Women & Leadership: Nature, Nurture or Neither?

I read somewhere that there is a set of distinct traits that students of girls schools share, that girls from their coeducational counterparts otherwise wouldn’t, among which are high self-confidence (the article may even have said overconfidence), and the camaraderie.

Having graduated from one myself, I’d undoubtedly vouch for those claims. My formative and pubescent years of middle school and high school were spent in one of the most reputable school systems in Indonesia called St. Ursula. Set in the same compound as Jakarta Cathedral, the 200 year old colonial-style campus exuded the same fortitude as the quality of education delivered.

Our headmistress, a Dutch educated Catholic nun, was a traditionalist but visionary, powerful but gentle, modest but brilliant and whose motto “think” was uncompromising. She wouldn’t accept mediocrity, her method pushed you to keep trying new things until you could accomplish your goals, she believed that intelligence was important but it wasn’t everything, that being a well-rounded individual was more essential than being smart, she taught you to be involved as active members of society and not as spectators. Moreover she was also “killer”. She was an authority figure you wouldn’t want to have a run-in with, as she would let you and everybody know that you did something wrong. But on the same token, getting schooled by her was a rite of passage, a privilege and to an extent, a bragging right that could be told for years. True to this last point, I for one, can proudly say survived the latter. To this day, she is still loved, hated, admired and idolized as an educator, by the throngs.

A rather interesting observation many people share though is not only about her, but about the alumni, that there is a certain mold that St Ursula graduates seem to fit into. Mixed in the professional world, you could pinpoint an Ursula alum from the crowd like a sore thumb. The public opinion seems to be that the women are typically natural leaders, driven, opinionated, confident, vocal, thoughtful, independent and generally successful.

 

Over the last 20 years, research has shown that girls think, interact, display leadership, and make decisions differently than boys. Studies shows that with fewer gender distractions, girls learn to be more competitive, accept leadership roles, and spend more time on schoolwork and personal interests. Studies point to educational disparities between the sexes, and found that, in mixed schools, girls routinely are called upon less, receive less feedback, and display lower self-esteem than boys. Furthermore, according to Forbes, in the business world, women currently hold only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions and the same percentage of Fortune 1000 CEO positions. In 2014, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 79 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 21 percent.

These statements pose a degree of curiosity for me. Does leadership come naturally for women, or does it require a sequestered condition of nurturing and grooming that is different from men? Moreover, are both properties above combined, plus a favorable opportunity, the chance women need to gain a leadership position? I attended a women leadership forum where top female executives of major Indonesian and international corporations spoke. In one occasion the speakers agreed that women must speak up and dare to ask the bold questions in order to break the glass ceilings and climb the corporate ladders. This then begs the question if leadership is granted to women, or do we have the same fair chance as men to earn it? My final thought, Do women with comparable traits, competencies, skills, knowledge, drive, passion as the men counterpart, when compared to or are competing with them stand equal chance? Or rather, in this day and age, should this type of question not even be asked anymore?

My next Talk, What’s next for HR in 2016

Upcoming event for fellow HR practitioners. What’s next for HR in 2016?
I’ll be talking about AQ (Adversity Quotient), and why it is essential to improve it for the future Gen Y leaders.
The event is on Thursday, 3 Mar 2016 in Jakarta.

2016 Resolution: Stop Making Excuses for Yourself!

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else” – Benjamin Franklin

This particular show called “My 600-lb Life” caught my attention recently. The premise of the programme is to tell a story about people who suffer from obesity, about their past, about how and when they started becoming overweight, about their current life situation dealing with it, and about how eventually they go through a gastric bypass surgery to help catalyze weight loss and the follow up. As expected, people who are obese are essentially immobile, needing a caretaker to tend to their every need, have poor health, and lead an imbalanced lifestyle.

A woman weighing 690 lbs went through a bypass surgery and after six months only managed to lose less than 100 lbs from the possible 300 lbs. They showed that she refused all kinds of instructions and recommendations given to her such as diet, exercise, physical therapy, and a generally active lifestyle. She had all the excuses in the world for why she wouldn’t follow them, to a point where even the doctor finally resigned from her case.

A simple tip for goal setting that I’d like to share are the “3 D’s”. The first “D” of goal setting is “Desire” to achieve it, that is, asking yourself ‘how much do I want this?’. If you don’t get excited about the goal, then maybe it’s not something you really want to pursue in the first place. Pick something that makes your heart race just thinking about it, and you’ll be more likely to complete it.

