27 March, 2017
Phrases like “Women in the Workplace” and “Glass Ceiling” have been around for so long that they’ve almost become cliché, as if they should have been retired years ago. Well – yes – they should have, especially with what we now know about the positive “bottom-line” contributions women have been shown to make in the work place.
Women in leadership can push male colleagues to test assumptions and open themselves to new thinking, which, in turn, can improve profits yet the proportion of women serving as CEOs of S&P 500 companies moved less than 3% in the most recent decade. http://on.wsj.com/2loBnzu
Among some of our clients, we observe that taking the first steps to commit to diversifying the leadership ranks with more women and minorities is hard, but taking that step often results in greater confidence which, in turn, leads to more productive organizations.
As Women’s History Month moves to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on where your organization stands. Consider these action steps to promote the role of women in your organization (adapted from the International County Managers Association).
1. Mentor women as consistently as men. More than 80 percent of women in a recent survey stated that a mentor was helpful in overcoming obstacles to top jobs.
2. Examine personal reactions – If a man said or did the same thing, would you have the same reaction? Women often comment that their ideas or suggestions are not heard until a man makes a similar point.
3. Practice inclusion in formal AND informal professional gatherings. In planning professional events, ensure women are approached to participate as panelists, speakers, and moderators.
4. Continue the conversation. By any standard, the low percentage of women in top jobs is unquestionably depriving our organizations of talented leaders.
“Women bring the skills, different perspectives and structural and cultural difference to drive effective solutions. In short, female leaders change the way global solutions are forged. That’s why it is important to keep pushing forward. Fairness and equality are admirable goals in themselves. And women have consistently proven that they are able to benefit policy in important ways.” – Gwen K. Young, Why We Need More Women Leaders
Dianne Lipsey
President
13 March, 2017
Collaboration can address key business challenges, including communication breakdowns and leveraging resources to produce more and better solutions, but collaboration needs to be managed to reap its benefits. Unstructured collaboration can lead to conflict, loss in productivity, and employee disengagement. There are a number of ways that organizations can improve their collaborative efforts through assessment, skill-building, coaching and use of collaborative processes. Collaborative solutions in the workplace are our specialty.
23 February, 2017
As an attorney, I have attended many discussions and panels on civility in the courtroom and how our profession benefits from encouraging and modeling civility and respectful communications in and out of the courtroom. So, the concept of civility is not foreign to attorneys; it’s something we hear throughout our careers frequently in response to an often-undeserved reputation that we are not as civil as we could be with one another. Well, it turns out that all those CLEs and panels were supported by extensive research that shows increased civility in the workplace helps teams perform better, and environments that create mechanisms to hold people accountable for displaying rudeness are happier and “psychologically safer” workplaces.
As my career has evolved and afforded me the opportunity to lead others, I have aspired to model civility, inclusion and respect for diversity, while simultaneously promoting a safe space for people to express divergent opinions and ideas. I have personally seen how environments that are rife with discontent and not practicing civility are destructive to teams and trust building. Over the last decade, I have worked with leaders, organizations and individuals to promote respect, trust, and inclusion – in turn trying to create better places to work. So, when I read the most recent article How Rudeness Stops People from Working Together, by the Harvard Business Review and SHRM, I had a moment of self-reflection on how civility helped me as a young attorney and now as a practitioner working with others to do the same.
https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/employee-relations/Pages/How-Rudeness-Stops-People-from-Working-Together.aspx
Marcia K. Thompson, ESQ.
Vice President
20 January, 2017
Every four years the political landscape in the US undergoes a dramatic change. Even when the President or the party stays the same, many of the people change. New priorities and points of view shape the future. As we approach such a shift, it’s timely to think about how change affects us and how we can affect it for ourselves and others.
As a coach, I know that change can be unsettling and even frightening and at best uncertain. But there’s energy in that uncertainty, which, when we can keep our bearings and harness and direct that energy, can lead to greater opportunities than we would have otherwise known.
So, what do we need to keep our bearings and channel our energy
First — Confidence to believe, however difficult it may be, that we have the power to create the change we need;
Second — Competence to apply ourselves, maybe learn new skills or shift our mindsets but always knowing that we are capable of it;
Finally — Persistence to work at it, taking it one step at a time, until we succeed.
“We don’t ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.” ― Barack Obama
Dianne Lipsey
President
01 February, 2016
The EEOC requires federal agencies to assign EEO Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to an external contractor for cases where there is an apparent or perceived internal conflict of interest, in the assignment of neutrals and, in some cases the program administration. ADR Vantage is well-equipped to address these changes with our history of managing and providing both EEO and non-EEO workplace ADR processes through facilitation, mediation, and settlement conference services.
Read the full text of the revised MD-110 here http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/directives/md-110_chapter_1.cfm
For more information about how ADR Vantage can help your agency comply with this new mandate, please contact our Director of Programs, Rick Buccheri at rbuccheri@adrvantage.com
