who are keen to prosper from the diversity benefits of great female staff are committed to paying their employees super while they’re taking parental leave, and allocate more flexible working arrangement for carers.

Watch out for these! 10 body language mistakes women leaders make

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:17:00 GMT

The body language cues that people register and look for, and judge by can be put into two key categories – warmth (empathy, likeability, caring) and authority (power, credibility, status). And no surprises here ladies, but this article reports that whilst there are some exceptions women triumph in the first, and men in the second. And both groups miss the mark of balancing both.

Some we already know, like we can smile excessively, not too much or use “girly” gestures to calm themselves or others. And rather then telling you to stop that completely, this article explains what to substitute in for a few. For example, rather then letting your voice rise when seeking approval, speak with an authoritative arc to your voice –rising in pitch during the sentence but dropping down to your starting note.

Exercising for the mind - 3 tips to look good, feel great and perform at your peak: a guest blog post by Melanie Becker

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:59:00 GMT

Working in the modern world is a stressful endeavour. The day begins with a shriek from our alarms clocks closely followed by the rush to get to work on time and then dealing with staff / colleagues / bosses and the every demanding work load and timelines. But for women these stresses are even more acute: add in dropping the kids off, doing the groceries, making dinner, picking the kids up etc it’s no wonder we often feel as though we are running to stand still. All this stress is bad (we all know it) and it affects our mood as well as our ability to perform at our peak in the workplace. Someone wise once said sometimes it’s easier to add things in that takes things away, this seems the only option in a society where things just need to get done. So what can you do to help reduce stress in your life?

Experts in stress management and counselling offer exercise as one of the leading factors in combating stress. Advantages include: increased endorphins, improved mood, minimised depression, improved concentration, building of self confidence and self esteem, feeling calmer and sleeping better. Still not convinced? The women’s sport foundation, “teens that play sports usually do not engage in sexual activity until later in life and are less likely to use drugs or be involved in abusive relationships than teens who do not play. Those students who play sport are also more likely to graduate from high school and college”.

One can easily see that adding exercise into your life is going to improve your mental state and inevitably your performance in the workplace. This has resulted in a multitude of wellbeing and wellness programs across Australia (and the world) aimed at helping workers combat stress in their lives in order to lower sick days and improve overall performance.

Many women get this far and nod knowingly and promise to join that gym or attend that yoga class their best friend keeps nagging them to go to and that’s where it ends. The excuses for not exercising are limitless and range from “I don’t know how” and “There isn’t a gym near me” to “I don’t have anything to wear”. So what can you do today from the comfort of your own home / workspace / office RIGHT NOW to get you that much closer to getting your groove on and beating that stress?

1)      Take out your diary / blackberry / iphone / calendar and allocate at least 2 hours a week for the next month where you promise to exercise and invite a friend to join you so you can’t back out
2)      Treat yourself to some fabulous new exercise gear to make you feel fabulous. Check out www.femaleforlife.com.au to find a fun style that suites your body shape (The site even allows you to see what the gear looks like on your body shape. They cater for sizes 6 to 20 and post locally and internationally so let your credit card do the walking)
3)      Google search the yellow pages / Truelocal to find the nearest gym to you and see if they have multiple locations close to your workplace so you can go during lunchtimes if you have the time. If you can’t afford a gym or simple don’t like them then check out http://www.mapmyrun.com/ to plan a route to walk / run either close to home or close to work, whichever’s more realistic

So take action and add exercise into your life to get all those wonderful advantages and propel your career to new, calmer, and healthier heights.

About the Author | Melanie Becker is the founder of www.femaleforlife.com which aims to make exercise inclusive rather than exclusive and make women feel fabulous on their journey to better health.

References:
1. University of California, Santa Cruz: Counseling and Psychological Services: www2.ucsc.edu
2. Psych Education Org: www.psychoeducation.org
3. About.com: Stress Management: www.stress.about.com
4. Faqs.org: www.faqs.org/health

Queensland Ballet offers special sphinxx discount to their latest production “Fonteyn Remembered” for newsletter readers. Information on the show, and discount code…

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:20:00 GMT

The Queensland Ballet was one of our wonderful sponsors at the Brisbane August Ascend. And I am delighted to announce that they are offering a discount for all sphinxx readers to attend their upcoming production. I might have to squeeze in a trip to Brisbane in the next few weeks…

Fonteyn Remembered: Her dance career was simply extraordinary. Dame Margot Fonteyn was adored and revered, inspiring countless young dancers. She held the world of ballet at her feet for decades, and left memories which would never be erased. But for all the joy and triumph, Fonteyn’s life was marked by great sadness.

This world première production uses a unique partnership of drama and dance to tell Fonteyn’s story. Some of our finest actors portray key figures in her turbulent life, including Constant Lambert, Dame Ninette de Valois and Sir Frederick Ashton. The dancers of Queensland Ballet pay tribute to Fonteyn’s exceptional gifts as a dancer. Fonteyn Remembered is a deeply moving homage to a unique artist.

Queensland Ballet is offering a saving of $10 off the regular adult ticket price for sphinxx readers. You can now purchase tickets at the discounted price of $69.25 each. Maximum six tickets, includes booking fee.

Click here to book, and quote “sphinxx” when making your booking to save $10.

Venue: Playhouse Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Dates:

Sat 2, Fri 8, Thu 14 & Fri 15 Oct at 7.30pm

Tue 5 & Tue 12 Oct at 6.30pm

Sat 9 & Sat 16 Oct at 1.30pm & 7.30pm

National Work-Life Balance Employer winners 2010 – what we can all learn about running excellent work environments for women, men and customers

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:49:00 GMT

Work-life balance is not an issue that is unique to women – but it is one that women tend to be especially vigilant about given that we still shoulder the brunt of household management tasks, as well as child care so there is a whole lot more to fit in around the job! The 2010 National Work-life balance winners have been announced, and the clear message from the winners – employer commitment to work life balance is worth it.

The aim of the award is to recognise and encourage family friendly and flexible work places. You can read more about the awards here. For the list of winners click here .

The winner for Business and Professional Services was Minter Ellison in Perth – a locally owned and run commercial legal service. The award winning flexible arrangements include paid parental leave (12 weeks for the primary care giver), 3 months of full pay on shorter days for new dads and the ability and commitment to creating individually tailored flexible working arrangements for each worker amongst several other initiatives.

Click here for the Minter Ellison case study (3). Which of these can you implement?

Does your workplace have a great program – share your success in the comments section below.

The 8th Women's Summit in Malaysia in December 2010 - I'll be there, will you?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:09:00 GMT

I have accepted an invitation to speak at the 2010 Women's Summit being held by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysia on 8-9 December this year. This conference offers a platform for women to discuss workplace issues and my job will be to bring new ideas to participants on what women can do to improve their career prospects and position themselves for success - including dealing with the perennial issues of work-life balance and networking effectively.

The summit deals with exactly the issues that I am so passionate about - empowerment of women, achieving work life balance, mentoring etc and will be attended by up to 1,200 women from the private sector, government and non-governmental organisations. To be opened by Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, one of the key objectives of the conference is for participants to come up with recommendations which are presented to the Minister.

For more information on the conference and the speaker line up - which includes author and advocate Avivah Wittenberg-Cox - visit the Summit website or this artcicle from last week's New Straits Times.

If you have any suggestions on topics that you think might help spur the discussions along, I'd love to hear from you!

Do women really feel it is necessary to sleep with their bosses to break through the glass ceiling?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:15:00 GMT

Now before you give me a serve for posting a blog with this title, consider this: research from Center for Work-Life Policy published by business insider shows that among director level/professional women 15 percent sleep with their bosses and 37 percent get rewarded for it with a promotion or some form of career progression.

The CWLP study also found that 34 percent of women know another woman who has had an affair with a boss. Now sex in the workplace is nothing new, but the link between sex and career progression needs more examination.

Have you slept with the boss to get ahead at work? Is it just a female thing and do women really feel it is necessary to sleep with their bosses to break through the glass ceiling? Or are there other factors at play?

I'm thinking back on some of the bosses I've had throughout my career and while I do believe being a woman had it's advantages for me, I'm VERY glad I haven't had to resort to this tactic to get noticed and promoted!!!

Leading the charge for gender diversity means leading the change management process: Highly recommended resources

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:13:00 GMT

Now more then ever, there is a sense of urgency around making your company a magnet for Australia’s top female talent. Why now? The ASX guidelines revisions have been a tipping point for the growing gender diversity movement that is bursting into boardrooms armed with stats, costs, and solutions to Australia’s woeful female representation.

I’ve done a lot of change management in my career, and since I started my gender diversity consulting for employers, I can tell you that every workplace is a concoction of different challenges and opportunities for boosting your ability to attract, advance and retain female senior managers. I’ll be writing a series of blogs on change management for gender diversity. I’ve been on this journey with many employers and thousands of women for years now, and like any change management process, its about bringing people with you on that journey.

To kickstart, here is a list of the Harvard Busines Reviews “10 Must Reads on Change”. If you’ve read one, this is a great opportunity to share your insights and action points inspired by the book –please share in the comments section.

The Enriched list – home brewed inspirational heroes list including Ascend speakers Ronni Kahn and Helen Wiseman

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:08:00 GMT

There is no denying that we live in a great country. Sure there aren’t enough women in leadership roles, and we work more than the OECD average hours per day and we’ve even got obesity issues to almost rival the home land of fast food’s weight problems. But we’re also packed full of people from all over the world, there is a huge range of exciting initiatives, that talk about and honestly believe in work life balance.

I am thrilled to announce Australia’s inaugural “Enriched List”, an initiative by the Sydney Morning Herald and American Express to celebrate key individuals who are using their skills and passions to support other people, and continue to blossom as individuals. Huge congratulations to Ronni Kahn and Helen Wiseman for making the list, these ladies have both shared their stories and inspired hundreds of leading Australian businesswomen at sphinxx’s Ascend days.

I also think that a thank you is in order to SMH and American express for celebrating and promoting their activities, and for having a fairly even split of male and female list members.

Are you pushing too hard to get ahead? Or not enough? A cautionary tale from Catherine Fox

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:33:00 GMT

Last Friday I attended the AIM Great Debate in Sydney, which sphinxx was proud to sponsor. The topic of the debate was “Nice Girls Finish Second” and involved a swag of celeb speakers including Mia Freedman, Peter FitzSimons and Wendy Machin arguing in the affirmative and Catherine Fox, Lisa Wilkinson and Dr Cathy Foley arguing against. I laughed so hard at the tit for tats from side to side, and really it was refreshing to see everyone having some fun with what is usually a pretty hard slog: trying to decipher why so few women make it to the top in business.

Chris Golis has written a guest blog post on his synopsis of the debate, so I won’t cover that here. I will however share my favorite argument for the day which came from the AFR’s Corporate Woman columnist, Catherine Fox who commented on the difficulties women face in overcoming bias and stereotypes (she says the term “nice girl” is just a stereotype, anyway).

“Whichever way you look at it, stereotypes work against us... my sister and I call this the push-push push. In that last phase of childbirth there’s a stage when all the people are gathered around the bed saying “push... push... PUUUUSH! - followed by - oooohhh, you pushed too much - we’ll have to give you stitches now!”

Fox says women are told “you’re not requesting enough... you didn’t put your hand up for the pay rise... well you know what happens when you put your hand up? Then they say she’s a pushy bitch, she’s too ambitious.”

I think we can all think of a time when we've seen this play out. So whether you’re pushing too hard, or not hard enough... beware of those stereotypes and take note when they’re working against you.

Do nice girls finish second? A guest blog post by Chris Golis, Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:00:00 GMT

Last Friday I attended a great luncheon debate organised by the Australian Institute of Management “Nice Girls Finish Second”. Over 1000 people attended with around a 98% female gender bias. I was the only male sitting at a table of 12. The debate quickly turned to the question of whether you can be both nice and a leader. Both the affirmative and negative teams used the same methodology, listing examples either non-nice females becoming leaders or vice versa. Of course, arguing this way suffers from the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. So what makes a leader? Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, has argued in his excellent (and I think best) book Managing With Power: Politics and Influence in Organization that leaders have six core characteristics: Energy, Team player, Focus, Conflict, Empathy, Flexibility.

Energy and a team player
True leaders are the first in the office and the last to leave. Another characteristic of the true leader is the ability to submerge one's ego and become a team player during one's career. Both these are characteristics of someone with a high Mover component. Movers are friendly and generally thought of as agreeable. The majority of high Movers are female.

Focus and the ability to handle conflict
Typically the people who become CEOs do so by focusing their energy and avoiding wasted effort. They succeed by focusing their efforts in one industry and generally one company. Real leaders are willing to engage when necessary in conflict and confrontation. Many people mistakenly believe that to get along you go along. However, leaders have discovered that conflict will often provide you far more power than pliability. Conflict and focus are characteristics of the Politician component. These people are driven by the desire to win. While they see themselves as decisive and assertive, most people see them as impulsive and aggressive. The majority of high Politicians are male and not very nice people.

Empathy and flexibility
True leaders put themselves in other people's shoes. True leaders have also learned that to succeed it is necessary to be able to modify one's behaviour. Flexibility is essential to success, particularly for managers. Empathy and flexibility are characteristics of the Hustler component. Again this is a component more often found in the male. Hustlers are genial and charming, and make great first impression. Unfortunately this can dissipate; people may regard them as nice initially but subsequently form a different view.

So of the three emotional components that drive the true leader, one is nice (and found more often in females), one is definitely not nice and the third is only initially nice and both these are found more often in males. In the end the debate was won by the negative team which given the gender make-up of the audience was not surprising. Also most female leaders are generally nicer people than their male counterparts. Nevertheless it did make for an interesting lunch.

About the Author | Chris Golis is Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence www.thehummhandbook.com

Upcoming NSW training/refresher event on discrimination, harassment and bullying and what it means for your workplace by AIM

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:19:00 GMT

There has been so much traffic to our blog about the $37 million lawsuit against DJs, and such a media furore around the case that it’s clear that harassment and bullying are hot issues in the workplace right now. If you run a team or company in NSW, this refresher seminar is a must see. Set to start at 5.30 to 7.15pm on Tuesday the 21^st of September, you can book now online.

I’ve been consulting a range of employers now about the often-underestimated value that a healthy and inclusive working environment can bring to their staff retention, motivation and output. Having a company dogged by rumours of unchecked harassment and rampant bullying, no matter how subtle, is a sure fire way to stifle innovation, have poor engagement with your employees and lose your talented staff to competitors.

This Australian Institute of Management seminar will cover a range of topics including recent cases and trends, the damage a claim can do (mishandling a claim can take $500,000 of your bottom line) and how to reduce your organisations exposure to such claims.

As workplace bullying is considerably more present then we like to imagine, I would recommend every employer attend.

Penelope Trunk, HR blogger says there is NO PAY GAP between men and women, and that this is not a controversial statement. It is, and its also factually wrong…

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:14:00 GMT

“…the reason top-tier female MBAs make less then the men is because of the choice they make, not because of any gender bias”. This is not the only reason why male and female workers do not achieve equal pay and even if it was, women should not be penalized for having children, and should not be forced to have to make a choice between having children and a career.

Whilst Trunk quotes the Economist and the Washington Post’s legitimate critique of the 77 cents in a dollar stat, she fails to take this into account. Or this. Or this. Or this. And I could just keep going!

As much as I would love to declare the pay gap is closed, it’s just not socially responsible or factually correct to do so.

Her case rests on the assumption that this pay gap is a choice, caused by parenting and that “the workforce is not good for parenting just is not a gender issue” completely fails to take into account that the workforce was designed by men who didn’t need to look after their kids as much because their wife was. The expectations that come with management roles were designed by men, for men and that now the men are trying to get more women into because they’re aware of the diversity benefits of doing this, they need to wake up and make the workforce for accommodating for parents. When you add that to women being ready, willing and keen to take on executive roles, the fact that workplaces need to seriously reassess the required lifestyle that comes with top jobs is a no-brainer.
Is it a gender issue? Not necessarily, but there is no doubt from the stats from organisations like the Australian Work Life Index centre that women feel the pressure of being a mum and an employee more then men do, and that we’re discriminated against just in case the kids do cause us concern over how much time we can give to work.

