Tag Archives: women in leadership

Confidence matters as much as competence

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How real is “the confidence gap”? How do you address it in your own work? This was one of the topical questions I posed on a recent TweetChat that I hosted for Jenn Dennard and #HealthITChicks.Brave woman posing as super hero

What would you tell your 20-year-old self? That was one of the questions posed a few days later to me and my co-panelists at the 3rd annual Women in Business Conference – Lead. Represent. Mentor. – sponsored by the Women in Business Club at Hult International Business School. Our panel was “Leading Change in Technology”.

One of the panelists, Nancy Li, is a young woman with a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. She is the Manager of Edge Computing Commercialization at Verizon. In response to that question, she quickly answered, “Be fearless”. After everything I learned about Nancy’s career and experiences, I wasn’t at all surprised at her answer. The other panelist, Florence Lu, is a Senior Solution Architect and four-time IBM Master Inventor working at IBM Research and has filed more than 180 patent applications. She commented on the importance of developing public speaking skills if you want to be a leader, pointing out that you must be able to present your ideas to others. Clearly, she has been an idea generator and innovator her entire career.

I’ve spoken and written a lot on issues that women face at work in the past few years and willingly shared my own experiences as a professional woman and leader in IT for over three decades. I was truly impressed with Nancy and Florence’s accomplishments as technology professionals and their eagerness to share their own stories and advice. And their confidence!

I highly recommend reading the article, “The Confidence Gap” by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman published in The Atlantic, May 2014. They did extensive research on the differences between how girls and boys / women and men approach situations. The bottom line is that confidence matters as much as competence and confidence must lead to action. A few excerpts from the article: Continue reading →

What’s YOUR personal brand?

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We all have a professional network, big or small. It may be people we know well and have worked with at some point. Or people we’ve met briefly at a conference and agreed to keep in touch. Or people who canstockphoto18694235 (1) personal brandhave reached out to us to connect on social media channels after seeing our profiles.

While you may not think you have a “personal brand”, you do have a professional reputation.  The idea of having a personal brand may have invoked thoughts of vanity in the past. But not in this technology enabled social media world we live in.

So, what is your personal brand? Are you consciously creating it? How do people see you publicly online and in person? What are you known for? These are all questions you should be able to answer.

One of the first ways I thought about it was when I re-initiated my Twitter account several years ago and had to write my profile. At the time, my account was private. A colleague who was advising me on social media told me that was my first mistake. Twitter is meant to be public – I shouldn’t have to approve who can follow me. More importantly, he said my profile should capture in just a few phrases who I am and what’s important to me.

I recently saw a blog post by Janet Mesh from one of our partner firms, Healthcare IT Leaders, titled “How To Boost Your Career With An Online, Personal Brand”. I was reading along thinking, yup, yup I do all that. Then I was pleasantly surprised and grateful to see that I was used as an example. Thanks Janet and Healthcare IT Leaders!  And thanks to all those who gave me encouragement and advice to get started in a focused way building my social media presence several years back. Continue reading →

9 articles on women and work worth your time

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In the past month, I’ve seen more articles on women in leadership, women on boards, and gender equity than I have seen in a long time. It’s probably reasonable to assume the increased focus has to do with it canstockphoto44053815 (1) time for changebeing Women’s History Month. As I said in my post on International Women’s Day, let’s not just focus on these issues for one day or one month but all year long.

Here’s a sampling to check out if you are committed to ensuring women have a seat at every table:

A seat at the head of the table by Emily Bazelon in The New York Times Magazine. It’s an insightful interview with two experts on leadership – Katherine W. Phillips, a professor of organizational management at Columbia University, and Shelley Correll, a sociologist at Stanford.

Wanted: 3,732 Women to Govern Corporate America by Jeff Green, Hannah Recht and Mathieu Benhamou in Bloomberg Businessweek. That headline should get the attention of any woman interested in serving on boards.

Women in venture: The case for increasing representation in digital health investing by Laura Lovett in MobiHealthNews

From the practical experience of women leaders comes insight, advice and inspiration for others:

A rising tide lifts all gender-balanced boats bound for HIT board rooms by Jenn Dennard at HealthITChicks

Achieving a better gender balance across all levels of an organisation by Wendy Clark in HealthITNews

Four McKinsey leaders share their advice for early-career women – McKinsey Blog from McKinsey & Company. I particularly liked these spot-on words of advice: Continue reading →

Negotiation is an everyday skill

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When we think of needing good negotiation skills, we often think in terms of salary and promotions. For sales people and buyers, it’s negotiating terms and price. But if you really think about it, you are probably canstockphoto16049179 (1) negotiatenegotiating with someone about something every day.

Let’s look at some different situations.

