Women Lead the Way

Much has been said about the hard road faced by women who seek top spots in corporate America. Many point out, for instance, that women executives still often are paid less than their male counterparts, and that they face stereotypes, such as not being tough enough for the job, that the weakestseeming man does not. But despite these (often justifiable) gripes, women are making it to the top of companies. This is due in part to their perseverance, and in part to development programs that gave them a push in the right direction. A women's leadership program is a great way to encourage young female talent in your organization-and it's also a great way to find your next star CEO. 

A Network of Their Own 

At Cbeyond, a managed services provider in Atlanta, promising women leaders are encouraged via the Cbeyond Women's Network, an organization the company built to help women better connect with one another and find greater opportunities, says Vice President, Learning and Development Mary Ford. "Five years ago, a few of us went to a program in Atlanta that recognized companies that provided a supportive environment for women, and we walked away from that awards program realizing we have a lot of fantastic female contributors at the company, and thought we could do something to promote career development for women within the company on our own terms," she explains. "We watched these companies being awarded for things such as on-site daycare, and some of those larger company perks, and realized we couldn't do that for financial reasons, but knew there was something we could do to promote women's career development."

A little more than a month later, Ford and her colleagues came up with and launched Cbeyond Women's Network, garnered executive support (including a small budget), and held the first session. The corporate budget for the program is supplemented by membership dues, and now has approximately 100 paid members who meet monthly. "We established as the objectives to provide a safe environment for learning and development, and to have an environment where we could get to know each other," says Ford. The network is built around a monthly speaker series. Every few months a new development theme is launched in which speakers from outside the company speak on topics such as creating a personal brand and communications skills. 

The Network itself is a testing ground for leadership as it is composed of committees members serve on, complete with leadership roles and succession planning. The program has enhanced the engagement of Cbeyond's women employees, says Ford, who notes, "I've had women tell me they love working at Cbeyond specifically because of that program, and the focus we put on women's development." 

Constructing Equal Opportunities 

For Western Summit Constructors Inc., women's leadership development is a top priority, but not one that comes with its own designated program, says Bilingual Training Specialist Stephanie Taylor. The company gives women the same amount of attention as men in all of its training programs, including those focused on leadership. Concentrating on equal representation during the training process is essential, says Taylor, given the struggles women still face in the construction industry- something Western Summit is trying to change. "We include women in every training program we offer," she says, "as well as in our internship program, mentoring program, and leadership succession program. We have begun to collaborate with our parent company on a "Women in Construction" leadership conference that is held annually, and intend to get more involved in recruiting women as entry-level engineers in our company." 

Taylor says the company understands how far it and the construction industry have to go in promoting women into leadership roles. Female representation in Western Summit, she says, is less than 15 percent, and most of those, Taylor points out, are in administrative support positions. "Our training specialist is very involved with our local chapter of National Association of Women In Construction and often finds ways for the company to get involved in sponsoring networking events where we come into contact with other successful women in the field." 

In a male-dominated industry such as construction, women combat more than the usual stereotypes of women in leadership. "Women have to work hard to prove they are capable of the same work as men and that they understand the business as well as their male counterparts," says Taylor. Rather than create a new set of values for its female recruits, the company focuses on the same ideals it holds any of its employees to, whether male or female. "Our first approach in preparing them for the challenge is making sure we recruit based on our core values. If we find women who have the same love for people, innovation, and integrity, along with a can-do attitude, they have won half the battle," she says. "Our second step is setting them up with a mentor who is well suited for their current skill set and able to prepare them for their next step within the organization. These mentors typically are men who have proven they have no gender bias, and with their influence, help the new females assimilate into our culture." 

At the same time, Taylor says Western Summit is conscious of the differences between male and female leadership tendencies, and how those differences can be optimized for the company's benefit. "Women tend to be less assertive and more thoughtful, therefore, they tend to do a bit better when it comes to negotiating contracts or change orders," she says. "We often utilize women in this capacity whenever possible. Women also tend to make better instructors in our academies, as they are more empathetic with the students and [able to] focus on getting them trained correctly, so we utilize them in that role, as well." 

Western Summit's efforts at keeping in mind rising female talent is showing evidence of success, as it now has three administrative departments,Taylor says, that are well represented when it comes to female leadership: Human Resources, Accounting/ Finance, and Business Development. "And in the field operations, our project coordinators are all women," she points out. 

Taylor says she is optimistic about the future of women in corporate leadership, at her company and beyond. "I think the future is bright for women in construction in general. By 2015, women will make up a majority of the workforce, and that is something smart employers will have to pay attention to, even those that are traditionally male," she says. "There is currently one woman [at Western Summit], our business development director, who is on a succession plan that will bring her to a seat at the table with senior management. We are working toward getting others headed in that same direction."