A Seat at the Table

Research shows that when it comes to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), women make up only 28% of the workforce and are significantly outnumbered by men in fields like computer science and engineering. This outcome underscores the fact that girls and women are often discouraged from pursuing studies in science and math, limiting their access and preparation to pursue these areas of interest.

In this episode, Dr. Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code, and Denise Lintz, Vice President of Enterprise Portfolio Management and Technology Shared Services at USCellular discuss their commitment and ongoing efforts to close the gender gap in tech jobs by equipping girls with computing skills to take on future opportunities and careers in STEM.

SHOWNOTES:

All About Girls Who Code [10:52]

The Partnership Between Girls Who Code and USCellular [13:24]

Important Findings of STEM Survey [14:56]

Driving Real Change around Women in STEM [18:23]

The Power of Corporate Action [22:11]

Stories of Impact [26:00]

Avoiding Career Pitfalls [31:00]

Recommended Reads [34:06]

Business executives often credit a breakout role – a unique project or challenge in which they excelled – as a major part of their career success. The increased responsibilities and visibility these roles offer enable leaders to both demonstrate their skills and expand their capabilities in new and interesting ways.

In this episode, Lisa Badgley, Senior Vice President at Walgreens and alumna of both the CEO Perspectives (2017) and Leading Women Executives (2011) programs, discusses her breakout role, and the many valuable lessons she acquired along the way.

SHOWNOTES:

Advice on Joining Nonprofit Boards [4:11]

The Key is Communicating with Your Boss [6:32]

Trust in Yourself [12:30]

The Power of the Network [15:37]

Hindsight is 20/20 Vision [18:44]

In the past few years, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have become a key priority for companies, as they work to define their ESG goals and link them to long-term sustainability and strategic planning. Long before the concept of ESG became popular, Grainger focused on these goals and built them into an integral part of their corporate values and leadership objectives. In this episode, Corporate Leadership Center CEO Deb DeHaas talks with Grainger's Kathleen Carroll, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Leading Women Executives Advocate; and Rebecca Derdiger, Senior Director of Diversity and Corporate Responsibility, and Leading Women Executives Ambassador, Fall 2021, to learn more about Grainger's ESG journey and how they bring value to their stakeholders through their ongoing efforts.

SHOW NOTES:

ESG as a Guiding Principle [3:43]

Assessing What's Important to Stakeholders [6:13]

How to Operationalize ESG throughout the Organization [10:05]

The Pandemic as a Communication Catalyst [12:26]

Telling Your ESG Story [17:44]

Advice for Other Companies [19:56]

Supporting top performers by encouraging them to take on stretch assignments and advocating on their behalf is at the heart of sponsorship. Those who have had the benefit of being sponsored often become sponsors, to 'pay it forward' and help develop others' careers. In this episode, Discover's Diane Offereins, Executive Vice President and President of Payment Services and Alisa Ellis, Global Head of Innovation and Emerging Products and Leading Women Executives Ambassador, Fall 2020, share their experiences and advice on how to derive the most impact from sponsorship relationships.

SHOW NOTES:

The Difference Between Mentorship and Sponsorship [4:59]

The Power of Sponsors [7:51]

It's About Instilling Confidence [10:37]

How to Cultivate a Mutually Beneficial Relationship [14:18]

Finding Ways to Sponsor and Be Sponsored [17:36]

Leading Women Executives hosted a virtual workshop in August focused on "Creating Workplaces That Work for Everyone" to address the challenges that all organizations are facing in the wake of the pandemic. Specifically, the discussion focused on the topics of: Reengaging and Retaining Talent, Rebuilding Culture and Reskilling Employees.

In this episode, three Ambassadors from the Summer 2020 program -- Jennifer Chuang, responsible for operations for Aon's top-down innovation initiatives, Aon; Sarah Huizingh, Global Marketing Director, Software & Services, Motorola Solutions; and Ashley Nasby, Director, Insurance Origination, NextEra Energy -- share their takeaways from the workshop and how they are applying those concepts within their organizations.

