YWCA Women's Leadership Conference
Engendering Strategy, Communication, Political Savvy For Workplace Advancement

"Why on earth would he say that?" "I don't believe she actually made that decision." "If I were the director, I would have done that differently." Have you ever had these exchanges with colleagues at the workplace? Of course; we all have been privy to these conversations in one form or another. But in these strained economic times, it has become critically important for current and potential business leaders to learn the strategies and tools to make better choices.

Leadership decisions of women and men in the workplace will be the focus of attention at the upcoming YWCA Women's Leadership Conference on Wed 3/11 (though registration ends this week!) at the Crowne Plaza City Center downtown. This fascinating one-day seminar, packed with national keynote speakers and area leadership panelists, promises to provide valuable information about gender communication styles and how to reach the next rung up on the leadership ladder.

Seven years ago, the YWCA of Greater Cleveland, under the leadership of Barbara Danforth, president and CEO, conducted research about the status of women in leadership roles in Northeast Ohio and generally found them to be stalled in mid-management positions. Implementing the YWCA mission to empower women, they designed a leadership curriculum to break the logjam. They offer leadership education programs like Leadership Boot Camp, for rising stars, and Momentum, a concentrated program for executive women, as well as a line-up of monthly workshops.

"Women often have the view," explained Danforth, "that if they put their heads down and work hard, they will get recognized and promoted. In today's workplace, this is not the case. Women need to change this perspective, raise their visibility, let other people know about their successes and demonstrate their value-added proposition," she stated.

Researchers have shown that a diverse and balanced leadership team at the business helm increases the likelihood for more productive results. At this year's YWCA Women's Leadership Conference, the fourth annual event, questions will be answered about gender communication styles and leadership strategies. Molly Shepard, president and CEO of The Leaders Edge, Peter Dean, Ph.D., Leaders By Design), and Dr. Robert Schwarz, from the Mars Venus Institute in Haverford, Pennsylvania are the scheduled keynote speakers.

"Why are women not advancing in the workplace?" asked Shepard. "Fifty percent of management jobs are held by women but only 3.2 percent of the Fortune 500 companies have women as CEOs, and that number has not budged for close to 20 years," she added. Generally speaking, women exercise a strong influence when buying products or they actually make the purchase, however they continue to encounter barriers reaching the upper echelon of the larger companies. "One of the obstacles for women to attain leadership roles centers on the issue of confidence. Women tend to feel their opinions are not being heard, so I see a need for them to beef up their communication skills," Shepard recommended.

Dean pointed out that brain science shows a significant difference here. "Biology supports the fact that women and men have different brains resulting in different behaviors. Men tend to rely on their left brain hemisphere to stay focused on the task at hand," he explained. "Women can use both hemispheres simultaneously resulting in different approaches to problem-solving," Dean added.

Schwarz described women's leadership style as more cooperative, inclusive, and team oriented. They advocate the two-heads-are-better-than-one theory. A man's leadership style would say "If one head is good, then why bother with two?" Schwarz said that women need to strategically network better inside the workplace. He advised women to "Analyze who are the decision-makes at their company. If the women spend more time with these executives, then they will become more acquainted with each other, and people promote people whom they feel comfortable with." Women need to position themselves as leaders, look and act the part, and utilize their political savvy, Schwarz added.

Come to the YWCA Women's Leadership Conference on March 11 and learn why it is in our best interest to learn how men and women can join forces and work together more effectively. Register at http://www.ywcaofcleveland.org by Friday, March 6. I'll see you there.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul susn1ATatt.net
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