Sure, I agree with her that it helps to “stop being paranoid” and that most women in top jobs are very thankful to the men along the way who have helped them [link to good guys page]. I blogged about exactly this topic. But I know that women sell themselves short by not negotiating, and I also know that women can be penalized financially and socially for negotiating, something that rarely if ever happens to men.

Check it out here. I’m confident that smart working women who read this article can recognize it for its commentary, but be smart enough to steer well clear of her “show some cleavage” and “feminism is alive and well with bitter, outdated ranters” thoughts. If you’ve got thoughts or responses, and especially experiences that contradict her opinions (I’m looking at you, women experiencing the pay gap without children) share them here in the comments section.

Thankyou to Kim Seeling-Smith for passing this one on.

Free article shared on LinkedIn on how to overcome shyness and increase your confidence

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:21:00 GMT

I’m a member of Executives Women’s Business group on LinkedIn, and wanted to share with you all an article one of the other members shared about how to beat shyness, and become more confident.

There is no doubt about it, being shy won’t serve you well in your career. Successful careers today require networking, making sure you get the credit for your work in teams, powerful presentations and sourcing and maintaining great mentors. Shyness will be an obstacle to any of these.

Get the article here.

Paid Parental leave= lower divorce rates. And workplaces and cultures can adapt to parental leave so lets not believe the naysayers!

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:20:00 GMT

HBR has published their daily stat that 85% of fathers in Sweden take extensive paid parental leave. Just imagine if 85% of men in Australia took any parental leave!

The Swedes get 16 months paid parental leave per child and apparently leave-takers aren’t penalized when applying for or being award promotions. And the significant investment in parental leave is seen as a contributing factor to lower divorce rates.

So if Sweden has implemented such a good program, and it seems to have positive marital impact and little work detriment, why is there so much fear from Australian’s about getting even a few months?

Big big thank you to our sponsors for August Ascend, I would personally recommend every sponsored service or gift having seen and tried them all!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:58:00 GMT

Another batch of Ascends has drawn to a close, and we’re a bit tired but thrilled about how they all went. I wanted to take this opportunity to promote some brands who support advancing women in business by donating gifts to the Ascend development days. A massive thanks to Innoxa for their goody bags (even better then the May Ascend ones!) and Christine at Organic trader for the Cocolo chocolate and the team at Fruit at Work for the flawless apples donated for every city. Also a big thank you to our raffle prize donators for every city – Corban & Blair and their gorgeous stationary, Lindy McLeod from Market Basket, Helene Blanchard for the lovely lingerie from eLilianne and of course the team at www.bestgiftcertificates.com.au for the $100 gift voucher for every city.

For the individual cities, first up in Adelaide thanks goes to Amanda Horne from Everyday PA for donating a Magic Box. In Melbourne we had an 1 hour massage and goodie box from Pauline Burr at Naturally U and a chocolate bouquet from Better than Flowers (also in Brisbane). Also in Brisbane we had 2 tickets from the Queensland Ballet for Fonteyn Remembered and a huge fitness hamper from Sally Symonds. And finally thanks to Flowers by Teresa for the gorgeous flowers for the our guest speaker in Sydney.

All the proceeds from our raffle went to Room to Read for their 10x10 initiative that connects educated professional women with the Room to Read Girls Education Program, to give these women an opportunity to reach out to support girls in the developing world. $300 educates a girl for a whole year, so $3000 (as part of the 10 women x 10 years of education initiative) radically improves a girl’s life and prospects. 95% of girls in the program advance to the next level, given most come from illiterate backgrounds, this is a phenomenal achievement.

Norway has the worlds leading board diversity initiative, but what can businesses learn from their example? Is it working?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:22:00 GMT

The woeful state of Australia’s female representation at executive and board level and lack of real action to improve this issue creates a lot of conversation and study about what programs are working overseas.

One of the most standard out initiatives is Norway’s 40% quota for board members. Women make up 40% of board members in Norway – because they have to. But does this work? Do the women feel token?

Catalyst recently featured a guest blog by Morten Huse, a professor of Organization and management at a Norwegian university about his study on these very questions, and he forewarns, “simple answers about the law’s effectiveness are not yet possible”.

But what he and Sabina Nielson discovered after interviewing 392 board members for 120 firms is important. These findings include no real difference between male and female responses to their survey, the importance of diverse skills, values and professional experience of women on boards and more importantly, how women used these attributes in strategic decision-making.

Get the full article on the findings.

The power of female voices in the workplace - a guest blog post by Karen Schmidt

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:41:00 GMT

The Times published an article a while back that proves the Prince of Wales was right all along. Plants really do like it if you talk to them. What he did not know is that they prefer to hear a woman’s voice. These are the conclusions of a month long study by the Royal Horticultural Society into the effect of the human voice on tomato plants. More than two decades after the Prince exposed himself to ridicule for saying it was “very important” to talk to plants and that “they respond”, horticulturalists believe his hunch was correct. The guys at Mythbusters also agree. When they looked into this urban myth in 2004 the verdict was “plausible”. So how does this research help us in the workplace? Well, you can draw some parallels with female leadership styles. We have been talking for a while now about the feminisation of leadership and not just from the point of view of having more women as leaders but also of male leaders adopting a more humanistic approach. We are starting to see more of that but we still have a long way to go. I know in my business I am often called upon to facilitate potentially volatile meetings because my clients realise that putting a woman in charge can neutralise some of the animosity in a group, especially when large numbers of men are involved.

However, here is an interesting point to note. Whilst we may be hearing more female voices in senior leadership roles, there is a concern that their style and content is often very masculine. It seems that many women who have made it to the top feel they need to adopt male characteristics to be accepted. So are we really hearing women’s “real” voices or are we missing out on their unique characteristics due to the heavy male influence in the boardroom?

With the Australian Federal election result still pending as this post is being written, it is interesting to ponder how Julia Gillard has handled this dilemma. Her highly stage managed debate with Tony Abbott to many people demonstrated she was losing her real voice in favour of a carefully crafted replacement. Then the turnaround came when she declared that she would come out from behind the shackles of her media advisors and reveal her real self. Only time will tell if this strategy (which some people claim was a deliberate move) will work for or against her.

If Julia Gillard and other women in positions of influence find it difficult to harness the power of their voice then how is it for women at other levels of the organisation? Would you say that women have a true voice in your organisation, occupation or industry? What can you personally do to make sure that women’s voices are heard in the Australian workplace?

About the Author | Karen Schmidt from Let’s Grow! describes herself as a workplace gardener who is on a mission to grow managers into engaging leaders.www.letsgrow.com.au

Elizabeth Broderick’s Blue Print For Achieving Gender Equality – what the report proposes for working women – pay equity, targets, quotas, support for parents and better sex harassment policies!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:13:00 GMT

Elizabeth Broderick, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner has released a report that outlines the inquiries, investments and initiatives to rectify a wide range gendered imbalances Australian face. The issues fall into five priority areas: balancing paid work and family/caring responsibilities, ensuring women’s lifetime economic security, promoting women in leadership, preventing violence against women and sexual harassment and strengthening national gender equality laws, agencies and monitoring. I had a closer look at the Blue Print report and it has big things in store for working women.

I’m especially excited about Recommendation 7 that focuses on strengthening the representation of women at decision making levels and promotes an ambitious raft of quotas and targets for government and business – including a recommendation that all Government Boards and publicly listed companies have 40% of each gender represented within 3 years. Even more exciting, if there is no serious progress by businesses in the face of this target, the report recommends that the Government introduce quotas. I’ve been pro quotas for years, and I’m really interested to see if a 40% target will be enough motivation, given this means there would need to be a five-fold increase in women appointed to board positions if we’re to get there without quotas – an ambitious program by anyone’s definition.

Other key recommendations for business are Recommendation 4 for a focused and funded campaign against the pay gap, Recommendation 1 for longer and better paid parental leave (one year at two thirds of your income), Recommendation 10 for strengthening the protection from sexual harassment and Recommendation 13 to ensure women experience equal outcomes in the workplace by amending the EOWW Act, and name changes to put gender equality unmistakably on the agenda.

You can download the surprisingly easy to read and very exciting report here, and I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on what will and won't make a difference, and how groups like sphinxx can work with initiatives like the ones mentioned to really amp up our campaigns!

Sydneysiders – Invitation to attend “Unhappy hour” for Equal Pay Day on September 4th – Women are paid 18 percent less an hour so you’ll get 18 percent off your food and drink!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:05:00 GMT

The pay gap between men and women workers isn’t getting better, but women are getting more active and better coordinated to tackle this issue head on. Pay disparity is one of the issues, like many in employing women that has many causes but one of them is definitely the lack of scrutiny applied to the issue. If you’re in Sydney, and want to see women paid equally to men, meet stacks of people and get 18% off, you should come along to “Unhappy hour” at the Mean Fiddler hotel at Rouse Hill.

The event is being run by Business and Professional Women and the Mean Fiddler hotel in partnership, and has been well publicised so they’re expecting a lot of media attention and advocacy gains for the Equal Pay Day campaign.

EMPLOYERS: How are you preparing for the introduction of paid parental leave? Share your plans here and get a grip of the debate, the emerging opportunities and get your business ahead.

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:31:00 GMT

There is a lot of discussion happening about Paid Parental leave, as we roll towards January and our first national scheme. I’ve been blogging fairly regularly about PPL and how businesses can prepare and benefit for it, but I also wanted to share this summary snippet from the Diversity Council of Australia’s debate about paid parental leave summary, hosted by Gilbert and Tobin that is especially relevant to employers:

“Ann Sherry, CEO Carnival Australia said that employers recognize the productivity benefits to be gained from a PPL scheme but were wary of increased compliance costs and complexity of implementation. She expressed concern about the Opposition's policy where larger businesses, which were already providing paid parental leave, would also be expected to cover the cost for those who weren't. “

How are you preparing for the introduction of the paid parental leave scheme? How is your employer? Are you planning on utilising this opportunity to have a baby?

New blog category, and congratulations to Sha-Mayne Chan and 2Birds design for winning a WOLDA

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:23:00 GMT

I’ve decided I get too much good news sent my way not to have a new blog category called “Wins” that celebrates and shares the achievements of so many wonderful women in the sphinxx network. To kick us off, a big congratulations to Sha-Maybe Chan and 2birds design for winning a WOLDA, the worldwide logo design annual.

If you or a friend or colleague win an award, let us know so we can share the good news with the thousands of women and employers that make up the sphinxx network.

Why Successful Women Feel Like Frauds & How Not To - a guest blog post by Julianna Suranyi

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:23:00 GMT

After working with many outwardly successful women over the past 20 years as an intuitive profiler and corporate trainer, it still shocks me how often they doubt their abilities and fall prey to thinking "I'm a fraud". Why do women internalise their accomplishments rather than celebrate them and minimise their success as mere "luck"? Women think about what they perceive success will bring them in respect to their identity before they achieve it, but see a different result when they get there. You may think that success will deliver strength and empowerment, yet you need to project beyond this point to juggle your success with the demands of relationships, friendships, family and other life aspects.

Women refuse to put themselves first.

As a society we see ambition in women as aggression, so an ambitious woman is perceived as either angry or unfulfilled. When you put yourself first and make a decision based on your needs - you are labelled selfish. When women feel that success comes at the expense of everything around them, rather than the vehicle that supports everyone and everything, I believe they experience a subdued shame from their success and often live in guilt and anxiety.

When starting out women rarely think how their growth and development will impact on their sense of individuality, psyche and identity.

Women know intuitively that their success has meaning, yet when change such as family comes into their lives they suddenly become overloaded because they have not emotionally made these rules of engagement work for them pre-success.

So what you can do to become empowered in your success – however you define it?

Decide why your success is important to you. What does it allow you and create for you?
Decide how you wish to use your success to enhance other areas of your life.
Understand that success in some life areas does not mean instant success in other areas.

d) Make a plan beyond your immediate success that is flexible enough to allow for family and relationship changes and that is realistic and workable for you, not what others expect of you.

e) Understand that you can absolutely have it all - you just need to plan everything and ensure that you bring in resources you need to support your continuing success.

There is nothing “lucky” about achieving your success goals and nor is there any “fraud” involved in recognising when you need help to plan and manage success in the many areas of your life. Women are taught to feel guilty about so much that the real fraud lies in not recognising your value and not taking steps to harness your potential success across every aspect of your life.

About the Author | Professional Psychic, Intuitive Profiler and Spiritual Philosopher Julianna Suranyi helps thousands of people with personal guidance, behavioural change and spiritual growth online, corporately, via her courses and in the media at www.julianna.com.au

New service for women looking to return to the workforce - guest blog by Women2Work

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:14:00 GMT

Today, women make up just over half of Australia’s total population. More women than men are now educated at secondary schools and universities, and more women than men graduate from university with bachelor degrees. Women have made significant contributions to every aspect of Australia’s development including its society, culture and economy. However, women in Australia still have to battle institutional and social barriers as they struggle for equality of opportunity especially in the workplace. Many women take a career break to look after their children or other dependents and the more time they take out of the workplace the more daunting it can seem to get back to work. Most women may feel they do not have the relevant skills for the ever changing job market, or can’t identify what type of organisation might employ them. They may be unsure about how to update their resume or how to prepare for an interview. Concerns about finding adequate childcare or flexible working hours can sometimes prevent them from taking up employment once again even if they have previously had very successful careers.

A new initiative called Women2Work has been started initially in the Northern Beaches and North Shore areas of Sydney to help women who want to get back to work. The first step to kick-starting their career is to fill in the online personality profiler Finding Potential which enables users to identify their strong points and can recommend types of jobs/careers most suited to their personality. We then offer consultancy to any women who need help and guidance in compiling a resume, preparing for a job interview or just identifying what role they might want to pursue in the job market. Often women do not want to go back into the same field as they were in before having children and we help them identify the skills they have that are transferrable to many roles. Most importantly we give our women returners a placement with a local organisation for one week (more if wanted) to gain valuable experience in a relevant job role. The role is unpaid but the benefits include a written assessment at the end, a reference for future job applications and the possibility of future employment with that organisation should a vacancy arises. All candidates on the Women2Work program are also sent regular newsletters which inform them of any positions that are looking specifically for women in the local area.

Women2Work has also just begun to provide a service to organisations that wish to recruit more skilled women after they have had a career break . Similarly we help organisations retain women that have gone on maternity leave by ensuring that they are still informed of company issues and changes and organise workshops so that women on maternity leave do not feel isolated. Like the placement program run for individuals a similar program can be put in place in organisations where previous employees can try out different roles that may better suit them on their return to the workforce. www.women2work.com.au

Network Central breakfasts in Melbourne and Sydney - congratulations to sphinxx winners!

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:13:00 GMT

Congratulations to Karen Stace, Emily Beverly, Rowena Ferrarotto and Sally Symonds who are the lucky winners of our Network Central businesswomen breakfast passes. You will be hearing from the fabulous Wendy McCarthy this week in Sydney and a panel of experts in Melbourne next week on the theme of "my brilliant career" with advice on how you can get the most from your career. Expect to be provoked - these speakers are no wallflowers! I believe there are still a few passes available - you can register online for the Sydney event on 26 August and Melbourne event on 7 September.

Direct from the AICD Boardroom report, tips for aspiring woman directors

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:20:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Company Directors Boardroom Report recently published their 8^th Volume and the opening article was “Tips for Aspiring Women’s Directors”. There is definitely an increasing amount of conversation, articles and insights being shared about gender diversity, hopefully the ASX guideline changes was the tipping point for the business community to face our woeful female representation head on. You can find a range of director specific resources and great articles, and become a member here.

