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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Women in Leadership: Working with the Good Ol’ Boys

A quick trip down the road to Auburn took me to the Women’s Leadership Institute. The Institute, established by Auburn University, has the distinct purpose of taking a proactive step to close the gender gap found for women in politics, corporate boardrooms, the administration of business and our educational institutions. Keynote speaker, The Honorable Sue Bell Cobb, spoke to the challenges and opportunities for women in leadership, and her significant litany of accomplishments shows that it can be done. Chief Justice Cobb is the only Democrat on the nine member court, and is the first woman chief justice. How did she get there? Not by fighting against the system, but by working within it. Her best reminder of the day, “Qualifications are the only thing that matters.” This is not to say that networking and swimming the channel of the Good Ol’ Boy Club isn’t very important, but that your qualifications will get you in the door. According to Cobb, don’t approach the club by trying to bust through it. You have to navigate it.

Well, how do you do that? First, according to Judge Cobb, “Do more than is expected.” For Chief Justice Cobb that meant working 14 circuits in 40 out of 67 counties. In her words, “Stand for something. Make a decision. Choose your purpose and be unapologetic and outspoken.” As a judge, you must make a decision, which is why you wear the robe. As a leader, you too must make a decision or the effort may founder on the rocks. Her challenge to leaders is to take a stand and be a person of conviction.

Second, seek out support, and seek it out from men who have daughters. What great advice this is! I see this in my own home and family where the relationship between the father and the daughter is a critical gift that helps her define faith, leadership and accomplishment.

Judge Cobb also points out that successful women leaders can cross gender lines. This means that they are able to work with, have fun with, and accomplish much with men and women. Great leaders are people that are not just respected, but liked too. They are uplifting and encouraging. Strong leaders know that anger is useless, and humor is key to building a strong team. This also plays into another important ingredient for a strong female leader. She needs to know how to widen her comfort zone. Don’t get offended so easily and for goodness sake lighten up. The Good Ol’ boys can teach us a thing or two about this, and they certainly know how to have fun AND accomplish much.

But, it is also important to know the difference between friends and allies. No one agrees all the time, even friends. But true friends stay with you thick and thin, and you don’t have as many friends as you think. Most of your “friends” are really allies, and that is okay to know, and more important to understand. Remember, loyalty works both ways, so “dance with the one who brung ya.” No one is successful in isolation. You must remember all of those who helped you to achieve that success.

Leaders must be risk takers too. Whether in politics, running a company, or leading a team, it takes a brave soul. This is a place where women leaders can really shine. We are by nature consensus builders, and this ability can earn buy in to a plan and ownership of an outcome in a solid way. In Judge Cobb’s words, “the rooster crows but the hen delivers.” What does that mean? It means that men tend to vote for the right now. Women tend to vote for the future. They see the vision, the purpose behind the design, and the legacy sought after. Women leaders are therefore vital to sustainability in an organization.

Here is another good tip: Finish what you start. I preach this at my house all the time. No one cares how smart, cute, wealthy or you name the great trait, which you are. If you don’t do something with it, and finish what you start who cares? Judge Cobb asked, “How do you finish a whitewater raft race?” Stay in the boat.

In all, time was well spent on this trip to the Women’s Leadership Institute. The big lesson for women leaders is really quite similar to the words for our male colleagues: find your mentors, set your goal, and seek out partners. Remain full of purpose and conviction, but don’t let that keep you from having some fun. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “I have never wanted to be a man, but I have wanted to be more effective.”

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Has it been a while since you attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting? How about the Wednesday morning meeting of the North Jefferson Business League? I had the opportunity to participate with two of these groups this week and in addition to catching up with several of the area business owners and leaders in the area, I learned a thing or two about topics relevant to staying competitive in business today.

The North Jefferson Business League presenter was Dr. Rudy Guess of the Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church. Dr. Guess shared with us some of his research and ideas on the scriptural directives for leadership. Pulling from the Book of Genesis, he relayed the story of the selection of Rebecca as the wife of Isaac. The story of Rebecca if you have not read it lately concerns the visit of a young woman to a watering well in the village. Off in the distance is the servant of Abraham, tasked with the job of choosing a wife to bring back to marry young Isaac, son of Abraham. Unsure of how to discern which young woman to choose, he is feverishly praying for God to help with the endeavor. “Please, God of Abraham,” prays the servant, “If she be the one, let her ask to bring me a drink of water.” As the story, unfolds, Rebecca is the only young lady among the several at the well who asks to bring the stranger some water. The leadership message comes in the next thing that Rebecca does. She offers to not only bring the stranger water (which for those times is customary), but she also offers to water his camels. This is the “goes the extra mile” message that centered on the leadership focus for Dr. Guess. Always a gifted speaker, Dr. Guess made the visit to North Jefferson Business League this week time well spent. We all need a good dose of “going the extra mile” with our customers and staff, and it is refreshing to know that the directive has changed little in 6,000 years.

The second learning event for me this week was at our Fultondale Chamber meeting. This week we enjoyed a visit by two leaders from the US Chamber of Commerce, Moore Hallmark and Patrick Gartland. I have met both Moore and Patrick at previous events sponsored by the Business Council of Alabama and the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, and they agreed to visit with us in Fultondale as we work to grow our Chamber. Whether growing a business team, or a chamber team, Moore and Patrick shared some examples of other Chambers and how they worked to remain strong resources in their communities. High on the list of suggestions was the need to work in partnership with both the State Chamber of Commerce and National Chamber. We are seeking to do just that in Fultondale, Gardendale, and the entire North Jefferson area. The best way to accomplish this is to develop a Government Affairs Team within the Chamber. This team will work on developing policy statements that will position the growth and sustainability of local business, and ultimately can work in partnership with the teams of sister cities in the North Jefferson area. This type of grass roots partnership will help drive outcomes for our legislative and local leadership, help us stay on top of timely and relevant issues to our community, and formulate a supportive infrastructure for government in our community.

The big message from Moore and Patrick was that while it is nice for a Chamber to support events in a town, the real work is to create true value in the area of leadership. Interestingly, 97% of State Chamber members have 10 or less employees
88% of US Chamber members have 10 or less employees. Most small businesses join Chambers to insure that they have a voice, and you can really cement that happening when you join and take an active role.

According to the US Chamber, small Chambers are key to holding people accountable and the focus of a Chamber should be less on the benefits and service, and more on creating value by increasing public policy involvement and working in economic development. Focus on these efforts will work to keep the Chamber of Commerce viable and relevant.