The other 2 D’s are “Determination” and “Discipline,” that is how much you are willing to work for the goals despite the roadblocks. Anyone can set a goal easily. The overweight woman may appear resolute to lose weight in the beginning, but she wasn’t willing to work towards her goals and that is the reason for her failure. The ultimate test of goal setting or goal achieving is in the process, when we have to put in the time, energy, effort and sacrifice.

We don’t not do things because we can’t, but because we won’t. The question we need to ask ourselves about our goal is, ‘Will I work for my goals, or will I make excuses for why I won’t?’ Additionally, a smart thing to do is to identify the potential roadblocks before the journey even starts and the sacrifices we would need to make regularly or constantly in order to reach these goals. This way, we can brace ourselves and prepare for those challenges beforehand, rather than being caught off guard and underestimating these challenges.

I hope the “3 D’s” formula can help you understand the right mindset for effective goal setting and goal accomplishing. It’s got to be something meaningful that will move you. However, in order to reap the rewards, it’s guaranteed to be nothing short of hard work.

So my 2016 wish to you is for a prosperous year ahead filled with happiness, health and laughter.

This article has been published on Now! Jakarta magazine January 2016 issue.

5 Common Mistakes People Make in Team Building Trainings

In my profession as a Coach in the People Development business, I see mistakes that HR Managers, Directors, even CEOs make in confusing team building trainings as a cost versus an investment for the company. In an economic sense, investment is the purchase of goods that are not consumed today, but are used in the future to create wealth.

Cost is the price paid to acquire something. Training is an investment because people are assets, not commodities. To emphasize the phrase ‘used in the future to create wealth’ to describe investment, as leaders we believe that our employees and team members will generate wealth for the organization, therefore we invest in them by developing them. One of the frequent arguments against investing in professional development is “What happens if I train my people and they leave?” A better question is “What happens if you don’t train them and they stay?”

Benefits of Team Development Trainings

An effective team building training will be able to help your organization reach new heights by building trust among the members, improving communication and collaboration, boosting their morale and essentially increasing productivity and performance. What does all this mean for the bottom line of a company? According to studies, employees with high morale are 89% more likely to put in extra effort and extra hours at work.

So in order for your company to get the most ROI from a team building training, I’d like to share the 5 most common mistakes people make that you need to avoid:

1. Being Unclear about your Goals

   You must be clear about what you want to attain from the training, and how you wish your training partner to help you reach your goals. Do you just want your employees to have a shared experience, or do you actually want them to learn about each other and to synergize together? By setting a clear goal, it’ll help you to consider the right approach as well as partner for your endeavors (see #2 below)

    

2. Picking the Wrong Partner to Develop your Team

   Next to #1, this is the second most important element to having a successful team building training. The right training partner can diagnose what your team needs, has the right software and hardware to deliver the programme, has the experience and credentials, and most critically understands how important this investment is for you.
   

3. Thinking Team Building must be Fun
   

   Too many people mistake team building as some kind of a paid vacation that’s injected with some amount of learning, sponsored by the company. The point of learning is stretching our old thinking into new philosophies, and this process to some degree requires leaving our comfort zone – and for some, this is no walk in the park. So if you’re thinking of investing money on fun in the name of training, you’d better think again.

4. Thinking Team Building Training is to Play Games
   

   The most effective method to develop a team is through a shared experience, scientifically known as experiential learning training. You and other team members are outside of a classic 4-wall classroom, are given a series of problem-solving tasks and simulations to be solved together. But there is more than meets the eye. The activities or simulations are only one part of the equation. An effective experiential learning training is one that delivers both the experience and the learning equally well. It should provide a meaningful experience; facilitate impactful reflections to draw insights behind the activities and relate them back to real-life situations.

5. Thinking Team Building is a Quick Fix

   Rome was not built in one day, and neither are teams. Studies show that people need 21 consecutive days to form a new habit, hence repetition is key. A good team building training is able to offer solutions for your teamwork issues that give a long-term impact. They say, a quick fix is a short-term fix. So if you want a strong team that’s permanent, you have to be willing to put in the time and the work.