One insight from the article:

“Catherine Brenner, a director of Coca Cola Amatil, AMP, Centennial Coal and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, said good advice once given to her by an experienced chairman was to “write down what I thought I could bring to a board, what my strengths were and what my weaknesses were and then to finesse this into words and think about the issues”.

This, she said, enabled her to sell herself much more effectively when approached for board positions. “I could position what I could bring to the boardroom and have the confidence that I could articulate it properly and sell myself well,” she told the audience. “It sounds very simple, but it’s well worth the time.”

Brenner’s own advice for women hoping to secure more directorships was to approach the task like they would other aspects of business such as winning a new client or securing a transaction. “You have to present a business case for you and argue it in the same way you would for your business. You are selling yourself. I found it much easier to do it that way and I would suggest that you would probably come up with a better representation of yourself if you look at it almost through third party eyes.”

So women, what are we waiting for? If you think you’re board ready, work out your business case and how to sell yourself. And get networking, because the article also quotes David Pumphrey, from the board recruitment consultant company Heidrick and Struggles saying that 55-60% of board appointments involved headhunters. Which means that 45-40% aren’t and come from your existing connections and reputation.

Election 2010: women MP’s now make up less then 25 percent of parliament, with significant consequences

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:24:00 GMT

"Until the Government looks like the society it seeks to govern there will be an imbalance in the decision making process." Why has the number of female political leaders dropped? Partly because 9 out of 20 of the sitting members who did not seek re election were women, but also because women make up less then 2% of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, which reaped the rewards of the Labor backswing.

For more information on the 2010 Election, its impact on women, and why parties must be responsible and progressive in appointing women, check out this Women on Boards media release.

Even without kids, women still don’t achieve pay parity – and we’re talking $15,000 p.a. less.

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:20:00 GMT

This Catalyzing blog had me cheering along as Ilene challenged men to stop fearing equality and criticized some media outlets for depicting women as mere risk-averse cleaner-uppers. "Is cleaning up a leadership trait?" asked Ilene. "I don't think so."

Arguing that the main issue to pay equity and equal gender representation is having children is like arguing that a hat will save you from sunburn in the summer. Sure it’ll save your face and maybe your shoulders, but there is so much more going on.

This is another glass cliff issue. Women are not just discriminated against during childrearing, nor does every woman have children. Not only that, but I’m concerned that the constant reverting back to the “challenge of motherhood within a career” by employers might just be keeping working women in the mum box. When I walk into a CEOs office for consulting work, I want them to notice and appreciate my experience and expertise first, because I’m working.

Whenever I read blogs like this one, I am reminded of Machievelli’s words "those with the power will never voluntarily give it up". So take a look, forward this blog and lets get serious about fixing the pay gap.

Creativity is the strategic tool of the 21st century - a guest blog by Tania de Jong AM

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:34:00 GMT

Australia is a highly successful and prosperous nation. However, we have ridden on our luck, especially in relying on our natural resources to get us through. In the 21st century being lucky isn’t enough. We have to work on nurturing our talent and inventiveness – in short, our creativity. For CEOs, creativity is now regarded as the most important leadership quality for success in business, outweighing even integrity and global thinking, according to a new study by IBM. The study is the largest known sample of one-on-one CEO interviews, with over 1,500 corporate heads and public sector leaders across 60 nations and 33 industries polled on what drives them in managing their companies in today's world.

Yet futurist Ryan Matthews and Watts Wacker recently stated that “Creativity has become the most universally endangered species of the 21st Century. Never has the need for creativity been so compelling and never has genuine creativity been in such short supply. We have a broadband culture but not the content to fill it.”

We pride ourselves on our innovation and creativity, but what is the truth?

According to McKinsey we are not as innovative compared to other countries as we think we are.
We tend to think of the artists and scientists as the “creative ones”, yet many artists and scientists struggle to make a living
Many of our corporate leaders agree that developing a culture of innovation is critical, yet acknowledge that they do not allow their people to think.
Innovation is siloed into advanced manufacturing and biotechnology/medical research

In today’s fast paced business environment, creativity and innovation is a prerequisite for success, and perhaps even for survival. That is why creativity and innovation are now moving to the top of the agenda for organizations around the world. It is not a coincidence that companies such as ANZ, Telstra and CSC have recently appointed heads of creativity and innovation.

Creativity and innovation is a core competency for leaders and managers. We need to teach people how to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, to ask important questions and to generate solutions. Generating fresh solutions to problems, and the ability to create new products, processes or services for a changing market and new world are part of the intellectual capital that gives a company its competitive edge. Creativity is a crucial part of the innovation equation.

Many experts and futurists believe that organizations need to place greater emphasis on right-brain functions such as artistic, big picture thinking and the ability to conceptualise.
At Creativity Australia and Creative Universe we believe that creativity is the strategic tool of the 21st century. Creativity offers the answers to many of the big issues we face in these unprecedented times, because it can help unlock our full human potential and connect us to others.

Doing so can develop stronger communication and problem solving skills, and thereby foster sustainable levels of motivation and wellbeing at a personal and organisational level. This will in turn lead to greater levels of engagement and innovation in organisations, and an enhanced ability to make a contribution to our society rather than just focussing on profits.

One of the challenges businesses face today is overcoming the barriers to stimulating creativity and innovation. We need to create opportunities for individuals and communities to connect with one another in new and meaningful ways, and to share and develop new ideas.

Creativity is the key to our nation’s and our world’s future. It is time that we realise that everyone is creative. We need to start investing in our human creative capital to solve the problems besetting our world and re-think the future.

If you would like to increase your Creative Innovation – and your competitive edge at work – you might benefit from attending Creative Innovation 2010. In Melbourne on 8-10 September at the Melbourne Recital Centre, it is an opportunity to join a conversation with over 35 world class thinkers and speakers including Edward De Bono, Advisor to the US Department of Defence Edward Luttwak (USA), McKinsey Managing Partner Michael Rennie, Hunger Project’s Cathy Burke, Author David Rock, Pig Pen Founder Claire Penniceard, ABC journalist Beverley O’Connor, technology/education guru Stephen Heppell (UK), CSI’s Peter Shergold, Future Cities’ Austin Williams (UK), Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry, Founder of Resmed Dr Peter Farrell (USA), ANZ CEO Mike Smith, robotics expert Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, Ex-President Microsoft Steve Vamos, ABC’s Mark Scott, Ormond College’s Rufus Black, social entrepreneur Tania de Jong and others....

About the Author | Tania de Jong AM is the Founder & Executive Producer of Creative Innovation 2010, a major conference taking place in Melbourne September 8-10 featuring world class speakers including Edward de Bono and Edward Luttwak. The aim is to demonstrate strategies and processes for creating organisational performance, productivity and wellbeing and showcase the world’s best practice solutions and ideas for the development of innovative futures for community, business and government. www.ci2010.com.au

Resources to help with improving gender diversity on boards

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:15:00 GMT

The Australian Institute of Company Directors has launched a new service directory aimed at helping organisations to increase their female representation on boards. The new service directory includes a list of gender diversity consultants and service providers who can help them to solve the gender dilemma - including sphinxx which is listed there along with other gender diversity consultants. If you're looking to increase the number of women in your leadership ranks, you might want to check it out.

Anyone else getting sluggish and less motivated? I’m blaming the weather. New Caitlin Reid Blog on how to eat and exercise to boost your mood

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:26:00 GMT

Have you been feeling down lately? Well, according to dietitian and fitness expert Caitlin Reid, changing your mood could be as easy as adding a couple of ingredients to your meals and including a daily bout of exercise.

Just because the temperature outside is dropping, it doesn’t mean your mood has to follow. Lucky for us there’s a connection between body and mind, so what you eat and how often you exercise has an impact on how you feel. To stay on top of the world this winter, follow our six-step plan:

1. Eat wholegrains: Wholegrain foods such as wholegrain bread and oats are minimally processed and help to control blood sugar levels, providing you with longer lasting energy. On top of this, carbohydrate-containing foods boost serotonin levels in the body, leaving you feeling calm and stress free. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread and rice on the other hand, create rapid spikes in blood sugar levels, leaving you feeling tired and grumpy.

2. Enjoy salmon: Topping the list of excellent mood foods is of course salmon, which is packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are a major component of brain cells and are crucial for keeping brain signals moving smoothly. They also convert into prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that promote serotonin production and therefore mood. Enjoy salmon or other types of oily fish such as Tuna and herring, 2-3 times per week.

3. Benefit from B vitamins: Two B vitamins – folate and vitamin B12 – seem to be important for mood, with research linking low levels of these vitamins to depression. Inadequate intakes of folate and vitamin B12 appear to impair the production of the feel-good substance serotonin. Foods rich in vitamin B12 include fish, lean red meat, chicken, eggs, reduced-fat dairy products and eggs, while folate-fortified breakfast cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, chickpeas and asparagus are good sources of folate.

4. Limit the alcohol: In small amounts, alcohol can produce a temporary feeling of euphoria, but as alcohol is a depressant these feelings often don’t last for long. Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed, people can quickly turn to an emotionally unstable state, while alcohol abuse can lead to depressive disorders. Stick to the alcohol guidelines of no more than two standard drinks a day for both men and women.

5. Factor in feel-good fitness: Your daily exercise session stimulates the release of feel-good endorphins, which leaves you feeling happier and more relaxed. In fact, research suggests that regular exercise in line with the National Physical Activity Guidelines (at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most preferably all days of the week) may be as effective as medications in treating mild to moderate depression.

6. Enjoy some sunlight: Step outside and soak up some UV rays, as these natural rays generate vitamin D in your skin. Growing research is finding vitamin D may help relieve mood disorders, leaving your feeling happier and less anxious. Why? Vitamin D is thought to play a role in increasing serotonin levels. Food sources of vitamin D include oily fish, liver, eggs and vitamin D fortified margarine and milk.

Caitlin Reid is the head Corporate Health and Wellness Consultant from "Health & The City" - www.healthandthecity.com.au

Afternoon Slump, Fuzzy thinking, mildly bloated, lacking the zing - a guest blog by Michele Chevalley Hedge on nutrition and performance

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:57:00 GMT

It is not your business accolades, or your longevity in your career or the degrees you have worked diligently on that are going to help you forge your career.... they may help but unless you are in a state of optimum health your productivity will suffer. Before I go on here... have a look around at the women you admire and maybe mentors to you... I am not talking about thin women... I am talking about that women who are colleagues or in senior management who have the ZING you have been wondering about. What she does to maintain her sharpness, clear eyes, articulated thoughts, and vitality? Is it exercise... maybe... is it mediation... maybe.... but one thing is for sure it will have something to do with her nutrition. We can exercise some days, we can mediate some days, but we usually eat three to five times a day. What does this mean.... YOU have up to five times a day to help yourself move into a place of creating change! Good nutrition stems from unprocessed, low glycaemic , highly anti oxidant, and essential fatty acids rich foods. This may be the competitive advantage in the decision making for your next career move.

Unprocessed, low glycaemic , highly anti oxidant, and essential fatty acids rich foods sounds technical but it is not... is a simple as choosing a variety of colours in your seasonal fruits and vegetables to ensure quality antioxidants. It is in the colour of the fruit and vegetable where we find its antioxidants. Choose foods that are not inside a package or have touched a production line... like walnuts, seeds, sultanas avoiding even ‘healthfoods‘protein bars. Low gylcaemic means looking for foods that are going to keep you satisfied for longer... a bowel of oats with linseeds and blueberries sprinkled on the top will keep you satisfied through to your lunch break. Not to mention simple sugars, high glycaemic foods are ageing.... yes ... sugar is ageing and inflammatory!

Before becoming a nutritionist , I had the very good fortune to work at a senior level for an international computer company. It was face paced, energetic, and testing... it is not being discriminating to say if you were not on the ball, you were not going to remain a long term employee of this company. This is true of most companies these days. Your productivity is their profitability. Business is always looking for better returns on investments in its assets, yet one of the best has been lying right under its nose ignored for a long time – the health of its work force! We are seeing more company’s integrating corporate wellness policies... good on them!

I would be interested in your comments and feedback on how your nutrition affects your productivity... and I am happy to write another blog with more specific foods and nutrients for women advancing as leaders.

About the author | Michele Chevalley Hedge is a naturopathic nutritionist based in Sydney. At A Healthy View, Michele specialises in women’s health and runs Women’s Nourishment Cleanse Retreats several times of the year Gaia Retreat in Byron Bay. See www.ahealthyview.com.au for further information.

Australian companies need to be doing more to close the gender pay gap as a means of increasing competitiveness and productivity

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:28:00 GMT

Closing the gender pay gap "is just plain good business sense," said the CEO of DCA, Nareen Young. Find out how diversity pays.

Work life balance – what’s the accurate national picture? New AWALI findings spell out exactly the state of Australian work life balance. What working women and employers need to know

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:48:00 GMT

Work life balance is talked about a lot these days. Whether its study leave to flexible working hours, or shorter days for new dads to job sharing there are lots of innovative ideas floating around that can benefit employees and the businesses they work for. I got a sneak peek at some brand new findings at the Women Management and Work conference. But it seems all this discussion is not enough, with the Australian Work Life Index (AWALI) and the University of South Australia publishing the results of a four year comparative study from a large sample of working Australians finding that our work life interference is getting worse.

AWALI have recently published their results in a report titled “How much should we work? Working hours, holidays, and working life: the participation challenge“. I have been doing presentations on work like balance, and I have found the AWALI findings very useful as they are viewed the national leader and benchmark for work-life data.

I’m sure I’ll be quoting the AWALI findings often, but the key findings I wanted to publish here were:

There is a significantly large jump in work life interference and stress from working full time (35-47 hours a week) to working full time plus (more then 48 hours a week).

64.8% of women working full time always/very often felt rushed for time, compared to 50.1% of men.

The majority of both men and women working full time wished they could work a few less hours. And almost one in three full time employees felt that work often/almost always interfered with their live activities.

26.9% of full time working women were dissatisfied with their work life balance, compared to 19.7% of men.

This is just a few of the extensive and thought provoking findings AWALI published, but already my head is teeming with ideas about how to create workplaces that cause less work life interference. If you have any ideas about how to improve your employees work life balance, please share in the comments section. And if you need to start managing upwards to your boss better, check this out.

Sydney and Melbourne: Free $77 ticket to “Because I’m a Girl” Business Breakfasts run by Network Central

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:05:00 GMT

Simply post your comment here, about your number one tip or story about what you think women bring to business - just because you're a girl. Best ones received by this Friday win the tickets! Many of you are familiar with Network Central events - they've been around connecting women in business for 10 years now! First up in Sydney on the 26th of August, from 7-9am is “Because I’m a girl – the state of the worlds girls” Business Breakfast at the Queen Victoria Building Tea rooms. The wonderful Wendy McCarthy AO is speaking, and for those of you not familiar with her very impressive career, Wendy has been there and done that when it comes to leadership, and is one of my personal heroes.

Following this in Melbourne on September 7th is the “My Brilliant Career – Advice to a younger self” Business Breakfast, where you can hear from a great line up of successful leaders and meet a room full of more of them!

The panel includes: Kirstie Marshall (Vic MP and Champion Aerial skiier), Margot Spalding (Owner, Jimmy Possum Furniture and winner of the Telstra businesswoman of the year Award) and Zara Ritchie (Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Sandi Givens (speaker, teacher, trainer and moderator for this event).

For more information, and to register (because we’ve only got two ticket to give away for each city) for Sydney click here, and Melbourne click here.

Are flexible working arrangements a trap for your employees’ careers? Why might they choose not to utilise them? What you can do about it:

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:28:00 GMT

The survey: Does choosing flexible working arrangement prove you’re less serious and committed to your job, and damage your career prospects? This question was posed to 800 female solicitors in the UK, with surprising results.

The Results:

One third were dissatisfied with their access to flexible work arrangements. Half said they believed that using such policies were seen as less serious about their career, and just under half said that working flexibly can damage a lawyers promotions prospects.

