Stilettos in business

 

I am often asked to comment on the topic of women in business working in a male dominated industry. The irony is that I have never had an issue getting a job or a promotion because I am a woman. However, I have experienced situations where I have been treated differently because of my gender.

When I am asked to comment on this issue, please understand that I don’t make commentary from an industry perspective. I speak as a woman in business that has had a successful career in my chosen field.

The issue of women at senior management and leadership level is one that is debated worldwide. There is no doubt that there is inequality at a boardroom level in corporate Australia. However, more and more women are taking over the reins in companies worldwide and having equal gender at the top level does impact positively on a business’s performance.

Some stats to consider on this topic are:  60% of graduates are women; we make up 51% of the population and 46% of the labour force. In Australia the number of women in management roles in business sits at about 16%. Given these stats the topic or debate on women in leadership, management and board positions is a relevant one.

Woman often build their own glass ceilings to add to the ones that already exist. So conversations such as “working in a male dominated industry” can in some instances add to our ceilings.

We often say that real estate is male dominated. At senior management level this is true. However there are a number of very successful women who work in real estate as agents, property managers and business owners.

Business is changing especially in real estate and we need to move from being transactional to relationship focused. Women tend to do this better than men. There are number of networking groups in Melbourne that women now belong to that provides them with support, mentoring, coaching and business growth. A number of large businesses have a focus on developing female talent within their organisations and I believe that we need to take on these wonderful opportunities and use them to our advantage.

I am a firm believer that women can have it all- many do- but perhaps not all at the same time. Women must juggle their careers, family and time for themselves and none of this is really straightforward. There is a time to be a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a professional in your chosen career and we need to be able to do all of this without guilt on the choices we make at any one time.

I have never felt guilty for any of the decisions I have taken. Putting kids in childcare at 6 months, getting a nanny, having a job that involved significant travel and time away from the kids, forgetting to pack the lunch or on the odd occasion picking my son up from school, getting divorced and being a single mum with a career.

There are always times when I believe I could have done things better but doing what I do makes me happy and makes me a better mother, partner, daughter, friend which I believe is more important. It also makes it easier to get through those days that are complete disasters and everything goes wrong.

Whether you are male or female the question is how driven are you to obtain the success you want? As Stephen Covey wrote, start with the end in mind and plan how to get there. Know what the milestones are that you need to achieve and ask for the roles that you want.

 Women do need to get better at “talking themselves up”. You cannot assume or hope that someone is going to notice you or your success. You also need to be prepared to take risks, open up that business or apply for roles that you may not be 100% equipped for.

I have my milestones on my shower wall and I regularly adjust and prioritise this in line with what is currently important or achievable.

I see women who choose to be stay at home mums or work part time as incredibly successful because I know how hard it is.

Being comfortable in your own skin and succeed professionally and personally is an issue I believe that is not just for women. There is most certainly a global case for woman on boards and leadership roles and the time has now come for businesses to act rather than debate the issue.

I am often asked by male managers how to best manage their female team members. Yes, it is different and yes, from time to time you will need a box of tissues. A number of men assume that most women they work with will be like their wives or partners and this is not the case. Women in business also expect to be treated the same as their male counterparts in terms of business achievements and expectations.  

Men build relationships with their male counterparts through golf, drinks at the bar, night out with the boys and sport. Place a female amongst this and most men do find it hard to build a relationship that goes deeper than business.

I believe this issue is one that both genders need to assess and find a way to build stronger relationships based on common ground. I struggle with this issue and often am challenged with the “how”.  As a woman your communication will be under constant scrutiny.    

However I am firm believer that when you’re aware of what your challenges are then you need to find a way to overcome them! Also accept that we won’t always get it right. Learn from the mistakes you make and grow as a leader, manager or business owner.

The issue of gender equality will never be resolved and the discussion does need to focus on how to help women succeed in business.

The book “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” by John Gray, is a must read amongst a number of other books. Many books are designed to help women understand that they do need to speak up in the work place, take credit for a job well done, ask for what they want including promotions and pay rises. This will involve taking risks by stepping up to opportunities that may be beyond their experience. All of this goes towards showing the masculine traits of confidence and assertiveness in the workplace.

But be very aware of the double bind. These exact same traits can be seen as aggressive, hard line,   hard-nosed and pushy.

Women need to be smart at knowing when to use male and female traits. Knowing when to be tough, self-promoting, competitive, confident, commanding and direct versus soft, collaborative, persuasive, unassuming and indirect.