Negotiating as an employee – This is certainly not an everyday event. You may be negotiating salary as part of a new job offer or a promotion with your current boss. Keep in mind that you can negotiate more than just the salary and any potential bonus. Most companies have a standard set of non-negotiable benefits that the HR representative explains. But there are other components you can negotiate before accepting an offer. One example may be a remote work option or relocation benefits. Consider the “value” of other benefits beyond the base salary as you negotiate. The key to success is to do your research on what might be possible, be ready with your ask, and be clear on what you’re willing to compromise on.

Negotiating as a buyer – This is not an everyday event either. You may be negotiating with a vendor for a product or service. Or you may be buying a new house or car. There may be some situations where there is no room for negotiation but it’s more likely that you be able to. Again, it’s not just the core price but other terms as well. The key to success will sound familiar – do your research, be ready with the ask, and be willing to compromise.

Negotiating as a team member – This could involve a new assignment you have been asked to take on or a due date you have been asked to meet. Neither are set in stone. Continue reading →

International Women’s Day all year long

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#Balanceforbetter – what a great hashtag! That’s the theme for International Women’s Day 2019. While it’s celebrated on March 8 each year, the global campaign continues all year long as it should.canstockphoto48269311 (1) IWD

I remember celebrating International Women’s Day back in the 70’s during the height of the women’s movement. With the increased focus on gender equity it has become much more mainstream.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. According to the website, International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for over a century, with the first​ ​IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the​ Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s equality.

And March is Women’s History Month. According to the Women’s History Month website this month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed a bill authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed a bill which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.”

I’ve been seeing a lot of women’s events and webinars promoted on social media channels. Webinars and live webcasts I’ve registered for this week include:

  • The State of Women at Work
  • Women in Technology Role Models: A Global Perspective
  • Tech She Can: Together we can change the ratio

It took me a minute to realize that live webcasts at 5 AM weren’t a mistake. With international events online, that’s the middle of the day somewhere in the world. The good news is that they are all available on-demand afterwards at BrightTALK. Continue reading →

Develop women leaders, transform leadership

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I am passionate about developing the next generation of leaders, in particular helping to develop women leaders in health IT. I have joined with Gale Thompson, a renowned leadership coach, to offer a new c change key image li REVISIONservice through StarBridge Advisors called C-change. Our goal is to equip female leaders in health IT with the perspectives, knowledge, skills and support to be an effective leader – her way.

Why are we doing this? We see a world in which female IT professionals hold up half the world in healthcare at all levels.  They are seen, supported, and expected to be leaders.  They are equally as successful and effective as their male colleagues and enabled to be leaders each in their own unique way, drawing on their strengths, values, and personal qualities.  They can effectively bring to leadership both their head and heart.

We want to support the development of female leaders at all stages of their career such that they enter, evolve, and attain leadership positions at a rate equal to their male peers and in a way that fully utilizes their strengths.

To start with, C-change will offer two unique online courses beginning in March:

Preparing Emerging Leaders for Success

This course is aimed at women early in their health IT career who are looking to develop their leadership skills. I will conduct a 6-month online series of participative group webinars for aspiring women leaders. Each series will be limited to 20 participants and include 6 one-hour monthly sessions, each with a presentation and small group breakouts for discussion on the following topics:

Building Confidence – Developing Your Inner Strength and Voice

Finding Your Passion – How to Know When to Make a Move

Negotiating for Success – Negotiation Skills and Crucial Conversations

Building Your Network and Personal Brand – Leveraging Social Media

Making the Right Choices for You – Life/Work Balance

Through this custom-tailored series, you will gain valuable insight and make lasting connections with other aspiring women leaders. Continue reading →

#HIMSS19 – are you ready?

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If you work in health IT, you know that the annual HIMSS conference is the biggest annual industry event whether you are headed to Orlando in two weeks or not. The number of emails, blog posts, social media image001 (003) HIMSS19posts, and articles providing guidance and recommendations on HIMSS19 grows with each passing day. And to this year’s theme – yes, we are all champions transforming healthcare through technology!

With so much info out there and so many scheduling choices to make, here are a few more resources and recommendations that might help in your final preparation.

Whether you are attending in person or following the happenings from a distance, the Official HIMSS19 Hashtag Guide will help you focus in on your areas of interest. And of course, you’ll want to follow all the social media ambassadors.

Check out the StarBridge Advisors blog post from principal, David Muntz – “Prepare to visit HIMSS2019 – Health IT’s Magic Kingdom”. David gives his advice for optimal prep and shares our principals’ top picks for this year – mine are #WomenInHIT, #HITventure and #Engage4Health.

At the Career Development Seminar on February 11, David will be presenting “Opportunities in the Rapidly Changing HIT Environment” at Session #4 from 1:00PM-2:00PM and hosting a mentor roundtable on “Future of the Industry” at 3:15PM.