But it’s not all bad news, many law firms now have these policies, which is the first step in the right direction of equitable work places, recognised as “crucial if the profession wants to be successful in retaining talented women solicitors” by Kerry Clark, vice president of the Australian Women Lawyers association.

What employers can do about it:

Clark shares a range of insights pertinent to employers, including leading by example "if associates and senior associates see successful part-time and telecommuting partners in their firm, they will aspire to that example rather than leaving the profession in droves". Which sounds great for the company, for the female talent, for the families of employees and for client retention and relationships.

Let’s get to point when describing female leadership traits

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:31:00 GMT

This management tip of the day was full of the buzz words used when describing female leadership – so I wanted to share it with you all to make sure we’re making things as simple and effective as possible. So if you’re looking for simplicity and want to streamline your management work, make sure you have a look at these three C’s of simplicity – collaboration, coordination, communication. And why not hire a woman to do that for you?

How important is emotional control in the work place? Guest post by Kim Seeling-Smith

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:39:00 GMT

There was an interesting question recently posed on the sphinxx Linkedin group that got me thinking. I’m going to paraphrase here but it was something like, “How important is emotional control in the work place?” While this could mean controlling (not expressing) the emotions that you feel (anger, tears, etc.) I chose to interpret it as what I call Mental or Emotional Fitness. The ability to take negative things that happen to you and to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on.

In the 16 years that I've been a recruiter and now a Career and Executive Coach and Trainer I've seen more careers get derailed because they didn't know how to rebound from set backs than any other reason. I’ve seen the brightest and most capable talent become like a possum in headlights because they did not have the skills or discipline to rebound. Many never recover.

So how do you develop mental fitness? NLP or the new emMatrix system has some fantastic tools you can use. But you don’t need to know NLP or have an emMatrix session. There are lots of simple but very effective things you can do yourself.

The most important is physiology. You can shift your psychology in a nano second by shifting your physiology. Watch how you stand and breathe, what you eat and drink. Exercise regularly, even if it’s only a 20 minute walk around the block.

Be mindful of what you focus on: it does no good to focus on things you cannot control.

Figure out what you can learn from these setbacks and how you can apply the lessons in the future. This alone will help you develop previously illusive understandings that will not only make you feel better, but give you more empowering strategies for the future.

One of the most fun and effective tools I use with my clients is to create an “I Rock!” file. A physical file of evidence reminding themselves that they do rock! Cards, notes, letters, or maybe just memories. All kept in once place and frequently referred to.

I got so excited about this that I’ve finally written up detailed instructions on how and why to create an “I Rock” file as my free “Tool of the Week” on my website.

I believe that keeping mentally fit is especially important for women as we also tend to have primary responsibility for family and care taking, in addition to our professional demands.

So, exercise those emotional muscles, along with your physical ones, to make sure you stay on track personally and professionally, instead of getting permanently derailed like so many I’ve seen.

About our guest blogger | Kim Seeling Smith speaks, trains and coaches in the areas of Staff Retention and Career Management: having spent 15 years as a recruiter studying the differences between those capable and talented people who successfully reached their career goals and those equally capable and talented people who plateaued or senselessly slid backwards as they neared them. Find out more at www.MyCriticalPath.com

Responding to my hate mail from a stay at home Mum

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:40:00 GMT

Last weekend Rachel Browne featured an excellent summary in The Sun Herald of the many issues working families face in finding quality childcare – and why this issue is now hotting up as a major election decider. The report featured a number of startling statistics for parents and employers alike:

40% of families report some difficulty with childcare
25% of mothers say they are not working because they cannot afford childcare
50% of all children under 3 are in formal childcare
40% of parents say affordability is the biggest issue surrounding childcare
37% of parents say availability is the biggest issue surrounding childcare
69% of mothers say they would change their vote for a party that made childcare more affordable (I certainly fall into this category and have not forgotten about the childcare promises that were broken by the current government)

My experiences regarding the childcare challenges we’ve faced in our own family were included in this article by Rachel – the main point being difficulty in finding a place at a centre of your choice and the career distraction that parents and particularly mothers face when childcare plans begin to falter.

In response to my comments,I received this anonymous hate mail in my PO Box from someone who took exception to my commentary and as she asked me a question – but did not provide a name or contact address for a response – I am using my blog to answer it here.

This is a copy of her letter:

“Dear Ms Dalitz. Just one question - Why didn’t you stay home for that first vital year and look after your son yourself?

You could have had time to wait till a place came up at a reputable centre instead of racing back to work and leaving your tiny son to carers that were at most transient.

All good mothers have to adjust your life style and career ego for their children. It was your choice to have children not your child’s choice to have you.

It’s too late to change the childcare story for Ethan now, but don’t expect sympathy from a lot of mother sand people now for your story.

PS I am a mother of two children and I had to adjust my lifestyle and put my career plan and EGO on hold in order to know EXACTLY what surrounded and nurtured my child.”

Dear Ms Anonymous

My response to your question is as follows: my husband and I make parenting decisions based on what we believe to be the best outcomes for all of our family.

Assuming that you are in fact a mother (of which I’m not entirely convinced as I’ve never experienced a mother being so venomous in her attitudes towards another mother) I have no doubt that you have done the same.

You make no mention of Ethan’s father in your letter. I assure you that he has one, who is actively involved in parenting. The decision to utilise childcare arrangements was made jointly by my husband and me and on the whole we have been very satisfied with our decision. We certainly seek no sympathy from you or anyone else.

As Rachel's article suggests, child care is about giving people options. You have chosen to stay at home and care for your children yourself, and if that’s working for you then that's all that matters. If parents wish to combine parenting and a career then that choice should also be respected. The point of Rachel’s article is that currently, choices are limited for many families and that is the nub of the child care issue. I applaud her for raising these issues and getting the truth out there about public policy and election issues that are of great significance to a large number of families – not to mention Australian employers who lose out every time one of their skilled and experienced employees is unable to return to work due to the affordability and availability of childcare.

Attacking people for the choices they make is very unhelpful on a multitude of levels: for the childcare debate, for the welfare of mothers generally, and for the right for equality that so many have fought for. Further, I find your implication that I am not a good mother simply because I have not made the same choices as you offensive.

Those of you reading this who are parents, I am sure you too make decisions in the best interests of all of your family. For employers of parents - attitudes and behaviours like those of the anonymous author of my hatemail contribute to work life conflict for your employees and therefore your ability to attract and retain the best staff.

As a final point I would add that my husband and I have the greatest respect for the staff at both centres we have utilised and while we have had some challenges, we’re very happy with Ethan's current care arrangements. Anyone who knows Ethan will attest that he is a happy, healthy little boy and is the centre of our world. Simply because we have chosen to both continue our careers in no way implies we have not made lifestyle changes (or career concessions) upon becoming parents - as any parent knows, your suggestion that I have combined parenting, work and life without change is utter nonsense.

Gonski reveals increase in women on boards from 8.3 to 9.8 percent

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:50:00 GMT

I'm currently touring Australia for the August series of our Ascend development days, however before I left I attended a debate hosted by The Sydney Institute between David Gonski, Chairman of the ASX and Elizabeth Broderick, Sexual Discrimination Commissioner on the issue of quotas and mandatory targets to increase the number of women on boards. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, the good news is that the ASX gender diversity guidelines seem to be having an effect - with Gonksi announcing the number of women on boards in ASX200 companies has finally shifted back to a positive trend for the first time in almost four years.

A record number of women have been appointed to ASX 200 boards in 2010 as companies rush to appoint more women to their boards before gender reporting requirements start next year. So far this year, 31 women have been appointed to ASX 200 boards, more than triple the number in 2009. Twenty-seven per cent of all ASX 200 board appointees this year have been female, compared to just 5 per cent in 2009 and 8 per cent in 2007 and 2008, the latest figures released by the Australian Institute of Company Directors revealed.

This brings the percentage of women on boards in the ASX200 to 9.8%, up from 8.3% as reported in the EOWA census of women in leadership in 2008.

Here's hoping that trend will continue - though if Liz Broderick has her way we'll still see quotas implemented within 5 years.

Nominate your “dream employer” for a $30 Red Balloon voucher and get your outstanding employer noticed

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:35:00 GMT

There are a lot of stories about nightmare bosses. And the occasional twee one about an outstanding boss. But if you’ve actually got a dream employer you should nominate them for a Dream Employers Award. You’ll get a $30 Red Balloon Voucher for your time, which you can spend on a range of great experiences. I’d probably do it just for the voucher, but it’s also a great idea to celebrate the great bosses in the hope others will follow their lead. There is no doubt that great employers are magnetic for top talent, so get your workplace and manager noticed.

I want to especially encourage you to nominate your boss if they really get the challenges for working women, and are working with you to achieve your goals.

Is there a supportive man behind every successful woman?

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:35:00 GMT

I've had a number of conversations recently regarding the role men can play in advancing women. I’ve written before about engaging the good guys at work, because while ever men dominate leadership roles in our companies and workplaces, we won’t achieve realistic change without them. But what about the role of men at home – must you have a supportive partner in your personal life in order to realize your full career potential?

A number of the women leaders I’ve interviewed and seen speak in the past have credited their husbands and partners with enabling them to continue their careers and indeed excel in their chosen field. Having a supportive partner, they say, is critical to their success. Sue Morpet, CEO of Pacific Brands, said this in a speech two years ago at the CEW annual dinner; Lynn Wood, Chairman of Noni B Limited said it at our Ascend development day in Sydney this year; and our own Governor General Quentin Bryce has also said it about her husband. Indeed at the IWDA anniversary celebration last week at Admiralty House in Sydney, I asked the Governor General’s husband - Mr Michael Bryce - about the supporting role he plays and he gladly shared with me many examples of the contribution he makes. (It must help that some of the “official” tasks including keeping company with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall while our Governor General officiates with the Prince of Wales, as he shared with me recently – that would be fascinating!)

When we look at our Prime Minister Julia Gillard, we see a woman who’s never been married, doesn’t have children, and openly admits she chose a career over family. She has a partner now though, and says she finds him a great support. For my part, I enjoyed a successful career before I met my husband, however I know that he is now pivotal in my happiness, wellbeing, and career management. He’s not a househusband or stay at home dad (do they actually exist, anyway – or are they just a media myth?) but he’s always a great supporter and my number 1 fan, cheering me on from the sidelines particularly when things go pear-shaped (as they can and often do now that I have my own small business).

So what’s your take – do you think there’s a supportive man behind every successful woman? Or do you have a different story to tell?

Meet the three women in charge of cleaning up American banking and finance post-crisis

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:21:00 GMT

More and more attention is being paid to the “glass cliff” phenomenon where a woman only gets the top job when things fall to pieces as reported by diversity commentators and major Australian magazines. With such a mess to clean up with the GFC, this article introduces you to the three key women setting American finance and banking back on track.

Interestingly, Mary Shapiro, Shelia Bair, Elizabeth Warren are all known as “being strong enforcers, smart and possess a clear sense of mission about their assignments.” So if you’re interested in reaching executive and chairman roles in finance and banking, these might be attributes worth growing.

Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2010 now open – nominate your workplace for supporting its women. Nominations closing August 23rd

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:37:00 GMT

Does your company recognise the diversity benefits of having women in leadership roles, and have the business smarts to develop programs now ahead of the competition to fully capitalise on these and put themselves ahead? Then make sure your work is recognised and apply for a Diversity and Inclusion Award from Diversity@Work.

Equal Advancement of Women in the Workplace in one category among eight and aims to recognise the evolution of thinking in the way organisations are approaching their diversity and inclusion strategies.

Any business can enter, so get your diversity work recognised.

Did you know Tony Abbott said this about women and equal representation?

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:36:00 GMT

There is a lot of election conversations happening everywhere, and I was forwarded this video from Get Up, that opens with Tony Abbot’s quote: "I think it would be folly to expect that women will ever dominate or even approach equal representation in a large number of areas simply because their aptitudes, abilities and interests are different for physiological reasons" – quoted from Four Corners, 15/03/10, quoted from a piece he wrote on feminism, back in his undergraduate days.

Now I sincerely hope that Tony Abbott has realised that women’s aptitudes, abilities and interests are not that different from male qualities since his undergraduate days.

But I think the women of Australia, especially those breaking through the glass ceiling or juggling kids and career or even those just voting this election deserve a statement from the Liberal Party and Mr Abbott negating these comments.

Watch the complete Get Up video where this comment features here.

The gender pay gap is COSTING Australia BILLIONS in lost output: why fixing the gender pay gap in your business is the smart move

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:44:00 GMT

The stats don’t lie – despite our best intentions, be they real or wishful women still aren’t getting paid the same as their male counterparts. Put bluntly, it means women are not getting paid fairly. Sharryn Jackson MP (member for Hasluck, WA) is promoting a report that outlines why the pay gap is a huge cost to the economy, and is “pleased that business has acknowledged the link between productivity and pay equity." Some important stats from the article include:

Women earn on average 16% less than men.
Women comprise only 7% of executives in ASX 200 companies, even though women account for 42% of the total workforce.
Plain old sex discrimination accounts for 35% of the gap.
Occupational and industry segregation where the differences in types of occupations and industries in which men and women work, together account for 28% of the gap.

Read the full article and download the report here. Wondering if you should? If you employ people, here is just a snippet of the report:

“Introducing more flexible arrangements for childcare and parenting responsibilities could boost national economic activity by up to 9% the report said. The persistence of the gender pay gap in Australia results in a serious misallocation of resources across the economy and costs the country in growth and competitiveness. Closing the gender pay gap would result in greater competitiveness and economic output as:

Workers would be better matched to their capabilities;
Companies would reduce costs through lower turnover rates; and
Individuals with the best skills and firm-specific knowledge would remain with the company."

MamaMia you've let us down

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 08:42:00 GMT

Disappointed. That's how I describe my reaction to Mia Freedman's blog post saying how awkward it was for her to report on Mark McInnes' inappropriate behaviour as CEO of DJ's. On her MamaMia blog, Freedman acknowledged what McInnes did was wrong, but also notes she had declined initially to respond on the basis that McInnes is a lifelong family friend, noting that she "knows a very different side to him".

That's all very well Mia, but knowing there is a different side is really not helpful. And it's really not good enough for the women who rely on you to support their issues on your blog, and for the various staff who were victims of his behaviour while leading DJs.

Freedman was also a speaker at the Women Management and Work Conference in Sydney and shared some of her experiences of working at Channel 9 - another workplace known to have an inappropriate level of blokey behaviour - including her friendship with Eddie Maguire and her belief that "Eddie really does like women and he has a fabulous wife who's a supporter of women". Try telling that to Jessica Rowe after he "boned" her.

Mama Mia - if you want to be a voice for women, you might want to choose your friends more wisely.

Worried that your company is rife with gender stereotypes, and it’s damaging your results? Online risk assessment toolkit for gender stereotypes.

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:42:00 GMT

Gender stereotypes are much more prevalent then many employers would like to think – I could write a gender stereotype War and Peace of the stories I’ve heard from both the women who are discriminated against (or suspect they are) and the employers who have been shocked to realize what was going on int their own ranks. To combat this, I recommend the Catalyst Gender Stereotype risk assessment tool which has been created to assess how corporate business units to assess their risk of gender stereotyping. They plan to add a feature for assessing a whole organisation soon. If you think there is even an outside chance that gender stereotypes are present at your work, it’s worth doing.

I also wrote this blog about how the threat of stereotyping can impact your female employees performance reviews, meaning you may not be aware of their real value till someone else pinches them.

New findings: What’s keeping CEOs awake at night, and how your female staff can help solve this issue

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:25:00 GMT

According to a new CEO Pulse survey, CEO’s are most concerned about their ability and opportunity to source skilled staff. What else are CEO’s thinking about the changes to Fair Work? Click here to find out stats on CEO’s take on employer flexibility, staff turnover and labour productivity.