A common trait shared by successful women in the corporate world is that they are chameleons: they fit into their environment by assessing the situation and adapting their actions accordingly. This is certainly not as easy as it sounds.

Even at the top level there is gender bias and commentary. You only have to look at the unreasonable amount of attention paid to Julia Gillard on her choice of hair colour, glasses, clothes and partner versus policy and governing of the country.

It was the same in the US when Hilary Clinton was campaigning. She was seen as hard and tough with low cut necklines.

When we think leader we think “male” across countries and cultures.  Women are expected to soften their leadership style to gain a following or run the risk of isolating themselves. Men on the other hand are not expected to temper their leadership style to be seen as agreeable.  Women are expected to be more compassionate.

Men will self-promote effectively and with no consequence. However, women doing the same who are also confident and assertive are seen as less likeable or only doing so for their own advantage.

As a result women in leadership worry about how others perceive them. They constantly review behaviour to ensure they are not being seen in an unsavoury light.

Men and women will always have different management styles, we are wired differently, what is important is the outcome.

The challenge to getting women into senior positions is dependent on how we structure workplaces. We lose women from the workforce because often they don’t want to be on the corporate treadmill, work the long hours and play the politics.

Bringing it back to my own industry, women are at an advantage as they can be successful selling agents, property managers and ultimately own their own profitable businesses. Across the country we are seeing more and more women open up their own agencies, franchise groups putting a focus on recruiting female agents and developing workplaces that are diverse and inclusive.

I run the risk of this blog being seen as Sadhana pushing the female “barrow”. This won’t be the first time either. I am very aware that I walk a fine line in this issue.  What I have stated in this blog cannot be denied.  I have worked with men who embrace what women bring to the table and men who see me as a hard- nosed pushy female. I have learnt to accept that I am never going to please everyone on this issue.

Will we ever have equality in the workplace?  Probably not. That shouldn’t stop us from working towards better outcomes for future generations; laying the ground work for our daughters and granddaughters. Look at where we have come from, where we are today so the future does indeed look bright.

I was recently nominated for the Telstra Business Women’s award. The submission asks you to discuss the successes you have had across your entire career and personal life. I have been named as a finalist in these awards in the private corporate sector.  Whatever the result post this will be a bonus. However I want to encourage other women to enter such awards, we often downplay our successes and achievements instead of celebrating and sharing. We won’t always get it right and we can’t always have it all.  But anything is possible and achievable; it is just a matter of how.

Bald, Brave, Beautiful Bligh

Leadership is shown by people at many different levels and often those in public life have events that occur that makes you realise just how resilient and remarkable they truly are.

I speak specifically of Anna Bligh, the ex-Queensland Premier who supported and steered her state through one of the worst floods in 2010/2011.

Today however she has fought and won a very personal battle with cancer.  I suspect her determination and resilience played quiet a role in this win.

Ms Bligh, 53, said it was a tough decision to open up about her battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma - but she has no regrets.

``I’ve just been through a very gruelling experience with chemotherapy and I guess I just wanted to be honest about what that was like,’’ she told Nine News.

One of the lessons I have learnt on leadership is that being vulnerable is important. Something I have had to work on as we often get focused on being “strong leaders” that we forget that being vulnerable is actually a much stronger trait.

Bligh became famous for shedding tears during the flood disasters and now is front and centre in a telling interview about her battle with cancer, her journey and of course the very bold photo of her completely bald looking healthy and simply gorgeous. I would even say downright sexy.

“I was hoping for something close to Sinead O’Connor, or Sigourney Weaver’s character in Alien3, both of whom made bald look sexy,” she said. Instead, she said, she was left “looking like an egghead, but feeling very loved”.

Anna Bligh was the first female premier of the QLD state. One of the key things that struck me during the floods was her communication. She was on every media outlet, informing her people, fighting back tears, showing fear and I remember her saying ““the floods might be breaking our hearts but they haven’t broken our will”. 

Her leadership style is one all of us in leadership should pay attention to.

Leadership is about leading. More importantly it is about having grit, courage and providing hope in times of crises. The empathy, concern and emotion that Bligh showed during the floods and now as she speaks of her own battle with cancer is intense, gut wrenching and palpable. It is very real and sincere.

Anna Bligh has shown strength, grace, determination and compassion through both these journeys. These leadership elements are what people need whether they are in their finest or darkest hours.