SHOW NOTES:

Experiencing the Program and the Pandemic Simultaneously [5:04]

Finding Ways to Reengage Talent [7:25]

On Regaining Company Culture [9:50]

The Need for Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills [13:18]

Retaining the Benefits of Working Remotely [15:35]

A New Definition of Work-Life Balance [18:24]

A key component of the Leading Women Executives curriculum focuses on negotiations, including how to recognize opportunities to negotiate, positions vs. interests, and different strategies for successful outcomes.

In this episode, Tracy Hedrick, Vice President, Card Operations, Discover Financial Services; Ambassador Fall 2020, and Heather Lindsay, Associate Vice President, Customer Service, Medicaid Operations, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas; Ambassador Spring 2021, share their stories from recent negotiations and what they learned about themselves in the process.

SHOW NOTES:

'Every Ask is an Opportunity to Negotiate' [4:36]

The Difference Between Positions vs. Interests [5:35]

Asking, Bending, Shaping [8:56]

Tackling the 'Nos' [12:47]

Advice on How to Prepare for Negotiations [14:42]

As CEO of the American Red Cross of Illinois, Celena Roldan is responsible for leading her team, and thousands of volunteers, to serve communities in times of crisis. The past 18 months, in particular, have generated a wealth of leadership lessons in communication, transparency, building culture and affecting positive social change. In this episode Celena shares her perspectives on community leadership, as well as personal perspectives about the pandemic.

SHOW NOTES:

Understanding Community Development and Engagement [4:24]

The Importance of Listening and Learning [5:14]

Working Through Challenges with Agility [7:07]

Skills and Abilities You Can't Teach [9:24]

A Voice for the LatinX Community [12:48]

The Benefits of Volunteerism [15:30]

Serving on a Corporate Board is both an exciting opportunity and sizable responsibility. Board members have the opportunity to share their knowledge and business expertise, as well as glean new ideas to bring back to their own organizations. In this episode, Deidra Merriwether, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Grainger, and CEO Perspectives Fellow (2016), shares her experiences and advice as a first-time board member of Weyerhauser.

SHOW NOTES:

Creating a Board Bio [3:18]

About the Onboarding Process [6:42]

Benefits of Serving on a Board [10:05]

Needed Skills for Effective Board Members [13:01]

Advice on Pursuing Board Opportunities [16:01]

Recommended Reads [18:14]

The words we use to describe others in the workplace, particularly when it comes to evaluating performance, need to be chosen with care. Often, we use different words when describing men and women, which can have a profound impact on perceptions, decisions and opportunities. In this episode, Lori Mackenzie, co-founder of Stanford's VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab; lead strategist, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Stanford Graduate School of Business; and Leading Women Executives Faculty Member, explores the "Language of Leadership" and how making strategic word choices can benefit leaders, their teams and their organizations.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

What is 'The Language of Leadership'? [4:08]

Using Language to Develop Your Own Executive Brand [5:57]

How Organizations Can Practice the Language of Leadership [8:33]

The Cost of Fitting In [10:44]

Two Steps and a Breath [13:44]

How the Covid Crisis Increased Bias in the Workplace [15:08]

Fostering innovation requires a unique balance between decentralized creativity to ideate and build new solutions, and centralized allocation of organizational resources and support to bring those ideas to life. In this episode, Sona Chawla, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, CDW, and Leading Women Executives Advocate, discusses the links between innovation and technology; companies' different approaches to developing innovation strategies; and how every leader can become a better innovator.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Starting a New Job During the Pandemic [1:35]

Defining Innovation [8:00]

Why Innovation is So Hard [8:49]

Organic vs. Inorganic Growth [13:24]

Harnessing Change as an Accelerator for Innovation [14:16]

How to Become a Better Innovator [16:20]