The good news is that there is considerable research already done about how to retain your female staff. I recently surveyed over 250 women who currently hold senior management roles in Australia and identified the 10 key areas they want development in – meet these needs and I doubt your staff will be leaving, and they’ll probably be pushing their friends to apply for jobs with you too.

And if you only just considering how to entice women to your firm, the results will be better then most of your incoming male stars.

Wondering which countries have or have had female heads of state?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:03:00 GMT

Then explore this web page about exactly that question. And yes, Australia is on there!

No, paid parental leave isn’t enough to get more women into leadership roles

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:45:00 GMT

We have reached a milestone in Australia with the first national paid parental leave scheme coming in to force in the new year. By any measure, this is good news for mums in Australia who are the majority of carers for newborns. The coalition is promising a more attractive scheme if it makes it into government, which may leave employers thinking their problem is solved. If you’re leaning this way, think again. Paid parental leave is one thing, but who is going to look after the babies if all the mums go back to work after 18 weeks (or 26 weeks under the coalition scheme)? There have been no additional child care centres funded, no additional nursery places offered (in fact many centres offer NO under-two places and the new ratios has seen a 20% reduction across most existing places).

Of the thousands of women I speak with, finding quality childcare is their number one priority so that they can return to work, and the biggest barrier to them doing so. I raised this with Joe Hockey recently at a WIBF lunch in Sydney, and I shared my concerns this weekend in The Sun Herald. It’s an issue that quite simply does not get enough air time.

I know that some families have a stay at home dad, but currently in Australia it’s the mum's career that’s most impacted by parenting. Particularly in the first couple of years, finding quality care arrangements for children is STILL a big issue (no, we're not there yet and the cancellation of hundreds of promised child care centres by the current government did nothing to help with this).

We all know how it goes... you find out you're pregnant, you go on the waiting list for quality and affordable care, and then you wait and wait and wait. Your return to work date is inextricably linked to how long you have to wait. I learnt first hand what a distraction this can be - and even when you think you’ve got it sorted, there’s always some issue like childcare centres going into administration, changes of staff, your own job moves and other logistical nightmares to manage.

Some professional women I speak with tell me that a nanny is a more convenient option for their hectic professional schedules - this can be true, except for when the nanny is sick or needs time off for holidays or an appointment or a personal need. Then it’s back to you to sort out an alternative - which for many women means time off work til they do.

I realise not everyone is a parent... but many women are or will be and finding quality care is a very serious concern for them. These women are facing a “creche ceiling” more than a “glass ceiling” and they need the help of employers and all of society to break through.

What can employers do to contribute? Employers need to get behind their women and lobby government on this issue. Your investment in your workforce is being impacted by the inadequate planning and provision of care by our governments at every level. Society and business need to understand that babies can mean business (see my blog about TigerAirways and how much they don’t understand this - but there are plenty more that do). It’s in the financial interest of every business to support women in their parenting roles - to make it easy for them to return to work, manage their families and life and be as productive as they can possibly be for all of Australia.

Only when the parenting issue is approached holistically - as it has bee in Scandinavia with appropriate funding, policies, infrastructure and attention - will we see more women returning to work and forging ahead in their careers, with families in tow.

Happiness = Higher income.…3 easy, cheap steps for happier employees and a couple of things to watch for

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:18:00 GMT

The Harvard Business Review has published the daily stat that greater happiness is linked to a higher future income. On a five-point happiness scale, a one-point increase was linked to a 3% higher income.

So if happier women earn more, then happier women are more productive. Therefore you want your women workers to be happy ones! Before you go putting in place mood tests during job interviews, I can think of a couple of easy and cheap steps employers could take to make their female employers happier.

Meet with some of your leading women one on one, and ask them what they need to be more satisfied at work. They will have ideas about how management could make the workplace a better place to be. And they’re ideas will probably ring true for most of your employees. Everyone wins.
Have a look at how your company recognises success – women are often outstanding behind the scenes workers who make things happen. Find a way to recognise this work, and employees will feel recognised, and do their work better.
Understand how your company celebrates – are you celebration rituals are good for women as they are for men? Are they set in male dominated /intimidating venues for a lone woman?

A couple of instant mood destroyers for female employees?

When a male co-worker is being paid more for the same job, when management is unwilling to discuss how to best construct your role if you have family commitments that means you can’t be there 8am-9pm every day, if performance reviews are based on personality, connections or popularity.

Is Labor’s paid parental leave scheme “pathetic”? Why companies just offering the new government scheme will not be able to compete with those companies that step up and show they value their parent employees

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:17:00 GMT

It’s a historic achievement. It is effective as of January 1^st 2011. And Dr Shaman Stone MP, shadow minister for the status of women, early childhood, education and childcare has slammed Australia’s first paid parental leave scheme “pathetic” - Dr. Stone: “I don’t why Australian women should have to wait for something that in the first instance is second best. Why is it that Australians, who have waited so long, should have a pathetic and cheapskate scheme introduced? Why not make the first step of PPL something that all new families can participate in?”

I would love to see this become an election issue. It should be. There is so much discussion around the women’s vote this election and enough of us have been disadvantaged, or expect to be in our careers when we have children that it could be. For many women, having children is a goal on par with having a stellar career, and I know that many women believe both should be achievable, and they aren’t mutually exclusive for men, so lets make it possible for women!

The Labor party has passed a bill that allows parents a maximum of 18 weeks leave at minimum wage, sponsored by the government. The Liberal party is offering a 24-week program at full pay, funded by employers.

This is a highly contentious issue, with real impact on business, women and families. This article explores the issue by covering the debate hosted by the Diversity Council Australia.

A highlight from the debate covered in the article:

“Can we not find a way to make it so complicated that we kill it? The more moving parts this has, the less people will want to touch it,” she said. “Australia has been schizophrenic as a community about this subject for years. We’ve wanted change but we’ve not been willing to fund it. Other countries have been much faster putting their money where their mouth is.” - Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia

Get the complete article here.

Guest blog by Morningstar Managing Editor, Julia Newbould - We’re not changing attitudes just behaviour

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:09:00 GMT

“Don’t set out to change attitudes, set out to change behaviour,” Catherine Fox told a group of Finsia lunch attendees in Sydney last week.

Changing attitudes is a hard slog and could take generations but changing behaviour is something manageable and is still possible to achieve in my working life.

There were a lot of challenging ideas presented at the FINSIA leadership lunch.

Maire Steele, acting director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA), presented a report card on the financial services sector about their treatment of women in business.

The results were mixed. In an industry of which the majority (57%) were women, compared with a national average of 48%, paid maternity leave was above the Australian average.

However, according to Finsia research, both men and women believed maternity and potential maternity still prevented women advancing in organisations. The survey found 71% of women and 32% of men believed that there was an expectation that women would leave to have a child and therefore would be less likely to be offered advancement in an organisation.

Finsia found 73% of women believed they were not well represented in their organisation, while just 32% of men held this belief.

Despite the ASX now requiring listed companies to report their actions in developing gender diversity on their boards and senior management, targets have not been widespread.

Part of this has been because 85% of men have said this would be demeaning for women. Far fewer women (58%) feel the same way.

This is likely to be because the gender pay gap has been recognised even by the ABS. The national average is 18 per cent. However, for women in financial services the gap is more marked at 28 per cent.

Undertaking equity analysis on a business level is one way to work this out of the system. However, few organisations have begun to tackle the issue.

EOWA is currently preparing an online pay equity resource for HR people, which will encompass the issues involved and how to take it into the organisation.

“It seems in the Finsia survey that the different perceptions of men and women are not dissimilar to the election worms,” Steele said.

“We need to see more analytical research on quotas and alternatives to quotas.”

Corrs Chambers Westgarth CEO John Denton said that he believed that targets needed to be set and if people think that interferes with a meritocracy they should realise that if we were truly operating in a meritocracy now we would not be having this discussion.

“In a pure system we would not have this but we’re not operating in a pure system,” Denton said.

Eva Freedman, HSBC head of HR, Tanya Gilerman, KPMG financial services partner, and Denton all agreed that the best businesses of the future would be grabbing the opportunity to engage with the best workforce and seek to be a workplace of choice for women.

Freedman thought it was an issue of culture and leadership, Gilerman of flexibility and Denton believed the first mover to embrace diversity would benefit.

All believed that to achieve gender diversity there had to be buy-in from the CEO and senior management and if women found themselves in organisations where there was not that support they should vote with their feet.

Denton challenged the audience on making their feelings more known – he suggested we women were not angry enough.

Realistically, there was little achieved by getting angry, said one lunch attendee. It is a small industry with entrenched behaviours and in her almost 40 years in the industry nothing had changed, she said.

New graduates were unaware of the difficulties that lay ahead. And we know they do because when we were those new graduates we felt the same way. Gender equality exists for students and the inequality is a surprise upon entering the workforce. When I entered 20 years ago, it was a complete shock. That there was sexism and inequality in the mid-80s was hitherto unthinkable. We are now in 2010, and I notice little change.

How do you assess power? Is Lady Gaga super powerful? HBR article

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:53:00 GMT

Power is a very charged word. From nuclear weapons and military might to the parental influence to workplace reputations, the word “power” pops up all over the place.

Forbes has recently released a list of the most powerful celebrities. Lady Gaga and Oprah are two of the women in the top ranks. If you’ve ever wanted to know how they work these lists out, and what is defined as power then this HBR article (1) raises some excellent questions.

A preview of the article:

“Most definitions of power emphasize the ability to influence others, their choices and their actions. Ranking the famous on that basis would require a very different methodology: we would need to determine which celebrities most influence — or could influence — things such as voting behavior and attitudes about important social choices.”

Click here for the full article. Have you ever been influenced by a celebrity, or approached/worked with one for your job based on their influence?

ANNOUNCEMENT: sphinxx newsletter to significantly change in the following weeks

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:27:00 GMT

The first four years of sphinxx have been huge. And words can’t communicate how honoured I am to have worked with so many outstanding women and employers of women to see their goals achieved, and my dreams for sphinxx reached. We have reached a turning point at sphinxx this year, running our Ascend days in four cities rather then just two, increasing our blogging to ensure you’re right at the forefront of resources, events, news and offers and becoming a finalist for the Telstra Business Awards.

In order to look after our thousands of readers in a sustainable and engaging way that suits the long days and low free time we all battle with, we will be switching to a new email distribution tool in the coming weeks. You will start to receive daily updates of a blog or two and a monthly newsletter reporting and analysing the news and trends pertaining to advancing women as leaders.

By switching to daily blogs, you’ll be completely up to date and have much better access to event discounts and free tickets, offers and brand new professional development and career management resources. Those subscribed for the daily alerts will see blog posts before they are published on our website. This will also enable us to make the business more efficient and sustainable so we can continue to improve how we service you.

Whilst I’m sure you will find the daily update a valuable and useful 5 minutes or so a day, if you decide you don’t want to receive them you will be able to unsubscribe, without taking yourself of the monthly newsletter list. Conversely please ensure you have the mail@sphinxx.com.au email saved in your address book and your safe mail list.

I look forward to connecting with you all more often, and if you have any topics you would like to see covered, do not hesitate to contact me.

Get the most out of your Ascend experience by grabbing one of the few remaining places at Mastermind Mentoring groups in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane in the Ascend weeks. These will go quickly!

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:13:00 GMT

The Mastermind Mentoring groups have been so successful that I’m trying to work out how to fit more into the year! For those of you who haven’t yet attended a group, it’s a small group of 10 women in senior management discussing the challenges they’re facing, and sharing their successful strategies to overcome these. Imagine the benefits of mentoring, but with 9 other people.

We have two spaces still available in Adelaide on the 10^th of August, sponsored by CPA Australia, three places in Brisbane on the 16^th of August at Il Centro Restaurant at Eagle St Pier and two places in Melbourne on the 19^th at the Red Spice Road Restaurant sponsored by Best Gift Certificates.

So if you’re keen for an hour and a half of probably the most useful career conversations you’ll have this quarter with women who are in similar roles, and that happen to be held at really nice restaurants and locations, make sure you register now because places won’t last.

The message for employers from the $37 Million David Jones Lawsuit - and why it's critical you hear this

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:18:00 GMT

Kristy Fraser-Kirk has made headlines recently by launching a $37 million lawsuit against David Jones for the behaviour of former CEO Mark McInnes and the corporate world has been stirred into a conversation rife with diagnoses of the moral to this story. There has been a lot of discussion about what Fraser-Kirk is hoping to achieve, and her potential impact. My take? Kristy Fraser-Kirk and her lawyers are sending a strong message to employers and corporations that it’s time for sexual harassment to be a thing of the past.

Kristy Fraser-Kirk’s claim is unusual for several reasons, including the grounds of the action, the high claim and her promise that the funds will go to charity should she be successful. I think her case is all about the message she is trying to send, on behalf of herself, the four other unnamed DJ employees victim to McInne’s sexual misconduct and working women Australia wide. My advice to employers almost always includes “listen to your women, and hear what they’re actually asking for”. In Fraser-Kirk’s own words “I’m a young woman standing here today simply because I said hat this should never happen to me, or to anyone”.

Is Fraser-Kirk after money, headlines or publicity? Not at all – she tried to remain anonymous, but reporters outed her name given the intense interest generated by cases like these. Employers who think that there will be little consequences to corporate failure to tackle workplace cultures can think again, the media attention and public interest is so strong in cases such as these there will be no escaping reputational damage.

Even before this lawsuit splashed headlines, McInnes’s poor behaviour was not been unremarked upon. I posted a blog about his behaviour when he hit headlines a while back and comments have been rolling into my inbox regarding the symptomatic nature of McInnes bad behavior to wider discriminatory attitudes to women including:

“…as President of the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) I wrote to Mark McInnes 12 months ago to tell him that his behaviour towards women was not ok.” – Kate Gunn, President of the NFAW

“I hate to say this, but I have seen similar issues more times than I care to recall. Not always at C level - but the behaviour of too many men in senior levels of business are governed by their testosterone level.” – Anthony, ICT Manager

It’s time for employers to take a long hard look at their company’s work place culture, just like a lawyer gearing up to sue you might. With waning indulgence of sexist behaviours, amended ASX guidelines meaning more women are being recognized and hired for key positions, intense media scrutiny and the indisputable bottom line benefits of women in executive roles the time has definitely come to ready your workforce for women leaders.

Why weight loss pays – the financial benefits of getting healthy from new sphinxx member and guest blogger Sally Symonds

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:39:00 GMT

A very big welcome to new sphinxx member and guest blogger Sally Symonds. Sally is a healthy life mentor, and specializes in fitness, work life balance and why weight loss is achievable, and pays. This is her first article with us, about the financial benefits of losing weight.

Everyone already knows about the health benefits of being fit and healthy, but what about the financial benefits?

One of the most common excuses that people use to avoid training sessions or eating healthy is that “they don’t have time”. Back when I was 100+ kg and working 100+ hours a week, I thought that my time was much better spent working and earning money, rather than eating well and exercising right.

Since then, I have seen the light and achieved a work-life balance. But all the gym memberships and pt sessions weren’t cheap. Not only was there was a big investment of sweat; the time and money I spent were also significant. But did they pay off? Anyone who has lost a lot of weight (and I have lost over 50kg, or 50% of my original body weight) will tell you that the personal benefits are worth any cost. But what would my accountant say?

Statistics show that for every point that you BMI is over your healthy weight range, it actually costs you $120 per year in medical expenses.* (So for me that’s over $10 000 saved already!). Corporate health programmes regularly boast a return on investment figure of between $3 to $5 for every $1 invested – so that’s another $10 000 return on my pt sessions last year alone!** But certainly one of the most startling facts comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics:

For the five-year period between 2001 – 2002 and 2006 – 2007, people who reported persistently good health also reported a 26% rise in the personal income from wages and salaries. People who reported persistently poor health actually saw their income decrease by 26% for the same period!***

To give you some idea of the specifics, fit and healthy people earning $50 000 per year in 2001 – 2002, were making $63 000 by 2006 – 2007. People in poor health on $50 000 per year in 2001 – 2002 were, on average, earning only $37 000 by 2006 – 2007. Clearly, being fit and healthy pays the bills!