The most important one for me has been her ability to communicate. It is vital you connect with those you lead knowing you won’t always get it right and you won’t always please everyone. She did not shirk from telling how it was then and hasn’t with her own personal journey now. Confidence in a crisis is queen!

A lot is expected from our leaders and once in a while you find a gem that we can all learn from. Anna Bligh is one such gem. She connected with her people as their leader, today she connects with us as a survivor. I have no doubt that by sharing her story she will raise spirits and provide hope to many.

It is a shame she has not entered Federal Politics!

Mindset of the Virtuoso

If you were asked to list people who you saw as super achievers or virtuoso's potentially these names would appear:

·         Usain Bolt

·         Richard Branson

·         James Tostevin

·         Steve Jobs

·         Bill Gates

·         Oprah Winfrey

All of these people have had the mind set to be the best in the world. However have you ever wondered what their back story is?

What was it they did to get to where they have?

Because they didn’t just wake up one morning and become the best at what they do!

If you did have an opportunity to sit down and have a chat to any of the them London to a brick they will tell you that they had the following:

1.       Commitment to be the best at what they do.
           So how serious are you really, do you have a business plan in place, follow it, prospect,  
           hit your targets, have accountability?
           Remember you are the key person who has the most impact on your performance

2.       Practiced religiously. Are you committed to scripts and dialogue training or are you doing  
           what most do in real estate - practise on your clients. 
 

3.     Trained to be the best. 
         No athlete goes out on the day of competition and becomes the best, it takes years of training,
         focus and commitment. How would you rate yourself in these areas?

4.     Had in place a written plan. 
         Written goals means you have a written commitment to achieving them.

5.     Developed a respect for time. 
         We all have the same amount of hours in the day how are you using yours?

         Being great at what you do is a result of disciplined intense practise on a regular basis.
         The opposite is wasting time, looking for excuses and blaming others for your lack of success.

So how much time are you committing to scripts, listing, negotiation and prospecting practise?

We are getting close to the end of the year and for many of you the 30^th of June group certificate will be the reality check of your performance over the last 12 months.

Will the amount you have earned surprise or shock you in a positive way? Telling yourself you should have done the basics is pointless, committing to doing it and holding yourself accountable is worthwhile.

So get serious, commit to a plan, practise, train and surround yourself with people who will coach and mentor you and hold you accountable to be the best, the Picasso of real estate.

Remember to get the results that the top 10% of agents have you must be willing to do what only 10% of agents do.

As you start to achieve success what occurs is you become more confident, energetic, productive and focused which leads to becoming word class or the virtuoso.

Would you ask a male PM the same question?

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Howard Sattler, a shock jock from WA, comes out and asks the Prime Minister during an on air interview if her partner was gay.
What is worse he based this question on the fact that Tim was a hairdresser; therefore all male hairdressers must be gay. What a ridiculous generalisation!

And he didn’t ask it once but several times during the interview. Gillard handled the interview with class and dignity versus Sattler who was vile and disgusting.  

Sattler has since apologised not because he believes he was disrespectful but because the management of his radio station have asked him to. He defends himself by stating that the PM’s office had agreed to a candid interview. Really Howard I fail to see how this line of questioning has any relevance whatsoever to the current political debate.

What Julia should have done is walked out, I would have.

My question however is when was the last time we asked a male Prime Minister, or in fact Tony Abbott, if their wife was a lesbian or questions relating to their sex lives!  The answer is never.

I fail to understand why it is that men think it is ok to ask women inappropriate questions and the fact that this happens to our Prime Minister what hope do the rest of us have in any industry or position?

I don’t care who you are, you may not agree with the policies or support the Labour Party but you damn well need to respect the chair. She is our Prime Minister and needs to be treated with respect.

There have been a myriad of other attacks on her as well. A restaurant in Brisbane at a Liberal party function had her on the menu as - Julia Gillard Kentucky fried quail, small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box. How utterly disgusting and appalling.

No other politician was on the menu and Mr Abbott believes we need to let this go. It was a joke and never made it out of the kitchen was his response.
Really Mr Abbott, firstly it is disrespectful and highly offensive, secondly how would you feel if we had on the menu a guessing game on the size of your crown jewels, how many men your wife has slept with and oh yes lets ask if your wife has ever had a female lover making her a lesbian.





