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Wanting Wisdom Re: Women
I am very aware that there is a certain level of risk involved in a male grantmaker publically commenting on the development of women as leaders in the nonprofit sector, particularly around the Christian context in which there has been so much debate and division. All the same, the conversation is happening in so many circles that I want to chip in my two cents and ask for yours. Catalyst offers what we think is a pretty amazing award to graduating students in our local school board through a partnership with the Halton Learning Foundation. We’re looking for young people who are ready to orient their lives around a dream of serving others, and we provide the opportunity for those dreams to be nurtured and expanded. This year every applicant was female. While I am not surprised that we’ve always had more young women than young men apply, having only women was a little jarring. Particularly because I still see predominantly men in the prime leadership positions of a majority of the nonprofits I interact with locally, nationally, and internationally. Somehow, these active and inspiring young women are not reaching the top of the ladder. Conversations with great people at organizations like Arrow and Next Level provide some affirmation of what I’m seeing; there are just too many factors that still make it more difficult for women to be identified and prepared for strategic positions. (I understand that the barriers for many other groups of people may be even more difficult, but that will have to wait for another time). In recent conversations with women who are playing leadership roles in Canadian charities I’ve been encouraged that most believe many of the past systemic issues of the “Old Boys Club” have diminished, but there are still real issues needing attention. I’d love to see comments from any readers on the following: -How can women be helped to find and become mentors in leadership? -How does an organization develop a leadership culture that is truly equal in opportunity and support for women and men? -Is there a way to help women to keep progressing as leaders during the years (say 25-40) in which many are marrying and have small children while there male colleagues are advancing? -Could Catalyst be intentional about seeking to support the development of women without drifting into tokenism that ultimately undermines the goal? Should we even try? -What should I be saying to our 17 year old award winners to encourage them and challenge them as they will be facing these same difficulties? I’d sincerely appreciate your thoughts…
5 Comments
Karen Petersen
Thank you so much for this, Chris! I can’t tell you how encouraging it is to have men like you join the conversation (I know you’ve been at the table with us for years, but so great that you’re focusing here today.) Also, thank you for your and Catalyst’s on-going support for NextLEVEL Leadership. We appreciate it so much. We are constantly wrestling with how to welcome and mentor younger women leaders. I will just comment on the support that foundations can offer in the development of women leaders.
Is there any way you can bring this up at ST2011? I believe that the more influential voices we have at the table the better. I am also convinced that our focus on international leadership development of women is vital.
Thanks again, Chris!!
Dawn Penner
Thanks for initiating this discussion Chris. I want you to know that just like it takes courage to ask the question, it also takes courage as a woman who is a leader to speak up. What I write only represents my experience and so is bound to be quite different than the views of another woman.
I’d have to say that in the beginning the biggest obstacle to my leadership development was my own insecurity and self-doubt. No doubt these feelings were nurtured by a church culture that accused women who stepped out of the traditional leadership roles of teaching children or leading women’s groups of “wearing the pants in the family”. At the core though, I think it was my own sinful tendency to doubt my value and worth. I’ve often thought that while many men are tempted by pride and self-sufficiency, many women are tempted by opposite extreme, false humility and self-loathing. So to answer your first question, I think young women or developing women leaders can be helped when experienced leaders recognize the leadership potential in them and offer to mentor them. My observation is that Arrow Leadership does an excellent job of pairing mature female leaders with emerging femaile leaders. That might be a good model for other organizations to explore.
I’ve always been inspired by other women’s stories. Perhaps 17 year old emerging leaders could find inspiration if you gathered stories from women about their struggles with leadership and the role mentors mentors played I offer mine as an example of how one woman dealt with some of the challenges of leadership, sought out mentors, and learned to fly!
I’ve always been an initiator so when I was looking for a new way to use my gifts I founded a new charity. I thought it would be similar to launching a new private psychotherapy practice which I had successfully accomplished in 3 provinces. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I discovered that the world of fundraising, charity law, and board development was a whole new world and an extremely steep learning curve. There were more than a few tearful phone calls with Lorna Dueck or Mark Petersen where I implored them to help me decide if I should throw in the towel or keep slugging. I have to say that the time they took to encourage me, help me see clearly, and make connections for me made a huge difference! But it was still a lot of hard work with many months of little or no pay and just the passion of my calling that pulled me forward.
Five years after Healing Streams was founded I was ready for fundraising coach and once again Mark Petersen came to the rescue with an impressive list of suggestions. The resulting relationship with Doris Olafsen, whom I have never met in person but love dearly, was the catalyst that finally helped me move from struggling founder to confident leader of a (woman led and founded) charity.
Healing Streams brings hope and healing to populations struggling with the aftermath of war and crisis. We do this by providing compassionate counselling skill training to trainers. Participants in our seminars are women and men who are familiar with the culture they live and work in and have existing caregiving and leadership relationships in their communities. We work only on invitation and currently our work is focused in Congo. I’m so proud to be one player in the empowerment of these courageous leaders!