I’m a very financially conscious person, but I actually didn’t need the statistics to tell me how much my weight loss has benefited my life – in every way. It was a good investment in myself as a person, but it was also a good investment in my career. As a business investment, very few other opportunities offer such a great ROI!

* www.wellnessproposals.com/worksite-wellness.html

** Aldana SG. American Journal of Health Promotion 2001; 15(5): 296-320

*** Nepal, B., Payne, A. and Brown, L, ‘Healthy, Wealthy and Wise? – The Relationship Between Health, Employment and Earnings in Australia’, AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Report, Issue 23, July 2009, Sydney, AMP.

Bosses behaving badly: Horror stories to cheer you up, or make you realize it’s time to get a new job! Especially if you start getting defensive of the boss character…

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:42:00 GMT

What are the major nightmare boss traits that you’ve either experienced or heard from your friends? Chances are, they will overlap with the Forbes survey of employees about their worst boss experiences. The key hated traits in a boss? Micromanaging, lying and aggression (especially passive aggression). One poor women even had a computer monitor thrown at her.

The article also has tips on how to overcome poor behaviour on the part of your manager, down to word for word responses to micromanaging.

Insights on the role of identity in your career management: great discussion happening on the sphinxx successful women LinkedIn group

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:39:00 GMT

If you’re not already a member of the sphinxx successful women group on LinkedIn, I wanted to let you know about a great discussion taking place started by Kim Seeling Smith

Kim shared her experience in recruitment about how many people lack a career plan, and “simply walked through the doors that were opened”. And it seems Kim is right on the money, as career management was the clear leader in our professional development poll on LinkedIn (beating out communications skills, life balance, networking and leadership skills as the area most women wanted professional support for).

Carol Elzink has shared an intriguing point I wanted to share with all our newsletter subscribers not yet part of the LinkedIn group:

"I encourage my staff to see the role they do as separate from themselves as an identity until they have understood where they are going, then embrace it as part of themselves. I get them to understand as much about their likes/dislikes and provide information when I have it on how to get where they are going"

Carol shared her ideas about how incorrectly concluding what you are doing is what you want to/should/could be doing could be detrimental to one’s identity and productivity at work. Another snippet her of answer:

"This if you choose to identify with your job too early and become unsuccessful or fail because of genuine factors such as disinterest or lack of ability/fit, then this could translate to "I'm a failure" rather then just "that is something I am not good at, let some who is do it" or "I'm glad I gave that a go, because I found out for certain it is not the type of work for me... It can be great to identify with your role at work as part of how you define yourself, however I don't encourage it until someone is more certain that they have found "what they want to do when they grow up"! When someone identifies with something they love to do, their whole demeanor changes and it is great to watch"

Carol says a lot more in her answer, which is well worth the read, and a response. And if you haven’t already joined the sphinxx successful women group, make sure you do to be part of these discussions as they evolve, or start your own!

“I got sunburned at a nudist beach and can’t wear any clothes”. A list of the most creative excuses to look out for!

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:40:00 GMT

As a manager, having a team member take the day off can be a bit of a hassle, especially as when the pressure mounts, people get stressed and often sick. As a manager you’ll also hear your fair share of excuses, including those excuses that need about ten sentences to make the reason why they can’t be at work make sense.

Just for fun, I thought I’d share this old but hilarious blog(1) by Jane Lowder (of Max Coaching) from Career EQ about the most creative excuses according to a Careerbuilder.com absenteeism survey. And if you’ve ever heard “I’m just not into it today” or “I got injured chasing a seagull” or something equally hilarious, share it in the comments box.

New study shows loss of productivity in open plan offices - build it into your business case for flexible working arrangements

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:50:00 GMT

With ever-increasing workloads and ever-shortening deadlines, distraction is the enemy of office workers and petition walls can be a great way to shut out the distraction of co-workers, passing traffic and all the activity that goes on in a modern workplace, and thereby improve focus. Open plan offices, however, afford no such protection.

In a new study reported today in The Australian Financial Review, US developmental molecular bilogist John Medina has now confirmed what most of us have always knows: open plan offices reduce productivity. In fact interrupted workers took 50% longer to complete tasks and made up to 50% more errors. And a survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters found 50% of Australian professionals ranked wordy co-workers their most time-consuming office distraction. The Age also agrees having publishing an article on this same topic back in April 2009.

If you're building a business case for flexibility, or working from home, make sure you factor this in - could be a win-win for everyone to get you out of the open plan and into the peace and quiet of your home office.

Air traffic controllers shine light on sexual harassment and workplace bullying – how all employers must respond

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:57:00 GMT

News today that two air traffic controllers are seeking damages from their government-owned employer, Airservices Australia, for alleged workplace discrimination and bullying from male colleagues is further reinforcement that we have a long way to go in stemming such destructive workplace practices.

Inappropriate behaviours reported by the women who are long serving employees include the email distribution of pornography by a manager, which continued even after a number of staff complained and the manager was warned by a superior to desist “because the last thing you need is that stuff to get into the wrong hands”.

On another occasion a manager allegedly told one of the women – pregnant at the time – that her pregnancy did not suit the roster and that he had a “coat hanger in the back of his car”. When she complained about the comment, she was allegedly told the manager was “having a bad day.”

Jacki Macdonald and Kirsty Fletcher have worked with Airservices Australia for 18 years and 13 years tenure respectively. The women invoked HR procedures in 2008 but claim there had been no response for 18 months, prompting them to begin action in the Federal Court of Australia seeking damages for current and future loss of earnings.

Following on from the resignation of David Jones CEO Mark McInnes, this action is an indication that sexual harassment is prevalent and claims are on the rise – in fact the Australian Human Rights Commission’s annual report shows that sexual discrimination complaints are up 25% on the previous year. Shining a light on the issue appears to be having the effect of encouraging more women to come forward and share their experiences – and as difficult as this can be for employers to manage, perhaps it’s the only way we will see the cultural change required to stamp out forever such practices.

The question for many employers is how they can ensure they don’t suffer the same fate as high profile claims that have impacted David Jones, Airservices Australia and PwC in the Christina Rich settlement?

My advice is to really use these cases to highlight the reputational impact and potential financial impact to your organisation of sexual harassment claims. If I was the boss, I’d be communicating with each and every one of my leaders and business managers on each and every occasion that such a claim arises. I would demonstrate that this is a top priority issue by:

Providing links to media articles and encouraging my team to read the revolting details of each of the claims
Encouraging discussion within teams about how such claims make women and men feel
Providing easy mechanisms that enable employees of the organisation to report any unbecoming behaviours
Making an example of people who engage in sexual harassment in the workplace or impact negatively on my workplace culture. There must be a zero tolerance policy on this and there must be sacrificial lambs.

In short, I’d be making it known that the time is up: women in Australia will no longer suffer in silence and there will be no place in your organisation for staff who put your people, reputation and culture at risk.

Communication skills and focus areas: direct from successful corporate women to you. Highlights from the conversation happening on the sphinxx LinkedIn group

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:48:00 GMT

I’m really excited about the sphinxx successful women LinkedIn group, because there are all kinds of discussions, ideas and experience swapping going on.

Recently, Hilary Thompson started a discussion about communication, asking the sphinxx network what they would like to see from a communications workshop.

There has been a great conversation happening ever since about the different areas women would like communications workshops to cover. Some of the ideas:

"I feel it is vitally important for people to realize that the most limited form of communication is speaking. The nonverbal communication that takes place is far more compelling than the words. If your nonverbal isn't on target, it's quite likely that your words will be dismissed" -Jenn

"I find that people's own determination of their ability to mind read, tone read or read body language is always fascinating. Most people I think mind read body language and tone automatically and assume they are correct. In most cases, the assumptions can be very wrong. I feel it is better just to ask and confirm that I have read correctly. You may be able to prepare your own body language and tone but your listener may not have and it will be theirs that you will be interested in. By checking, a person would also find out, that if for example the body language is angry looking, that it has nothing to do with the current conversations" - Carol

"I would like to learn more persuasive communication techniques" - Shirley

"In my experience, people's communication ability improves when they understand some basic principles (notwithstanding learning actual tools and methodologies to implement these insights) such as: ...Understanding the various filters people view the world through (which colour what they hear and how they respond often without us knowing it); ...Knowing how to be a flexible communicator to give your listener every chance to "hear" you as you intended; ...Having an intention to communicate, not just impart information. This is about authenticity, integrity and respect" - Anneli

Is there something you would like to see in a communications workshop? Do you have experience of expertise in communicating? Take part in the discussion here.

Self-Awareness: A Must-Have for every career. This blog breaks the concept down, tells you how to achieve and grow your self-awareness with proven strategies and insights from many women

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:41:00 GMT

I’m pretty sure most of us have worked with, or worse, worked for a person with poor self-awareness. Isn’t it difficult? Whether it’s outright poor behavior or something subtler like asking questions in a way that prescribes and limits the possible answers, I think self-awareness is critical in achieving a rewarding career.

And it’s essential for women battling their way to the upper echelons of the corporate world, because with so few of us up there, the scrutiny of rising women is intense, and I know from personal experience you can feel very isolated.

I received this wonderful blog in the Professionelle newsletter. It’s straightforward, strategic and I found it inspiring.

"In Professionelle we consider successful women to be those who have made an impact in their chosen field, operate with integrity, live with well being, are passionate about what they do, comfortable with the choices they made - and derive and income from their work"

Doesn't that sound like something we'd all love to be? To get the full blog, including their strategies for self-awareness and insights on how self-awareness helps you stay in control and in tune with your life, click here.

Calling on all the good guys out there - we need your help!

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:35:00 GMT

Last week I attended the Women in Banking & Finance luncheon in Sydney as a guest of Pottinger where The Hon Joe Hockey, Shadow Treasurer, spoke about climbing mountains - personal, professional and physical (last year Hockey climbed Mt Kilimanjaro raising $1.5m in the process for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation)

Hockey’s wife, Melissa Babbage - who is a senior executive with Deutsche Bank - was in the audience and Hockey also spoke of the mountains she’s climbed to get ahead in her career, and of the challenges of combining parenting (they have 3 young children) with two high profile careers.

In sharing some of these stories, Hockey proved that he’s a good guy - that is, he’s a bloke who understands the issues women face in advancing in their careers. Many men do. I’m wondering how much credit we give the good guys though - and if we could work with them more closely to get the support we need to negotiate workplaces and roles that enable us to meet all our life goals.

We all know the stat – just 8% of executive and board positions are held by women. Which means that 92% are men. 92! Put like that, it becomes screamingly obvious that we must must must engage men to get ahead in our careers.

When I reflect on my career, the majority of the people who have stuck with me and introduced me to power players and opened up opportunities for me have been good guys. And the further up the ranks you get, the greater the majority of men, the more critical it is to find these good guys and secure their help in meeting our goals.

This quarter for the first time we’ve opened up Ascend registrations to men too, and are inviting our members and attendees to ‘bring a bloke’ with them. Whether it’s a co-worker, a compliance officer, a gender diversity officer or an employer, we want the good guys there so they can get an insight into the challenges women face day to day in forging ahead in their careers.

Ascend is a unique event where women make up the majority, set the agenda and work on the areas they have identified are important for them to develop. The good guys that are attending have their sights firmly fixed on getting the balance right at the top - which means finding and keeping the best women on their teams.

And just in case you were wondering why on earth a man might step into a room of united powerful, brilliant women I asked one of the men why he was attending. Andy Turnbull is the CEO of Sports Hydrant, and is involved in leading the push to raise the profile of women’s sport. When I asked him why he was coming along, he said:

“'The Ascend program is designed by women, for women, and based on feedback from women. At the Sports Hydrant we are trying to raise the profile of women's sport. Sport was designed by men, for men and is usually based on feedback from men. I need to learn from my target market not the people who are running something completely different."

Doesn’t that sound familiar? If you know someone else who is involved in leading an industry designed by men, for men and shaped by male feedback (so most business) then invite them along - I reckon if we can find a way to all work together, we’ll have more chance of cracking the code on this important issue for every business.

Business managers/owners/marketers: Want to get your lovely products on successful women’s “to buy” lists? Unique sponsorship opportunity

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:06:00 GMT

If you are looking to advertise to powerfully connected women, I can tell you as a networking nut from way back, there is no better opportunity to make sure we know and love your products and company then to give a sample at Ascend.If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend an Ascend Development Day, firstly you should. Now, before the early bird discount ends this week.

And if you own or manage a business or marketing account that targets successful, independent and busy women, then Ascend is an ideal opportunity for you to promote your products by being one of the gift sponsors on the day.

At Ascend we offer a range of stand-alone gift products to our attendees, sponsored by companies such as Nivea, Bondi Chai, Cocolo chocolate, e-Lilianne Lingerie and Corban and Blair stationary, so you can see you’ll be in good company.

You’ll receive excellent exposure as each gift is given separately as women return from their networking and breaks, as well as a verbal plug from the front and your logo displayed. We also blog about our sponsors and pop their logo on our website homepage too.

Contact us here for more information, and do forward this blog to a friend who runs/manages a business who can benefit from this opportunity. Places are limited so we hope to hear from you soon!

Melbourne business women: Complimentary pass (worth $49) to Fast Forward Networking – With a Twist by Vecci

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:33:00 GMT

Have you ever felt your networking style was a little too slow? Marvelled at a friend or colleague who could meet double the people you could, and consequently carries a much bigger network, and has access to more expertise and opportunities then you?

Well the team at VECCI has created Fast Forward Networking, a fun event designed to give you enable you to network with as many quality business contacts as possible. Speed networking enables you to meet as many people you can cram in, and when everyone is whirling through meet and greets you wont feel rude for moving on rapidly!

Registrations for this event close this week, and the event is on Thursday the 5^th of August, 5.30-8pm at the VECCI venue in East Melbourne. We have a complimentary pass to give away, valued at $49 to the first person who emails in to ask for it!

Click here for more information on the event.

Sydney Business women: Last opportunity to attend the free Hills Business Expo on Wednesday the 28th of July

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:31:00 GMT

I know this is last minute, but if you can make yourself free between 3pm to 9pm and can get to Castlehill RSL, there is a wonderful event full of business people to get involved in. For free!

The Hills Business Expo includes free one-on-one professional advice on marketing, finance and business, live entertainment, cocktail networking event, market research and sampling of products (including a showbag). Even if you head over after work it sounds like an excellent return on effort event.

More info here.

Fantastic free download article from Ken Wright, upcoming Ascend speaker. Find out everything you need to know to switch your EQ on and how to use it.

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:41:00 GMT

Emotional intelligence is often a trait that women naturally have. In the business world, I think it’s one of our trump cards. But as research continues to develop, I know it’s as important to stay on top of developments as any other element of business.

“The message sent by neurological, psychological, and organisational research is startling in its clarity. Emotional leadership is the spark that ignites the company’s performance, creating a bonfire of success or a landscape of ashes. Moods matter that much” – Daniel Goleman.

Ken Wright is an award winning writer and people management expert. He is speaking at our August Ascend and you can get this outstanding article here.

Make sure you’ve registered for Ascend to get an extensive grounding in how to get your energy back by engaging and empowering those around you to achieve your goals.

How can you differentiate yourself from your peers, who have similar training, skills and achievements? 5 overarching career management strategies for women

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:42:00 GMT

So much of one’s every day work is about what tasks are getting done, what we’re accountable for, and how to improve your results.

And let’s face it, when you reach management, your peers and fellow contenders for that promotion will probably have similar training, qualifications and experiences to you.

I think way too many highly competent women with the skills to get promoted aren’t, because we aren’t putting ourselves forward enough. I found this article (1) on Career Communique that has 5 great steps complete with key questions and advice.

