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sphinxx news alert
9 September 2009 | www.sphinxx.com.au
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 Dear {tag_recipientfirstname},
It’s been an exciting week here at
sphinxx, with our first development day in Melbourne, participation at
the Diversity on Boards conference and the BRAS Women in Business
Symposium...
And here’s some news for you too:
Until next week,
Jen Dalitz
Founder & The SheEO, sphinxx.com.au
Share sphinxx with a friend: We'd love you to help spread the word about sphinxx with your friends or colleagues. And if you've received this email from a friend, you can sign up for our free news alerts at www.sphinxx.com.au
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Why targets won’t get more women into our top jobs - have your say!
Jen Dalitz - Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Quotas or targets? This question dominated last week’s Diversity on Boards conference as speakers and participants grappled with how to improve gender diversity in Australia’s boardrooms.
As the 2-day event kicked off, it seemed that quotas were the odds on favorite: Arni Hole, the director-general of Norway’s Ministry for Children and Equality spoke about the success in Norway of introducing a 40% minority gender quota (meaning boards must have at least 40% representation of both women and men or risk being delisted from the Stock Exchange). Since the legislation was introduced there has been an increase in female directors from only 6 per cent to 41 percent - in just five years! Our own Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick suggested quotas might instigate the shift in thoughts and actions necessary for getting women into the top jobs.
Then David Gonski, Chairman of the Australian Stock Exchange, took to the stage. Now here’s a respected businessman who is regularly referenced as “one of the best”. His view? That he’s all for diversity, but he couldn’t possibly support quotas. Gonski suggested that diversity targets linked to CEO rem and public monitoring would be more effective because this approach would appeal to the competitive nature of leaders, inciting action where a company’s results fall behind those of its peers.
By way of example, a comparison was drawn to the public reporting of CEO salaries - and the corresponding spiraling of remuneration packages as egos defined in financial terms were suddenly put on public display. Extending this thinking, Gonski reckons that reporting progress towards self-determined diversity targets would spur companies into identifying sufficient suitable women who could then be appointed on the basis of their own merit rather than Government determined quotas.
Whether on the basis of Gonski’s reputation or through a belief in his thinking, a clear shift in support towards targets ensued through the remainder of the conference.
In case all of this talk about quotas and targets means nothing to you, let me try to explain: there are two main schools of thought around measuring and monitoring female participation rates. Quotas in effect mandate that a certain percentage or number of board positions must be held by the minority gender (which is almost always women); whereas targets are simply that. Targets are set by the company as a goal to pursue amongst all other company goals - sort of like a key performance indicator against which CEO performance is measured.
But let’s think for a minute about who would be setting these targets or goals: in our top companies 98% of CEOs are men, and 91.7% of all board directors are men. And the standard profile is pale, male and stale: they are not only all men, but they are white, Anglo-Saxon, middle-aged men who’ve been doing their own thing in their own way for a really long time now.
Are we seriously to believe that setting a goal for increasing women on boards and in leadership roles is going to be enough to translate to results - and substantial results at that? (remembering that in the 2008 EOWA Census of Women in Leadership showed we are going backwards in these measures!)
I reckon that targets are a flawed strategy because men - by their nature - need much clearer parameters to work within than simple targets or guidelines. I mean, think about it: when was the last time you set a voluntary yet worthy target for your husband, partner or even a colleague that he approached with enthusiasm and gusto, delivering the results you desired with immediacy and urgency?? While their intentions may be honourable, men are simply not as good as women at getting stuff done unless they absolutely have to.
Perhaps you’ve experienced the impact of this: you’ve set your man a target of painting the rumpus room or putting in that new garden bed or perhaps just cooking one meal per week... and yet this country is filled with half painted houses, Jim’s Mowing is one of our fastest growing franchises and the fast-food segment has picked up where the men’s good intentions never made it into the kitchen.
In the corporate context, with all the ongoing programs and initiatives and product development and growth strategies, how much air time do we really think diversity targets will get? How long will it take for this debate to be re-prioritised onto the back burner? (my guess is the GFC will be the first excuse, and there’ll be plenty more thereafter) And when push comes to shove, will targets actually be set at a level that will make a difference - like the 40% that Norway has come up with?
Men on the whole won’t volunteer to go against the grain; it’s not in their psyche. And while ever they dominate the voting rights, they know they don’t have to. So while targets may be a good idea in theory, if we are to see equal representation of women in leadership roles in my lifetime we’re going to need something with a lot more gumption than targets to get us across the line.
Therefore quotas get my vote... But I’m really interested to know what you think so I’ve launched a sphinxx survey of working women to capture your opinions and share them with the media, companies and watch dogs.
Please have your say - click here to cast your vote.
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New Book Release... 3 copies of "Property is a Girl's Best Friend" to give away
Jen Dalitz - Wednesday, September 09, 2009
A new book to help women understand the benefits and possibilities of investing in property was launched last week on TODAY TONIGHT and we have 3 copies of the book to give away to readers with compliments of Jo Bloom, property development specialist and contributing author. Jo also produces fantastic newsletters - I look forward to receiving them - which you can sign up for free at www.propertybloom.com.au
“Property is a Girl’s Best Friend” is packed with plenty of tips and tricks to get started (and stay ahead) in the property game, this comprehensive guide is a must-have for any woman looking to secure her financial future. The readers will also receive valuable bonus material to help them move forward on investing in property.
The book covers many strategies and techniques on investing in property, including detailed info on the development process.
"Property is a Girl's Best Friend" is available in all good book shops and online at www.propertywomen.com.au - or for a chance to win a copy simply post a comment here on this blog saying what you'd like to learn about property investing.
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Women Are More Likely to Be Perfectionists
A study of 288 employed American adults published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology^ found that more women than men felt they did not meet their own high standards either at work or at home. 38% of women and 24% of men said their job performance did not meet their own standards. 30% of women felt they were failing to meet their home and family commitments at a high enough standard, compared to 17% of men.
Hmmmm.... where do you fit on the scale??
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Who is the most inspiring woman in Australia?
With the generous support of Westpac Women's Markets, sphinxx will be expanding our development day program in 2010 to include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. We plan to include a number of panel discussions and presentations involving women in leadership roles throughout Australia - and we'd like to hear from who you'd like to see in the line up.
It could be someone in your workplace, in public office or in a leading organisation in Australia.... Whoever she is, we'd like to hear your suggestion!
Please post your suggestions here on this blog to have your say.
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Work in style - win a brand new executive chair worth $520
Have you had the chance to look around our new website now? Do you know someone who would benefit from all the free advice and giveaways we've sourced for you?
We’re receiving new emails and signups for our sphinxx alerts every day... but to realise our own goal of 5,000 subscribers in 2009 we need you to help us reach more successful women so we can help them to be more successful.
Tell 5 of your friends about sphinxx and you’ll have the chance to win an FX executive chair valued at $520 from Frontline Office Furniture.
You'll be working in style if you win this one... and supporting other women in business in the process. Click here to find out more.
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