We all desire a team that works like a well-oiled machine and yields high productivity. Sometimes we’ve got it, sometimes we haven’t got it yet. One thing is for sure, wherever we are in that spectrum, a well-coordinated and engaged team doesn’t just happen automatically. We call it teamwork because the whole team has to put in the work. You may contract a training partner to help develop your people, but building your teams is not their full-time job, it’s yours. My wish in your endeavor for wealth in your organization, is that you are investing in your people correctly and wisely.

This article has published on Now! Jakarta magazine

Generation-Y Thriving with Your Business Growth

Last week, I wrote about Indonesia’s consistent economic growth and the affects it has on many businesses (Growth of Economy, Your Business and Human Capital Challenge). One needs to be vigilant that albeit business growth is required, but so is the quality of its people. I spoke to the CEO of a major real estate developer company recently, he told me that his human capital size have grown 200% in the past 2 years. Their problem is the development aspect of the people is not going linear as the size. His other concern was the new young hires have difficulties catching up to match the standards.

Is academic excellence enough when hiring fresh graduates?

In order to anticipate a rapid growth in business, many large companies set up a fast track program for young, bright and talented individuals, typically fresh university graduates, in order to groom them to become managers in a relatively short time of a year or two (known as Management Trainee programs). Some challenges these companies face with the new recruits, other than their lack of knowledge about (the) business is their mentality. Their young age, lack of life experience and skills require a lot of growing and maturing on their part. So think about the role you play, the money and time you need to put in to mature them.

Facts of Gen-Y Life

Studies have shown that Gen-Y-ers (those who were born in the late 1980s up to mid 90s) excel in academics and knowledge of technology. They were practically born with a cellphone in their hands. Communication was made super easy by gadgets. Thinking processes have also been made more practical, short cut and almost automated, thanks to these devices. Yes, kudos to these technological evolutions, our lives are faster and easier – exactly like our 2-minute instant cup noodles. All this is great of course, except for the downsides. Studies show that this generation lack in resilience when faced with adversity. I remember less than 10 years ago, we had to go to the library, and get books just to research and obtain information. Back then, more effort had to be put in to something so simple. Nowadays, information can be accessed from your fingertips. Fighting spirit may very well have a different meaning to this generation than the previous generations altogether. Getting around or getting things done may seem effortless for the gen-Y.

So the dilemma is this, when these gen-Y-ers just graduated from university and apply to your company, they may most likely carry this “fast and easy” mindset. A bright straight A student from a reputable university, applying for a managerial position, expecting a nice office, good pay, easy going boss, easy going colleagues, easy going work, in other words an easy going life. It doesn’t work that way, does it!

The Uphill Battle to Win the War: Developing the Gen-Y!

Many of our clients come to us due to this exact problem. People expect performance from putting in a mediocre effort, and when push comes to shove, they crack under pressure. The cardinal rule being in order to be ahead of competition, the people need to own a winning attitude and outstanding talent.

As I mentioned earlier, in a management trainee program, these “green” talents are prepped and groomed to be the next future leader. They have the skills and knowledge, but what about their mental attitude – or lack thereof? Don’t be disheartened, mental attitude can be detected and measured and it surely can be improved.

5 key ingredients when you’re developing the Gen Y’s winning attitude:

1. Coachability In the selection and recruitment stage, it’s imperative to select those who are not only talented and bright, but coachable. Coachability is an vital attribute to have for someone who’s inexperienced and expected to climb the corporate ladder in a short time. Humility, willingness and passion to learn is key to progress.
2. Fighting spirit & Resilience Test and observe how they perform under pressure. Their fighting spirit will get your company to new heights; their ability to beat the odds and be resilient during crisis. Never stop challenging your people.
3. Shine under pressure Empower your people to discover and use their potential. When you push your people to their limits, there’s only 2 possible outcomes, they will either break or shine. The shiners are keepers. Never cease to demand excellence from your people, that’s the only way they will grow.
4. Personal management Develop their maturity, personal values, emotional control and self-discipline. Their level of maturity and emotional control will help ease their transition to leadership position.
5. Leadership & Relationship Building The two attributes must go hand in hand because effective leadership happens when relationships are built. Successful leaders are those who can be role models and able to communicate well with others.

When you’re hiring and developing the gen-Y-ers, there’s going to be pluses and minuses. Highlight their strong points, and help them improve on the weak points. Remember that people are resilient, if you hire the right people, they will able to adapt to and embrace the changes you want them to conform into.