For example, tip 3:

"Establish clear career goals to support ongoing development and exposure within the organisation. During our interview, Kate mentioned that many women were quick to volunteer their time, however without too much thought as to whether the project would continue to support them in their professional growth. Men however, tended to volunteer to projects that would enable them to boost their profiles.

* Will the project allow you to develop new skills and experiences to help you transition to a more senior-level role?

* Will you be working with influential people in the company with whom you would normally not associate, thus getting you known across the organisation?:"

Get the full article here.

Ever wondered what other busy business women were reading and loving? “The Absolute Best Books…”

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:42:00 GMT

Reading is one of the many things I would like to do more of. Not just getting into the books that are bumping around my office for professional development, but also fiction books too.

Whilst I’m sure you all have recommendations from your friends to get through, I found this list of the “The Absolute Best Books For Summer” on Forbes Women, and thought I’d pass it on. And they’ll be just good under a blanket on the couch this winter in Australia too.

“Women just aren’t aggressive enough to make it to the top”. HBR article on the delicate art of being perfectly assertive

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:23:00 GMT

Who hasn’t heard that before? Or how about the contradictory comments about female managers being too bossy or domineering?

Assertiveness is a difficult skill to master. Who has sat quietly in a meeting feeling the discussion was missing something, and not spoken up? Or perhaps wildly overcompensated afterwards, either in the “I told you so” round or in the next discussion, nitpicking away at every suggestion not swollen with every possible fact.

I think assertiveness is an issue women struggle with more then men, especially in a male dominated environment. I found this article a little while ago, about the ”Delicate Art of Being Perfectly Assertive” In the HBR. It’s short, sharp and relays information from business leaders to it’s readers in a great summary.

Brush up on your mentoring skills, for no cost and very good cause with the Smith Family Mentoring program

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:43:00 GMT

If you are looking to practice or improve your mentoring skills, or to give back to the wider community then I can recommend the Smith Family Mentoring Program.

It’s undeniable that mentoring is one of the make or break factors in a career. The right mentors can help you to accurately gauge your skills, and skill gaps and take action to work on these. They can let you know what the benchmark is, and support you to reach beyond it. They can stop you in your tracks if you’re making the wrong decision, or making decisions for the wrong reasons. I know I’m personally indebted to my mentors for a great deal of advice, strategy and support.

The Smith Family offers scholarships to young people at risk to attend university, and the Smith Family Mentoring Program aims to match students to a professional in their industry. The mentee is often the first member of the family to go to uni, and often don’t have a friends or family who have been through similar situations to turn to for advice and reassurance. As a mentor, you would provide support and professional guidance for the student for a minimum of a year, ideally for their full career. Mentors generally meet with the student 4 times a year for about an hour, and maintain phone/email contact every 4-6 weeks.

If you think you can spare about 8 hours a year and want to use them to develop your own skills and support a young disadvantaged person’s professional development, click here to find out more.

Big thank you to Libby Wilson, who attended our fabulous Mastermind Breakfast in Melbourne, and let me know about the program.

Women directors 'will improve results' - sphinxx SheEO Jen Dalitz quoted in The Daily Telegraph

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:41:00 GMT

The Diversity Council has launched a campaign for organisations to be early adopters of the new ASX guidelines - as reported in The Daily Telegraph and News Limited syndicated papers today. sphinxx SheEO Jennifer Dalitz was called on to comment, and said businesses were doing themselves a disservice by not putting women into board positions.

"Financial results are up to 35 per cent stronger when there is women representation on the board," Ms Dalitz said. "Having greater female diversity leads to general diversity, so a company is then able to make better decisions that are less driven by 'group think'.

"It's this last factor that results in the easy decisions being made -- and this may not be the right one."

Ms Dalitz said women were hungry to get on boards and were more than qualified, but they did not push as hard as men and did not move in circles that would make their appointment easier.

"Research has found that women won't apply for these positions unless they have nine out of 10 competencies, whereas men will go in with just four of those 10 competencies," she said.

"According to the 2008 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, women in Australia are extremely qualified, they are ranked number one in terms of education and qualifications, yet we ranked in 2008 at number 21 and we've been declining year on year."

Ms Dalitz said Moldova, Trinidad and Tobago and Mozambique had better rankings.

Click here to read the full article.

Is over-confidence all bad in a manager? Does it improve a CEO’s focus and investment on innovation? Findings here.

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:44:00 GMT

Over-confidence sounds pretty bad to me. Perhaps because I know your confidence doesn’t see the results you expected, you feel so foolish. Or perhaps because I’ve seen managers turn solid progress into feeling like a failure by setting ambitious but ultimately unachieved goals.

But this blog has some interesting findings on how over-confidence can actually improve a CEO’s commitment to innovation, and their innovative results. Does that mean it’s not over confidence then?

Are you more likely to leave a job if you get promoted? Can low self esteem cause you to quit a good job? Link to a great blog

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:44:00 GMT

Getting a promotion, a raise or a large bonus can be such a rush, not to mentioned an often much deserved validation for all your hard work.

But I found this blog that shares findings from the University of Texas, Psychology Department that had some interesting findings on the correlation between self-esteem and earnings.

Check out the blog here. It also has some links to interesting books for preparing yourself for interviews and creating career paths.

MEDIA RELEASE: Work-life balance not priority for advancement of women -  new sphinxx survey reveals

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:56:00 GMT

MEDIA RELEASE: Work-life balance not priority for advancement of women -  new sphinxx survey reveals: sphinxx (www.sphinxx.com.au), the network for senior women in business recently polled 264 women in mid to senior positions who attended the sphinxx Ascend events for women in leadership in order to determine the development needs and experiences of women in senior positions. Of the top ten skills and obstacles women felt they needed to address to improve their prospects for career advancement, work-life balance didn’t rate a mention.

Of the attendees/respondents 63 per cent were in middle to top management, and 12 per cent were CEO/MD level.

Jen Dalitz, founder and SheEO of sphinxx, the network for senior women in business said: “In this survey we were trying to understand what women see as the major blockages to progressing up the corporate ladder - be it skilling, support structures or stamping out practices that work against women in the workplace. By seeking to understand the barriers, we can then work with women to help them overcome them.”

The survey revealed a number of key findings regarding the attitude of women in middle to senior level roles towards the challenges they face in progressing in their careers and attaining promotions in male-dominated leadership ranks.

“It is telling that work-life balance - often cited as the major barrier to women advancing in their careers particularly for those with parenting and caring responsibilities - is conspicuously absent from the ten most common obstacles women say they’d like to address”, said Dalitz.

Instead, women rated understanding the differences between men & women in leadership, including behavioural and style variances, as the greatest obstacle to progression, followed by how to communicate effectively and be heard in meetings and conflict management skills. The top ten obstacles, from highest to lowest, reported by the survey were:

Understanding the differences between men & women in leadership, including behavioural and style variances (34%)
Communication skills - how to communicate effectively and be heard in meetings (34%)
Conflict management skills (33%)
Gaining access to mentors/coaches/other support structures for guidance (33%)
Creativity and new thinking in the workplace (32%)
Negotiation and influencing skills (31%)
Relationship management skills - how to build relationships and harvest them for career success (28%)
Personal style and branding - creating a perception of leadership through one’s presentation (28%)
Critical thinking and problem solving (27%)
Practical skills for dealing with staffing issues & employee engagement (24%)

Work life balance ranked outside of the top ten, with 22% of respondents noting it as an issue they’d like assistance in addressing.

AVOIDING ASSUMPTIONS & RESPONDING TO NEEDS

As organisations transition towards greater corporate responsibility for gender diversity in Australian companies, including the introduction of the ASX gender diversity reporting guidelines, Dalitz says it’s more important than ever for employers to avoid assumptions about what women want in relation to career development opportunities. “I would really encourage employers to start with a blank sheet and really spend time with the women in their organisations understanding the issues they perceive are holding them back from career advancement; and then to develop programs that address these issues specifically. We’ve chosen to follow a demand driven model which involves surveying business women and only then do we construct our professional development programs - ensuring the content is spot on for what women need.”

It’s a model that is paying off in spades, with 96% of participants saying they would recommend the sphinxx Ascend development days to other senior women in business - a contributor to sphinxx being selected as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards this year. “We always gather feedback after every event and this feedback is key to creating our next event and ensuring we are offering exactly what senior managers need to turbo-charge their careers”, said Dalitz.

For those organisations currently developing a gender diversity program in response to the new ASX guidelines, Dalitz has this advice: “Assume nothing - instead begin by asking what your women want to get ahead in their careers. And if you’re thinking that work-life balance and family-friendly poliicies are the main issue for women in advancing to leadership roles, you could be wrong.”
 The next round of sphinxx Ascend events for women in leadership, themed ‘Re-Energise You - Building your resilience and team for success’ will take place on the following dates: Adelaide 11 Aug ⋅ Sydney 13 Aug ⋅ Brisbane 17 Aug ⋅ Melbourne 20 Aug.

For more info go to the Ascend page at www.sphinxx.com.au.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

For Further Media Information, interviews with or comment from Jen Dalitz, please contact Jen on 0414 647 382 or email jen@sphinxx.com.au or telephone the sphinxx office on 1300 969 070.

Media passes to Ascend are available by contacting the sphinxx office at mail@sphinxx.com.au

ABOUT JEN DALITZ
Jen Dalitz is obsessed with getting more women into leadership roles, in our workplaces and communities. That’s why she started sphinxx and why she writes about, speaks about, mentors and consults on topics related to working women. Jen’s expertise in this space has been recognised with an Edna Ryan Workplace Award for improving the working conditions of Australian women, and selection as a finalist in the 2010 NSW Telstra Business Awards.

An avid commentator, Jen regularly features in media publications such as Business Review Weekly, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Courier Mail, Adelaide Now, In The Black, The National Accountant, Marie Claire, Madison and Working Women, to name a few.

Prior to founding sphinxx, Jen’s career in finance and consulting spanned 16 years, international borders and a host of Fortune 500 companies. As an executive and business consultant she experienced first hand the challenges women face as they climb the corporate ladder; and the impact on the bottom line when female talent is under-utilised.
Away from sphinxx, Jen is the mother of a small child and runs a farm in the country. More info at www.jendalitz.com

ABOUT SPHINXX
sphinxx is a social enterprise committed to advancing women as leaders. Our vision is to see women equally represented in leadership roles, in our workplaces and communities. We provide resources and professional development to support women on their leadership journey; and advice and education to ensure employers find and keep the best women on their teams.

There are many organizations that provide networking for women; we’re not much like them. Our programs bring women together in a meaningful way to specifically address the personal and professional skills gaps that they say are holding them back.

And when it comes to advising employers, we’re not like most consulting firms either. We conduct our own research and work collaboratively with employers, women and leading experts across different industries, sectors and geographies to build robust and practical strategies that deliver lasting change.

sphinxx was a finalist in the 2010 NSW Telstra Business Awards in the micro business category – find out more at www.sphinxx.com.au

ENDS

Top 5 reasons every you should register for this outstanding professional development and networking event today

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:34:00 GMT

I’ve been chatting with a range of women and employers weighing up if the day is worth the investment. I thought I’d post a blog that summarizes the best reasons to invest in your female staff or yourself with Ascend today:

It’s worth it: we have very high standards for speakers who are leaders and experts in their fields (and very exciting ones in August), lots of audience participation and ample amounts of networking time. Not only that, but many of our attendees are sponsored by their employers to attend – so you can be sure your performance and approach to work will improve.
Ascend content is spot on and cutting edge: Ascend days are the only tightly targeted professional development opportunity run by an organisation designed specifically for women in senior management with over 20 development days of experience.
Ascend is participant driven and just keeps getting better: sphinxx assumes nothing – we always gather feedback after every event and this feedback is key to creating our next event and ensuring we are offering exactly what senior managers need to turbo-charge their careers.
Our focus and content is effectively targeted: We survey over 250 senior women in business regularly, to ensure we’re only researching, collaborating and offering the resources and services they need.
Ascend is highly recommended by very successful people:

"It was a great experience. Terrific speakers and topics! Definitely worthwhile". Eva Hucker, Baker & McKenzie, Special Counsel

“Fantastic presenters and extremely relevant content – I took a lot away from each session. Probably one of the best investments I’ve made for my personal & professional development. I would highly recommend other women to attend these sessions to develop new skills & meet other fabulous women!” Cathy Reber, VP – Head of Global Business Transformation, American Express

“An extremely thoughtful and informative day that was well worth the investment of time. The mix of topics and presenters were all excellent and not only experts in their fields, but passionate about their areas.” Trina Sun, Program Executive, IBM

The early bird discount ends on the 30^th of July, so you’ll also save $100 if you register this week and receive a guaranteed professional boost. Places are filling fast with highly successful women offering you an opportunity to network, discuss and overcome issues with your peers, who understand the official, unofficial and invisible obstacles in your career.

And yes - even though the program is designed by women, for women, based on feedback from women in senior business roles - men are welcome to attend.

Or contact us as a manager, HR executive or compliance officer to book a package deal for your staff.

Mastermind news too! August registrations are now open for Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:46:00 GMT

We had another fantastic, sell out event last week in Sydney thanks to www.bestgiftcertificates.com.au and The Shangri-La Hotel Sydney with 10 women really benefiting from the morning.

Within August, not only are we holding our Ascend development days, but we are also running accompanying Mastermind mentoring groups in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

The Mastermind Mentoring sessions are small group mentoring sessions for 10 women, where you can share a challenge, obstacle, goal or idea and get feedback from 9 other women in similar positions to you but with a wealth of diverse experience.

Every Mastermind breakfast has sold out quickly and had a waiting list. So if you’re keen for some great discussion, mass mentoring, personal networking and a big boost, make sure you book now.

Adelaide: 10^th of August, 4:00 - 5:30pm

Brisbane: 16^th of August, 4:00 - 5:30pm

Melbourne: 19^th of August, 4:00 - 5:30pm

"I found the mentoring group yesterday morning to be extremely beneficial and definitely felt that I would gain value in attending on a regular basis. The ladies that attended were a mixture of different industries and careers and I felt that really contributed to the overall success of the knowledge and tips we walked away with. Jen is a great facilitator and was very good in making sure we kept to the process as well as adding her wealth of knowledge. I would definitely recommend it to my Senior Female Managers at my firm. The number of women including Jen was perfect and I look forward to the next one."
Kiri Brain, Nexia Court & Co

Ascend Early Bird Discount ends July 30th. Register now to make sure you’re part of it!

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:33:00 GMT

Unless you’re a member, the best price for August Ascend days will close on July 30^th, bumping the price from $345 (available now) to the full rate of $445.

Wondering what all the hype is about, and want to know more? Check out this summary blog that explains exactly why Ascend is the ideal investment for your career.

Places are filling very fast with highly successful women offering you an opportunity to network, discuss and overcome issues with your peers, who understand the official, unofficial and invisible obstacles in your career.

You want to be a strong voice on your team, in your company. But what does you actual voice communicate about you? Free article from Louise Mahler, opera singer, business woman, and upcoming speaker for August Ascend Days

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:29:00 GMT

Louise is one of those people who offers information and insights you hadn’t even thought of. With her opera singing background, voice is her area of expertise and what she will be speaking about at the August Ascend development days. There are still a few places left in each city, but not many so secure your spot today.

Surely we must not accept a voice that does not function well or something with which we must ‘just live’. We all have choices although we may be influenced by many factors including family, country, traumatic and ongoing stress. But rather than considering the voice as something we cannot change, we could recognise it as a manifestation of holding patterns of body and mind and realise that when we are unhappy with that pattern, we can take steps to amend it. The voice then becomes a pliable thermometer of change—and it is right under your nose.

And from the article:

“…the voice appears to be a tool of communication we manipulate for certain effects. In Australia, with our passion for authentic communication, this ‘manipulative’ quality is something from which we steer clear and, as a consequence, the study of voice has been sidelined.”

Download the full article PDF here.