Add to the above the comments on Gillards clothes, hair style and colour and the shape of her glasses.

I simply fail to see how any of the above has anything to do or have any relevance to running the country.

I am sick and tired of the personal nature of attacks on Gillard, however unfortunately she is not alone. I talk to women groups on a regular basis and many are shocked at my experiences with men in leadership positions, I am not unique in this and now it seems neither is the Prime Minister.

What concerns me is the level of disrespect is not just from the media but also from the National/Liberal party. Where do we go to next?

Without question there needs to equality and respect for women in business at all levels. So now Sattler has been suspended – so what, he will be back on the airways after a period of time, he should be fired.

Women across the nation are offended and frankly should be livid.

Sexism is back on the table.

I know that not all men behave and think in the same way and many of my male colleagues and friends would be as equally appallaed. I have also worked for a number of male business owners who don't see gender as an issue. Sattlers views and questions is not a reflection of all men in Australia.

However, women, regardless of their position, even as the Prime Minister of the country, are clearly not respected or treated equally by many.

Where simple 1% could have made a difference

So maybe I had high expectations however as a new customer to a local restaurant I hadn’t been to before I don’t believe that’s unusual.

The Meat and Wine Co in Hawthorn East was where I went to dinner last night. It looks fantastic from the outside and the online menu simply delicious and I always get excited to potentially discover a great local restaurant.  

We walked in behind a group of 6 whose table wasn’t ready, however somehow the maître de missed us walking in, I went up to her and asked her for our table, she then called the waitress and asked her several times if table 28 was ready. And every time she asked the question she raised her voice; clearly there were some levels of stress however as the paying customer not something I am interested in experiencing the minute I walk in.

We were taken to our table, menu’s provided and the waitress looking after our section introduced herself to us. However the irony is she never returned to our table again. Clearly she either was moved to another section or didn’t really want to look after us!

We ordered South African wine, a red, waited for at least 10 mins to be told that it was no longer available. Firstly shouldn’t the manager have briefed the team on what was available and what wasn’t prior to customers arriving? Secondly perhaps we should have been offered an alternative wine.  I then ordered the white wine which when it arrived at the table was apparently the last bottle and just enough for two glasses. I would suggest they stock wines that can be made available to their clients.

We ordered two different entrée’s and when they arrived the waiter literally put them on the table without asking who was eating which one or any explanation of what they were.

After waiting nearly an hour for our main meal the waitress finally came to our table to let us know that our meals were delayed due to a private function upstairs. Clearly the management had not prepared for this to occur and there were significant delays.

When they finally did arrive I had ordered beef medium that had been overdone and the meat was quiet dry plus slightly cold.

At the end of our meal no one offered us dessert or coffee.

We asked for our bill and yes they had charged us for the red wine that we never got.

The Meat and Wine Co market themselves as a cut above the rest – well this certainly wasn’t the case last night.

Now all the issues I have raised above are very easily addressed if the management simply looked at their process and service standards from the eyes of the customers. These are simple training issues but when you are competing for business with other restaurants these simple things will lose you clients.

Are your processes and service standards designed with the client in mind and does your team actually understand what level of service you want to deliver to ensure repeat and referral business occurs.

What are your customers’ expectations of service from your brand and are they in fact getting it? How are you ensuring that they do?

Audi are fantastic at pre and post service delivery. A few weeks ago I had to have my car assessed for repairs to be done at a panel beaters and I got a call from Audi during the week to ensure that someone had called me and my car was booked in. He then ended the call by saying I will call you after the car has been repaired to ensure you are happy. That’s exceeding my expectations.

Do you call your tenants a month after they moved in to ensure they are settled in?

Do you call your purchasers a month later to ensure that they are settling in? Do you do the same with your sellers?

These simple 1% make all the difference and sets you aside from your competition.

Remember we are in a congested market place and the smallest things now make the biggest impact.

As for the Meat and Wine Co, clearly I won’t be going back there anytime soon.

