Zymurgy

The buzz in the air following the first annual Women’s Summit at my company several years ago reaches a fevered pitch equating to the return of the cicadas.  The first of its kind in this organization, it is a long time coming, heralded with significant hype leading up to the event, culminating in press coverage in the local media.  Women everywhere bubble with excitement over how amazing it feels to be in an environment completely about them, prompting a friend, noticeably moved by the camaraderie she feels surrounded exclusively by women, to blurt out in astonishment “This is what men get to experience every day!”  It’s both ironic and bittersweet that this is such a rare occurrence in the day-to-day working life of corporate women.  But I wonder are we really moving ourselves forward in women’s networks, visibly isolated from men?

Undoubtedly there is tremendous value in the development and networking aspects of these affinity groups.  Women’s networks can play a huge part in helping women to break their own glass ceilings. It’s about building confidence, finding your voice, learning how to articulate your strengths, defining your brand, advice as simple as explaining the benefit of a professional headshot in marketing yourself.  It’s in the accessibility to senior women leaders who have walked the tightrope balancing work and life, who’ve been the lone representatives of the fairer sex in countless meetings sharing war stories, explaining not only how to survive, but inspiring us to push forward because they are shining examples that we can thrive. 

But before women become inebriated on the thrill of all of this bonding and letting our hair down amongst our own kind, we need to be wary of the peril inherent in this intoxicating isolation.  We can develop ourselves like crazy, but at the end of the day men are still in power and we need them to open doors for us.  While men are supporting our networks in theory, without their active participation, we can only go so far.  The danger, one of my favorite writers on this topic shares in this HBR blog post is that all of the hype sours quickly if we don’t supplement it with involvement by the men:   http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/06/your_company_doesnt_need_a_wom.html

When it comes to breaking the corporate glass ceiling, men are the lynchpins of our success.  Firmly entrenched in positions of power in most major corporations, men are still choosing who is promoted. We need men as advocates and sponsors for women, and they need to be incentivized to take on this responsibility.  Men need to include women in special projects and stretch assignments that increase exposure across the organization.  More male executives need to model behaviors and work styles that support work life balance so that women can actually picture themselves successful in senior leadership roles.

The beauty of these networks as they exist today is that we are getting support unparalleled to men when it comes to developing ourselves.  Some could even call it an advantage.  If you really look closely, most of the information shared around professional development men would benefit from too.  You could argue women are even more prepared to take on these roles. So if we add the missing ingredient to this, engagement by male executives committed to pulling women up in the ranks, our organizations are poised to have the absolute best talent at the top.

While it all sounds so logical, this is a heavy lift that even the best windlass struggles with.

Sometimes I get discouraged thinking this ship is too large to turn around, that maybe all of this hype is just going to fizzle out with no real change.  But a new mentor at the office is teaching me quite a bit about the fermentation process that goes into steering an enormous vessel. And a new mentor in my life encourages me to hold on to the baton during my leg of this multi-generational run.  In fact, these days I regularly find myself pressed up against the side of the proverbial car, a la Debra Messing in ”The Wedding Date”, mesmerized by the spell these two men cast upon me in their words alone; they help me recognize the power within me.

It’s not always about how quickly you turn the ship; it’s about being a stakeholder and leader representing and communicating the vision of what could be, what it will be if we choose to make it so.