Five days, five Australian women and five from the Arab region, learning together and building international business networks. Innovative, first time event in Melbourne this November

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:27:00 GMT

Getting women into leadership roles in businesses and communities is one of my big passions. Another one is travel. And this week I’ve been reflecting on the role of cultural barriers and stereotypes, in the advancement of women.

And in one of those funny coincidences, Denni Francisco just sent me an email about an innovative event to be run for the first time in Australia, this November in Melbourne. A five-day residential program for 10 senior women – with a twist. Five of these women will be Australia, and five will be from the Arab region. It’ll be fascinating opportunity for some of our women to learn side by side with women from a very different culture, and develop international business networks.

If you’re interested, let me know here.

Honing your perspective to achieve better results, and a better life

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:58:00 GMT

Perspective is a valuable but fickle asset. Getting it wrong can be catastrophic, and getting it right can take a lot of effort. From business innovation to writers block at work, to the 7 year marriage itch to compassion fatigue in life, maintaining a fresh, accurate and enthusiastic perspective can be challenging.

I understand this personally and was much encouraged by the response to May Ascend’s “Rethink your approach” theme because it seemed to be exactly what every woman I spoke to needed to do. Changing your perspective and approach is often critical for taking the next step in your career. So if you know you need a better perspective, you should consider calling in the experts.

Pollyanna Lenkic is the perspective expert from Perspectives Coaching, and runs a variety of great workshops and executive coaching sessions to help people master the art of perspective. The course helps you to identify and eliminate obstacles that limit your growth and potential and equips you with the tools, strategies and resources to move forwards.

If you think your perspective needs an overhaul, start at her website.

21 tips for interviews: If you’re looking for a job, make sure you read these, Pam Naughton’s expertise and advice is sure to improve your performance.

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:47:00 GMT

If you’re out of work, looking to change jobs, to get back into the workforce, involved in restructuring negotiations or promotion discussions, being able to stand out in an interview will be critical to your success. There are a lot of lists of tips about interviews online and in books, and it can be hard to get beyond the basics such as “make a good first impression by dressing appropriately” and “make eye contact and don’t fidget”.

This list does. You can tell Pam knows her stuff. From information on words to avoid using, to personal appearance, to a polite salary negotiation postponing tip (because no one wants to do that in the first interview), to exactly how to craft your answer to “tell us about yourself” question, this is a must read for interviewees.

A sample of the article:

“ Tip 14: The weakness question is one I have personally struggled with. An excellent tip is to look for something that will be fairly obvious and use this as a limitation. For example, "I feel that a limitation I will have in this role is that whilst I have a great understanding of financial services and I have a lot of experience, I would need to come up to speed with the specific financial products and services that your organisation offer". Look for something relatively simple and if you can't think of a limitation above, look for something which isn't going to be a big part of the job.”

Formal Mentoring Vs Informal Mentoring: Findings and a surprise win

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:57:00 GMT

Mentoring is one of the most important factors in your own advancement. And one of the most accessible, because you can find it for yourself.

I re-discovered this article recently that compares formal mentoring to informal mentoring, with a surprising win for informal mentoring. Why? Well, informal mentoring relationships generally start spontaneously, and mean that the mentor and the mentoree get along well, and have similar interests and values. Another benefit is that naturally compatible mentor and the mentoree relationships enable stronger communication and they will be able to better share ideas, feedback and challenges.

For further information on why mentoring is worth doing, how informal mentoring relationships start and why they work, read the full article.

New Meaning of CEO: Chief Energy Officer

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:51:00 GMT

Think of your favourite boss. Think of a few words to describe them. Chances are angry, busy or ruthlessly task focused didn’t come up. In fact, in a new article by Tony Schwartz, he shares the list of the 10 most popular words that thousands of people used to describe their favourite boss. And two thirds of them were emotional qualities.

In “The CEO is the Chief Energy Officer” article for Harvard Business Review, Schwartz mounts a powerful case for rethinking our leadership responsibilities. A preview of the article:

“...the best leaders used their own positive energy to bolster their employees' faith in their own abilities and to fuel their optimism and perseverance in the face of stresses and setbacks. That belief from a leader is intoxicating.”

If you lead a team, a division or a company this is a must read. And make sure you forward it to your colleagues.

Thanks to Janine Garner for sharing this on our LinkedIn group

Australia gender diversity coming up for international scrutiny at the UN this week

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:40:00 GMT

Big news for our international gender reputation: Australia will be reviewed by the UN’s division for the Advancement of Women next week in New York, and Elizabeth Broderick says Australia has been doing “exceptionally well” in many areas.

Whilst I’d be amongst the last person to say we’ve done enough lets pack up and go home, we have our first female prime minster, a female Governor General, and a paid parental leave, all firsts for Australia.

So what are we up for? Broderick noted that “others need systemic intervention to turn the picture around…it’s unbelievable that in 2010 men and women are not paid equally for the same work”.

You can get the full SMH article here, but Broderick makes a critical point about the nature of many of the sexual discrimination issues plaguing Australia, especially Australian business “it’s not that we can’t hold bank accounts or become prime minister – it’s systemic discrimination”.

And she’s pushing for her department to be able to launch investigations into sexual discrimination, without needing an individual complaint initiating the process.

Introducing UN Women: The new UN entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:33:00 GMT

On July 2^nd, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to create a new entity for accelerating (or in some cases initiating) the progress of women and girls worldwide.

This entity is not so much a new creation, as a consolidation and uniting of four entities within the UN: Divison for the Advancement of Women, International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women and the United Nations Development Fund for women.

The new entity is the result of much campaign on the part of the Global women’s movement, so lets not stop campaigning until we’ve achieved what we’re after!

Not only does this mean very good things for women in the developing world, it is also an exciting sign that gender equality and diversity is increasingly on the agenda, and accepted as critical to national success. You can read more about the entity here.

Nice Girls can’t/don’t negotiate? The costs of negotiating

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:15:00 GMT

I sent a copy of this article out to our sphinxx members at the beginning of the year, but I honestly think it should be read by all working women so I have decided to post a link to it here. Women lose money when they don’t negotiate. But what are the costs? Whitney Johnson explores a range of studies that find women can be socially and financially remonstrated for daring to negotiate.

A taste of the article:

"What we found across all the studies is men were always less willing to work with a woman who had attempted to negotiate than with a woman who did not," Bowles said. "They always preferred to work with a woman who stayed mum. But it made no difference to the men whether a guy had chosen to negotiate or not." - Hannah Riley Bowles, one of the researchers quoted in the article

So if you’ve ever thought about, or plan to negotiate a pay rise, take two minutes to scan her advice and findings. And if you faced similar issues because you negotiated your salary, let me know here.

Why are women more likely to be offered the top jobs when a company is a mess? More importantly, why do we take them? This months Madison magazine tackles these questions.

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:36:00 GMT

It’s one of those cycles we see way too often in the business world. A division, branch or business starts to fall apart, the boss bails or gets booted, and the role goes to a woman. The men are all busy looking the other way, while a gutsy woman decides its rare an opportunity like this comes along so let’s go for it.

I am very excited that Madison magazine explored this issue of the glass cliff, and put it in the hands and minds of their thousands of Australian readers.

I was interviewed for the article, and shared from my own experience about what’s it’s like to be handed job that was really a hospital pass to the ICU of business divisions. Many women pick up the reins after the horse has bolted and their career bears the burden of the previous ineffective male bosses.

Perhaps it is that women are better suited to dealing with crisis, being more understanding and intuitive. Perhaps it’s because the selectors believe women are more dispensable and a lower risk if lost.

And one of the ideas covered by the article is a survey that asked survey participants to select a candidate for a senior management position, with varying reports on how the company was doing. When the company was doing well, the participants preferred male candidates – no surprise there. But when the company was doing poorly, female candidates were overwhelmingly preferred.

I don’t believe our only chance at the top job is cleaning up after men. I do enough of that with my toddling son not to want to do it again! But I do think if you get offered a role like this, you should walk in with your eyes open and take it. And show them what you’ve got.

Make sure you head out and buy a copy of the magazine. It’s encouraging to see gender issues for working women being covered in such a popular publication.

What do you think - would you take the top job if you were offered it in a time of crisis?

Practical, proactive and inspiring approach to staffing an accountancy firm

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:02:00 GMT

There are so many great initiatives that support working women. Whether they’re programs like the sphinxx leadership program, or businesses crafted specifically for women, I find it inspiring that so much creativity and energy is being used.

Jane Zhang shared her approach to staffing her accountancy firm in Burwood, Sydney on a LinkedIn discussion I was part of. It’s simple, it’s effective and I’m sure it could be replicated in a variety of industries. Her description:

“I started my accounting/tax practice in Burwood and took on 9 overseas female students who completed accounting degree but failed to get into the accounting world. I wanted to help them and teach them the practical working experiences.”

And she is offering bookkeeping/accounting services to small businesses for free so that “these students can learn and actually get a job in accounting world.”

So if you know anyone who runs a small business who needs such services let them know about LJR Accounting. And if you know of another practical, proactive approach to giving women opportunities for their careers, share it in the comment section below.

Boost your brain and get ahead. With real scientific research and insights from Dr. Helena Popovic, one of our speakers at the upcoming Ascend days

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:32:00 GMT

Last week we had a preview of what is headed our way with the August Ascend Development days, with a free article from Ken Wright, a people management whiz and a prize winning author. Registrations are rolling in every week for Ascend so if you haven’t booked yet, do it now or risk missing out.

This week, we have a guest blog from Dr. Helena Popovic – a medical doctor specialising in lifestyle diseases and the learnings of the neuroplastic revolution.

BOOST YOUR BRAIN AND GET AHEAD

There is no magic bullet or quick fix for anything in this life, despite the promises of endless advertising campaigns.

Our brain health is the result of an interplay of numerous physical, environmental, social, cultural, nutritional, emotional, psychological and educational factors!

It is our consistent day to day choices and habits that determine our performance levels and our long term health and wellbeing. So far, research supports the following measures to sharpen our thinking, expand our creativity and prevent – or at least substantially slow down – the cognitive decline we’ve mistakenly believed was inevitable with ageing.

Engage in aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes every second day. This cuts our lifetime risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s Disease) in half! Bump it up to 20 minutes every day and we also reduce our risk of stroke by over 50%. Exercising in company seems to have an even more powerful effect than exercising alone.
Don’t smoke. Lifelong smokers are 70% more likely to develop dementia than non-smokers. Stopping smoking at any age will make a positive difference.
Include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in your daily diet. These include linseeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts, soybeans and dark leafy vegetables like spinach. The richest sources of omega-3s are oily fish such as salmon, sardines, cod and tuna. People who eat oily fish more twice a week are about half as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as those who rarely eat oily fish. I hesitate to recommend eating fish more than twice a week because of environmental concerns despite it being good for both our brain and our heart.
Remain socially actively. Nurture meaningful relationships and develop a rich social circle – beyond Facebook and online interactions. Our brain needs live contact with other human beings.
Experience different cultures – visit new places, meet new people, try new foods, experience new routines. Cultivate variety in your life. Expose yourself to stimulating environments.
Actively learn new things your whole life long: a foreign language, a musical instrument, an art, a craft, a hobby, a sport, a skill. Reading and watching documentaries, although good for our brain, are not as powerful as active learning because they’re a more passive brain activity. Do crosswords, try sudoku, solve problems, play bingo. Don’t confine yourself to only one of these activities, give them all a go.
Live in the present moment.
De-stress and get adequate sleep. Take time out to walk in nature and engage in pure play, just for the pleasure of it.
Remain passionate and curious all your life. Never stop asking questions.

10. Eliminate soft drinks from your life. Fizzy drinks make fuzzy thinking.

11. Learn to dance! Dancing recruits a large number of cells from different regions of our brain.

12. Become ambidextrous.

13. Know that what you do makes a profound difference and is well worth the effort – but don’t expect instant gratification.

Click here to register for the August Ascend development days.

Huge 50 percent discount of e-Lilianne lingerie for sphinxx readers. Get the code here. Two weeks only

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:36:00 GMT

Who doesn’t love sales? And for a sale of 50% off, you’d expect to be standing in a tightly packed line for ages and struggling through shrieking hoards of fellow shoppers. Well, we have a new sphinxx offers for all readers for a full 50% of e-Lilianne Lingerie.

An online Lingerie store, you can select your style and size online without the hassle of lines, rifling through the rack for your size and security tags that disfigure the shape. And for the next two weeks you can use the code SPHINXX50 to get 50% of whatever you’re after.

They also have some adorable pajamas and loungewear, which could make a great gift for a sister or teen daughter.

Explore the store here.

Anyone who wishes to pursue a leadership role - male or female - in the public sector should bookmark Sue Vardon’s excellent website

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:21:00 GMT

We have a lot of sphinxx members and readers who work in the public sector. There are many sites full of business resources, articles and international news, and I would like to introduce you ladies working in the public sector to Public Sector Women, a much needed and very useful website.

If you attended Adelaide May Ascend, you would have seen the legendary Sue Vardon in action. Imagine her level of clarity, focus, energy and acumen creating and harnessing together resources for women working in an industry she has known for decades. She is the editor of this site and plans to continue to share her depth of knowledge through the website.

Designed as a “practical place for public sector women to exchange ideas”, the site hosts blogs on topics such as “Blaming the public service”, “How to network in a male dominated environment”, “Writing for government”, “Multitaskers may be falling behind”. The site also is a great place to stay on top of articles that are published in Australia that relate to women in the public sector.

If you work in the public sector, I can’t recommend a better industry-specific support site more. I am looking forward to following Public Sector Women, and I’m sure will be posting links to their blogs and articles on the sphinxx site in the future.

Congratulations to all the Testra Business Awards winners

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:46:00 GMT

Congratulations from everyone at sphinxx to all of the 2010 NSW Telstra Business Awards winners and especially Valerie Khoo and the Sydney Writers Centre who took out the 2010 NSW Telstra Business Award in the News Limited Microbusiness Owners Category. Yes - this is the category that sphinxx was also a finalist in. Being a long time fan and customer of the Sydney Writers Centre, it was a great consolation prize for us to see the award going to a business that we love so much. Valerie in particular has been a terrific support to me as I got sphinxx up and running and I know she’s had the same effect on many other writers who have turned to the Sydney Writers Centre to help them escape from their worlds into an adventure of words! So well done again to Valerie and all her team. We’ll have our fingers crossed for you for the National awards in August!

New findings discover that government welfare systems for supporting women back into work were better off in the 1950s

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:22:00 GMT

Whenever I read a headline like “Women better off in the 1950’s”, I get ready to get cranky and start composing emails to the editor in my head. But as I read this article, sure I resented the title but the story itself was a surprise. A comparison between the 1950s welfare system to today finds that women in general, and especially those with working husbands have poorer access to comprehensive support in seeking employment to get and maintain jobs. I find this concerning, when you consider how far women have come since the 1950s.

The Daily Telegraph interviewed women across Australia for the report Barriers to Women’s Employment, Women and the Recession Project and found that the main barrier to employment most women faced was the lack of help from the Federal Government job-seeking services. Not to mention Australia’s poor national maternity leave prospects, and the nightmare that locating and paying for childcare can be. Despite the huge increase in women getting and needing jobs since the 1950s, Federal Government employment support was better when women were still primarily viewed as stay-at-home mothers.

Read the full article here. And get involved in the 250+ comment discussion that follows it. Clearly this was the right title to pick to rankle the readers enough to respond.

Do government initiatives to support child care work? Absolutely- see the ratios

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:48:00 GMT

There have been several government initiatives to improve childcare in Australia. Because of Australian children aged 0-11, half are in some form of non-parental childcare. There are still intense shortages in long day care, places resulting in waiting lists, the system is plagued by inflexibility and prohibitive costs. But Government assistance has been found to enhance workforce participation with a benefit-cost ratio of nearly 2:1 for government and over 8:1 for society overall.*

So why is childcare not an election issue this year? Given how much it helps society, and how much stress an adequate system would save mums!

*Source: Reality Check Worklife Balance Report: http://www.worklifeassociation.org/