Sandy Reynolds
Good questions Chris! I am not sure there are any easy answers to them. As you know I am doing my MA in Leadership and more than 1/2 our cohort is female. I find that encouraging. Everyone woman in the program is in a leadership role and the diversity of industries is surprising. Two that come to mind are a Director of IT (generally male dominated position)and a politician (again male dominated).
I think that many women opt out of careers when they starts a family (as you mention). One thing that comes to mind for me is that I think more men could take paternity leave. In Ontario both parents are entitled to 35 weeks of leave. I admire the men I know who have opted to take on part of the leave. I think this helps women in their careers – they can return to work sooner.
There are a number of great initiatives for women. I just attended a night sponsored by KPMG for women and it was outstanding. There were many females who occupy a C-suite position attending.
I don’t think there are as many barriers for young women. I’m watching my 22 year old daughter in her first management position with 10 direct reports including two men twice her age. She finds her age a barrier but not gender in her first leadership role. Maybe I am feeling optimistic or maybe I have just disassociated with organizations that discriminate against women. 🙂
Deb Veth
Thanks, Chris, for opening this dialogue. I am a friend of Karen’s, who connected me to your blog. I am no expert on the subject, but am in a position in which I relatively successfully made the transition from professional to mom back to professional, with about a twelve year hiatus from full time work. Currently I run a private Christian foundation in Boston.
I think there is a huge need for mentoring and leadership development for women to intentionally approach their “mommy years” with a long-term focus on what they will do when they reenter the work force. (I also know many stay in the workforce while parenting, which requires a whole different set of support and mentoring! I’m just addressing the circumstance that I found myself in.)
Everyone knows that at-home moms do a host of volunteer work–often a scattered mix of things that need to get done. Are they choosing this work based on who asks them, or also looking for ways to develop their skill sets, explore areas for which they have a passion, etc.?
Often thinking 10+ years into the future is hard, but I’m wondering if there is an opportunity to come alongside young mothers if they choose to/have the opportunity to spend some time outside the work force, such that they don’t find themselves interested in re-entering the work force but just feeling like they are at a huge disadvantage because of their time away from work.
Just a thought.
Adele Madonia
First of all, I must say that this is one of the most thought-provoking blog posts that I’ve read. I was struck by the both the pertinence of the content and the extent to which it reflects my experiences. My life has always been full of women with aspirations of leadership, and less full of women who are already “up the ladder.” Nevertheless, I have always seemed to move through life as through there were no gender-defined barriers. [A disclosure: I am in my twenties so by no means does this mean that will I necessarily survive unscathed.] But reading this blog made me wonder: “What is it about my experience that has allowed me to avoid these oh-so-hard-to-explain barriers, when so many women are slowed down along the way?”
After a few minutes of reflection, I think I could sum it up by saying that I have always had the privilege of being surrounded and mentored by people who truly viewed women as equals. I grew up in a household where gender differences were unnoticed – work was shared, my parents had the same profession (teachers), and girls played sports on co-ed teams. I learned about concepts like ‘gender inequality’ and ‘the glass ceiling’ at school. I remember that it took me some time to understand such things because I had not yet experienced them in my life. I went to a high school and university where the undying mantra was “you are smart and can do whatever you put your mind to.” I was then lucky enough to get a position with Opportunity International (www.opportunityinternational.ca), a place full of impressive women who trusted in and mentored me. (A quick thank you to Catalyst for being a powerful force behind me while I was there). I then entered an MBA program (disappointingly only 25% female, like so many elite MBA programs) where those of us who made it were again reminded of how much we could accomplish. I will soon start work in the microfinance department of the Inter-American Development Bank, and have no plans to slow down.
But I am acutely aware of how my life would be very different had I grow up under different conditions. Within reason, I believe that we are a product of our circumstances, and I was lucky enough to be dealt a great hand. As for your questions, here is the opinion of one lucky young woman who hasn’t yet suffered from the barriers that so many will:
– Females need to be immersed in examples of females are have “made it.” They need to be in environments which foster and promote their growth and mentored by people who believe in them and demonstrate this by giving them responsibility. Without responsibility, they won’t build the momentum they need to approach the world as though they can and will succeed.
– As for tangible examples, here are two, one for each age group:
1. I am sure that there are many incredibly bright young women who do not make it because their talents are not cultivated by their families in the home. Elementary and high school teachers may be the best people to help identify young women with great potential who may benefit from being mentored by older female mentors who can help to encourage them not only to stay in school, but to think about different types of career paths to pursue.
2. I am convinced that management skills that are taught in MBA programs apply not only to those who want to work in the corporate sphere, but also to people who passionately want to change the world. There is no reason that there should be such a low percentage of females in these business schools, and especially no reason that I am the only person in my graduating class who has exclusively worked for NGOs (a reality paralleled in several top MBAs). Well, in fact there is one. There is a huge financial barrier to entering these programs, and I believe this is what stops so many women before they even apply. I would venture to guess that traditional “business skills” are one of the most important voids in many NGOs, and yet there are very few Foundations and programs aimed at closing that gap. Perhaps scholarships on the condition of continued work in the non-profit sector could be an idea?
Anyway, a little food for thought. Thanks again for this very interesting post!