by Gini Dupasquier

On May 5th, the third edition of the PWA Mentoring Program officially started with a kick-off workshop. The Program received a lot of interest and will involve around 70 women divided into 35 mentor-mentee pairs this year. The kickoff workshop was also the occasion for the pairs to meet officially, break the ice and effectively start their relationships. Over the next 6 months, from May to December, they will meet to work on professional development objectives defined during the workshop.

Are you wondering how the pairs were matched?
The matching process was long and carefully thought-out.  In March each applicant sent us her CV and the application form, indicating the specific areas in which she desired the support of a mentor: the more details provided, the more likely we were to find a good match with the competencies and / or professional background particularly suitable to that specific mentee. Similarly, mentors sent us their experience and their strong areas in which they felt they could contribute. We read and re-read all the CVs, forms and information and slowly the individual pairs came to light.  When we were undecided between two mentees with similar requests, the mentee with seniority in PWA membership had priority.

When mentee requests were a bit vague, if possible we asked for more details in person, in other cases we applied a little common sense and creativity.  At the end of this process, we are satisfied with the matches; the ball is now in the participants’ court.  In addition to “on paper” compatibility, chemistry and openness will make a huge difference to the success of the relationships.

At the end of the program we will use a feedback survey to understand the extent to which the relationship has helped with the professional growth and objectives, and what has been achieved in the mentoring time frame. Any comments or suggestions for improvement will be used for next year’s program.

Good luck to all our Mentors and Mentees!

For any query please don’t hesitate to contact me, Lee Smith or Karolina Wrobel at the usual address:
professional@pwa-milan-org
Gini Dupasquier
PWA Professional Development Director & Mentoring Program Leader

La terza edizione del Programma di Mentoring è ufficialmente iniziata!
Il 5 Maggio scorso si è svolto il workshop di inizio della terza edizione del programma di mentoring al femminile di PWA. Anche quest’anno il Programma ha riscosso un grande interesse e coinvolgerà circa 70 donne, suddivise in 35 coppie mentor-mentee. Per un periodo di 6 mesi, da Maggio a Dicembre, le coppie si incontreranno e lavoreranno sugli obiettivi di crescita professionale definiti con il nostro supporto durante il workshop.

Il kickoff workshop è stata anche l’occasione per presentare ufficialmente le coppie, aiutarle a rompere il ghiaccio ed avviare efficacemente la loro relazione. Come sono state decise le “coppie”? Il lavoro di matching è stato lungo e articolato. Nel corso del mese di Marzo ciascuna partecipante ci ha inviato il proprio CV e l’application form con l’indicazione delle aree specifiche in cui richiedeva il supporto di una Mentor: tanto più queste indicazioni sono state dettagliate, tanto più probabile è che sia stato trovato un buon match con una Mentor con competenze e/o background professionale particolarmente centrati per fornire un supporto a quella specifica mentee. Analogamente le mentor ci hanno indicato la loro esperienza professionale e le loro aree di “forza” sulle quali poter fornire un contributo.

Abbiamo letto e riletto tutte queste informazioni e piano piano le varie coppie sono venute alla luce. Nei casi in cui eravamo molto indecise il criterio di scelta per assegnare una mentor è stata l’anzianità di associazione a PWA. Nei casi in cui le richieste della mentee erano un po’ vaghe, dove possibile le abbiamo approfondite di persona in altri casi abbiamo applicato un po’ di buon senso e creatività…

Alla fine di tutto questo processo siamo soddisfatte dei match, da adesso in avanti la palla passa alle partecipanti dove, oltre alla compatibilità sulla carta, molto farà anche la chimica e la disponibilità personale.
Quanto i match siano stati azzeccati, quanto la relazione abbia funzionato e gli obiettivi di crescita professionale siano stati raggiunti nell’ambito della relazione di mentoring lo chiederemo alle partecipanti in una satisfaction survey alla fine del programma. Qualunque spunto di miglioramento ci sarà utile per l’anno prossimo.

In bocca al lupo e buon lavoro a tutte le Mentors e Mentees!

Per qualunque necessità non esitate a contattare me, Lee Smith o Karolina Wrobel al solito indirizzo professional@pwa-milan-org.
Gini Dupasquier
PWA Professional Development Director & Mentoring Program Leader

Bloomberg reports that despite the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the wage gap was wider in 2010 than it was in 2007 as fewer cases were filed. Read more here.