The career fair on Wednesday from 8:30AM-3:30PM is something to consider checking out if you are early in your HIT career, looking for a change, or just want to get some tips from the experts. There is no fee, but separate registration is required.

I’m looking forward to hearing the panel at the #WomeninHIT Meetup – Changing the Scales to #BalanceforBetter on February 12 from 3:00PM-3:45PM at the HIMSS Spot. StarBridge Advisors will be launching a new initiative focused on developing women leaders prior to HIMSS19 – more on this in an upcoming blog. Continue reading →

The changing face of leadership

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Ayanna Presley, Sylvania Garcia, Veronica Escobar, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Deb Haaland, Sharice Davids, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, and Lauren Underwood.canstockphoto354515 (1) diversity

These are names you may not recognize now. But you will. They are some of the more than 100 women elected to the House of Representatives on November 6th. Women have never held more than 84 of the 435 house seats according to a November 8th Washington Post article by Mary Jordan – Record number of women heading to Congress.

Ayanna Presley is the first black congressperson elected from Massachusetts. Sylvania Garcia and Veronica Escobar are both from Texas and the first Latino women elected to the House of Representatives. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslim women elected to the House. Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids are the first Native American women elected to the House; Sharice is the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in Kansas. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes is the youngest woman ever elected to the House at the age of 29.

Lauren Underwood is a 30-year-old nurse who will be the youngest black woman in Congress. In a district that is 86% white, she beat six men in the primary and unseated a four-term incumbent. Her campaign focused on healthcare.

Another woman to watch is Kyrsten Sinema. She now has a slight lead in the Arizona Senate race but it is still too close to call at the time of this writing. If she wins, she will be the first bisexual person elected to Congress.

Now that’s what I call a diverse group of determined women representing the next generation of leaders in Washington. Continue reading →

What can we learn from women in leadership?

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It’s been almost four years since I started speaking and writing openly about the challenges facing women at work, the importance of developing women leaders, and encouraging women to pursue STEM careers. canstockphoto7990695 (1) women leadersI have no regrets about being outspoken on women’s issues.

It is encouraging to see organizations like CHIME and HIMSS focus on this in recent years and to see so many younger women share their own stories and provide advice to others.

I was happy to see the recent four-part series that Kate Gamble, Managing Editor of HealthSystemCIO.com, did on Women in HIT leadership.  She interviewed an excellent group of women leaders – Sarah Richardson, California market CIO for HealthCare Partners; Tressa Springmann, SVP and CIO at LifeBridge Health; and Julie Bonello, CIO at Rush Health.

The series covered all the topics you might expect: their early leadership experiences and stories, core leadership competencies needed, the importance and challenge of maintaining work/life balance and supporting your teams, stereotypes of women leaders, the power and importance of mentoring, and learning from male dominated environments.

Their experiences, insight, and advice provide a rich set of lessons to learn from. I highly recommend you read or listen to the series at these links:

Women in HIT Leadership, Part 1: Identifying the Core Leadership Skills

Women in HIT Leadership, Part 2: Challenging Gender Stereotypes

Women in HIT Leadership, Part 3: The Future of the CIO Role

Women in HIT Leadership, Part 4: A Call to Action

In the closing comments of Part 4, Sarah says she is optimistic about the future for women but knows it is up to us as women leaders to make change happen. She quotes Sheryl Sandberg from Lean In, “If not you, then who?” and “If not now, then when?”. And Tressa talks about leading with grace in spite of the obstacles women face. Continue reading →

Equal Pay Day 2018, like spring, comes four months too late

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Last Tuesday, April 10th was Equal Pay Day – the date each year that marks when the average woman will have earned as much as her male colleagues earned the previous year. Last year it was April 4th.  Forequal pay winter spring pix women of color, Equal Pay Day comes even later. Black women reach the milestone on August 7th and Latina Equal Pay Day is November 1st.

Let’s take a closer look at this situation.

In a Time article, “10 Powerful Women on How #MeToo Has Changed the Fight for Equal Pay”, Jennifer Calfas notes how long it will take to close this gap, given our present rate of progress. Estimates from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research show the pay gap won’t be closed for women until at least 2059, not until 2124 for black women, and as far out as 2233 for Hispanic women. So not in our lifetimes! Think about that when you are talking to your daughters and granddaughters about what they want to be when they grow up.

According to an ABCNews report, tech is one of the better industries. The report says, “In the tech industry — which has been under scrutiny for gender equity issues — women were paid 99.5 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earned, the smallest pay gap by industry found in the study. However, when the control for the same title is removed, women earned 84.7 cents compared to men in the tech industry, moving it to the middle of the industries examined.”

According to the 2018 HIMSS U.S. Compensation Survey based on the feedback of 885 health IT professionals, gender pay disparity exists similar to the overall numbers already noted. Continue reading →