10 things to make you world class

 

1.     Have total clarity on what you want to achieve. Share this with a trusted coach who will hold you accountable. If you are vague your results will be vague

2.     Have the single minded focus on your journey and the sense to bend, yield and be flexible when required

3.     Never let go of your family and friends, they are the ones who will be there in your time of need and we all have those

4.       Let people see the passion for what you do, it will engage them and bind them to you

5.       Be the Picasso of your office or your trade

6.       Keep your mind, body and soul fit

7.       Keep the hunger for knowledge alive, it never stops

8.       Be unique, be original, they broke the mould once you arrived

9.       To get the results no one else has have the strength to do what no one else will

10.     Laugh, enjoy life and make a difference to as many people as you can

Indigenous round starts with drama

The indigenous round started on Friday night with the first game being played between Sydney Swans and Collingwood at the MCG. What should have been a celebration of a resounding win by Sydney unfortunately ended in an incident that has created national headlines. It is ironic that the champions of last year and perhaps the most liked team and probably the most disliked team in the league were involved.

A female Collingwood fan was exited from the game on Friday night after a racial comment against Sydney Swans champion Adam Goodes. Shockingly the young girl is apparently only 13 years old. She allegedly called Goodes an ape as he lined up for a goal.

Footage shows Goodes walking up to the fence line, pointing out the young girl who was subsequently escorted out by security. Goodes then went on to have a cracker of a game and Swans thrashed the pies.

At his press conference on Saturday morning Goodes spoke with a lot of empathy towards the young girl which simply shows his depth of character. This is not the first time Adam has been called names and he claims that other players in the last 10 years have called him names such as monkey etc.

There have been a number of reported cases over the years of players sledging each other on the field but if racial comments are still part of this game then what sort message are we sending to the football supporters?

It is ironic that the young girl was a Collingwood supporter and there are likely elements today commenting are we really surprised at this level of behaviour from a pies fan.

This is however an issue for our society. Clearly this young girls statement is a reflection of her environment where it may be acceptable to call people names, she may be a victim of bullying herself, whatever the reason I hope that right now she is being supported by people who will counsel her correctly,  help and support her now and long term.

There cannot be a witch hunt nor can she become the face of what we call intolerant behaviour. She is a young kid who made a terrible mistake. She needs support, education and help.  I am disappointed for Adam Goodes and how the name calling made him feel, I admire his strength to stand up to it however I equally have concern for the young girl.

She was clearly visibly upset when she left the field unaware of the furore she was going to start, and has woken up this morning to events that will change her life.

This is an incident that will be life changing and as a minor is very young to fully understand or deal with the short and long term ramifications.

Many may suggest that it wasn’t the worst racial comment one can have thrown at them however what people need to understand that words or name calling can hurt individuals differently.

And clearly this is the case given her open apology to Goodes and conversation she had with him.

It also concerns me that the MCG security asked the family to remain seated as they ejected her then held her for two hours for questioning.  Yes we need zero tolerance on racism but this girl is also only 13 so let’s keep it in prospective.

 As someone who has been at the receiving end of racial taunts I know how Adam Goodes feels and today and I applaud him for making a stand not just for himself but the community he represents.

One must say well done to Collingwood who have reacted positively to the incident with Eddie McGuire going into the Swans change rooms to apologise to Goodes for the incident.

The indigenous round is a celebration of Goodes’s people and culture, the contribution they bring to our game and the talent we have across many teams. It brings back memories of Nicky Winnmar 20 years ago when he made a similar stand and it is sad that these incidents are still occurring.

Adam Goodes is clearly shattered however is quite rightly is supporting the young girl offering to talk to her and educate her.

Sadly racism exists in Australia and unfortunately on Friday it had the face of a 13 year old girl. It has no place in our culture and society however it will always exist.

It is important to understand that young kids do not grow up racists; they develop these tendencies influenced by the adults in their life. 

For those of us who are more tolerant we must ensure that we continue to educate those who are not and at the same time support the younger generation who will make these sorts of mistakes.

Let’s not forget also that Australia is a melting pot of so many ethnic groups. We are far more tolerant here than in many other places. Those who are racists or not tolerant of the ethnic diversity that exists here are in the minority.

This incident has provided us an opportunity to make a clear statement that racism of any kind is simply not acceptable in our society, that this girl is a minor and we need to ensure that we educate our children to be more tolerant.

We also need to accept that we will never remove racism completely from our communities however when it occurs it is ok to make a stand against it so that we can educate people and make changes.

Remember - Education is the key to tolerance. We fear what we don’t know or understand. We are influenced by those who are older than us.

Let’s hope that the media, the AFL and the indigenous community create this into a positive by helping the young girl and sending the right message into our communities on this issue.

Mahatma Ghandi once said – you must be the change you want to see in the world. It is up to those of us who are more tolerant to create the change we want to see occur.