In Italiano

Last April, PWA, along with other major Italian Women Associations, was invited to a round table discussion on Women’s Leadership organized by the Norwegian Office of Trade and Tourism. The occasion was the presence of Ms Rikke Lind, the Norwegian Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, in Italy. Ms. Lind, along with the Ambassador of Norway Bjørn T.Grydeland, wanted to learn more about the situation of women in the Italian labor market in light of the recent approval of the Golfo-Mosca law on gender quotas.

All the participants, including me, who had the privilege to represent PWA, agreed that the quota law is a great opportunity to introduce diversity and merit in Boards which are currently closed and homogeneous. Furthermore, although the law will go into effect in August 2012, in the renewals that occurred this spring, we can already see an awareness of the issue. There has been a number of women appointments  that was unthinkable just a few years ago (FIAT, FIAT Industrial, Mediobanca, ATM to name a few)

Surprised that Norway is interested in discussing this kind of issues with our country? We shouldn’t be. For once Italy is among the pioneering countries in Europe that have faced the issue of the gender gap in the boards in a strong and structured way. European Commissioner Viviane Reding, in appreciation of Italy’s position, wrote about this topic “Italy: an example to follow”

Having said that, Norway is greatly admirable as a country that:

• had a woman prime minister for the first time a in 1986;
• has a government made up of 50% of women ministers;
• invests 3% of its GDP on initiatives to support families (the highest percentage in Europe);
• introduced gender quotas in 2003 and has now 40% of female board members;
• has a rate of female employment of 75.4% (vs. 59% EU and vs 46% Italy).

All this, according to the Deputy Minister Lind, implies a wider exploitation of the talent pool in the country and constitutes an element of attraction for distinguished women from abroad. Overall, therefore, the country has a competitive advantage.

Italiano

PWA partecipa alla tavola rotonda con il Sottosegretario al Ministero Norvegese del Commercio e dell’Industria

Il 18 Aprile scorso PWA è stata invitata, insieme alle altre principali Associazioni femminili italiane, a partecipare ad una tavola rotonda sulla Leadership Femminile organizzata dall’Ufficio Norvegese per il Commercio e il Turismo. L’occasione era la presenza in Italia del Sottosegretario al Ministero Norvegese del Commercio e dell’Industria Dott.ssa Rikke Lind che, insieme all’Ambasciatore di Norvegia Bjørn T.Grydeland, ha voluto approfondire la situazione della donna nel mondo del lavoro italiano, soprattutto alla luce dell’approvazione della Legge Golfo-Mosca sulle quote di genere.

Sia io, che ho avuto il privilegio di rappresentare PWA, sia le altre partecipanti siamo state concordi nel sostenere che la legge sulle quote sarà una grande opportunità per introdurre diversità e merito in CdA che ad oggi sono chiusi e omogenei. E che sebbene l’entrata in vigore ufficiale della legge sia Agosto 2012 già nei rinnovi di questa primavera si intravede una consapevolezza del tema, con la nomina di donne meritevoli che solo fino a poco tempo fa era impensabile (FIAT, FIAT Industrial, Mediobanca, ATM per citarne solo alcune)

Sorpresi che la Norvegia possa avere interesse a confrontarsi su questo genere di tematiche con il nostro paese? Non dobbiamo esserlo. Per una volta l’Italia si pone tra i paesi pionieri in Europa ad aver affrontato in modo deciso e strutturato il tema del divario di genere nei CdA, ed è proprio di questi giorni l’apprezzamento ufficiale rivolto all’Italia anche da parte della Commissaria Europea Viviane Reding (http://www.ansa.it/europa/notizie/rubriche/altrenews/2012/05/07/Quote-rosa-Ue-Reding-Italia-esempio-seguire-donne-cda_6829939.html)

Detto questo rimane una profonda ammirazione per un paese, la Norvegia, che:

• ha avuto per la prima volta un primo ministro donna nel 1986;
• ha un governo composto per il 50% da ministri donna;
• investe il 3% del suo GDP in iniziative a sostegno delle famiglie (%+ alta in Europa);
• ha un tasso di impiego femminile del 75,4% (vs EU del 59% e Italia del 46%).

Tutto questo, secondo il Sottosegretario Lind, comporta un più ampio sfruttamento del bacino di talenti presenti nel paese e costituisce un elemento di attrattività per donne di spicco provenienti dall’estero. Nel complesso, dunque, il paese ne ottiene un vantaggio competitivo.

PWA interviews Margaret Heffernan, who will be speaking on June 20th. For more information and registration, read here.

by Suparna Gupta
Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, chief executive, speaker, professor and author. She was born in Texas, raised in the Netherlands and educated at Cambridge University. Her experience includes running five different businesses in the US and the UK, and writing and producing dramas and documentaries for the BBC. She currently writes, speaks and blogs about business leadership, management, innovation and creativity. She also teaches at several business schools in the US and UK and sits on the boards of three organizations. She has published three books: The Naked Truth, Women on Top, and, most recently, Willful Blindness. See her full biography here.

Thanks so much for speaking to PWA. Let’s start with your most recent book. In this book, you discuss what you call “willful blindness,” i.e. the human propensity to ignore and refuse to confront problems or issues that are unfamiliar and difficult to understand. It’s interesting that you portray this idea in both public and private spheres. Could you give us an example of an institutional change that companies or governments can make to promote confrontation and accountability?

I am working with a number of companies training their people how to speak up and report issues and concerns. 85% of executives report having concerns that they do NOT talk about – this is a great deal of organization silence and represents huge lost opportunities and organizational knowledge. All the evidence shows that when just ONE person dares to ask a question, that alone can open up debate, dialogue and honest discussion. So we have to train people to do this effectively. So far what we are seeing is that every time someone dares to have what we call a ‘courageous conversation’ they gain in confidence and status. They discover there is more give in the system than they knew, they uncover a great deal of hitherto unspoken knowledge, they gain in confidence and competence.

Had News Corporation had a culture in which it were acceptable to speak truth to power, things would be very different today I suspect.

I was struck by a very familiar topic in your 2004 book, the Naked Truth. You say that women start out promisingly and then “weird things start to happen to them.” Here in Milan, at our last Ready-for-Board Women event, this was a recurring topic. Women succeed in university, enter organizations, but at some point their growth is stunted. Have you seen any significant changes in the last eight years? Are companies making structural changes to promote the growth of women? What can women do to avoid this plateau?

Well the first important thing is that when ‘weird things’ start to happen, women need NOT to conclude that they are at fault! These plateaus are systemic not personal. When we take them personally, we lose confidence and the ability to get things done.
Companies are making structural changes to promote the growth of women and sometimes these work and sometimes they don’t. They’re more likely to work when they are systemic – in other words, part of a coherent package of cultural change that impacts both men and women. A few individual tactics will not move the needle. Companies have to be prepared to change themselves if they want to see changed results in their performance.

To avoid this plateau, I’d recommend (although this may sound a little brutal) that women bulldoze their way through it. Honestly recognize that you are a pioneer and blazing trails is tough. If you don’t take it personally and if you make sure that you are bringing other women along with you, you’ll be fine. True achievement is always hard – it wouldn’t be meaningful if it weren’t – but women can forge ahead and are doing so. But it is crucial not to do alone. It may feel easier to travel alone but it is impossible to have true power in isolation.

You have said that women leaders have distinct leadership styles that are less ego-driven. How can women use their distinctive qualities to get ahead? How can less ego-driven leadership benefit companies and society?

I am a big believer that successful leaders do not think about themselves first and foremost: they think about their people and their company and they serve those. So what you do is not about what YOU want but about what the people and the business require.
Women have terrific skills – they’re great pattern recognizers, they’re very knowledgeable about the market, they are empathetic leaders, fantastic coordinators of talent, very good at improvising and highly thoughtful about cultural integration issues. The problem is that, quite often, they exercise these skills so naturally that they fail to take them as seriously as they should – and then others, following that lead, undervalue them. These are CORE talents and need to be taken every bit as seriously as accounting qualifications.

A McKinsey study came out this month showing that diverse companies actually perform better in terms of EBIT and ROI. While the specific correlation cannot be proven, it is positive news. What do you see as the most significant concrete benefits of diversity to companies?

At risk of sounding like a shocking contrarian, I have to say I’ve seen this data and I think it’s great but you can’t prove cause. So maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t. What I’m more convinced by is that there is NO case against diversity, there isn’t enough talent anyway and no company in its right mind can turn its back on the most educated half of the population.

It’s simple really: good decisions require a wide range of data, thinking styles, experience, insight, talents, background and knowledge. You can’t get those if you hire just one kind of person. You don’t get those if you hire predominantly women, if you hire predominantly men, if you hire predominantly quants or creatives. You need breadth and depth and if you lack those, you make shallow, poor decisions.

Who are your role models? Have you had mentors throughout your career?

I have had mentors – all men! I haven’t really had role models, I’m not quite sure why. I guess I carry a model in my mind. I ask myself: is this work you can be proud of? The answer is not always ‘yes’ and, when it isn’t, I try to figure out what I need to change. That’s pretty consistent, by the way, across the whole of my life: it’s a habit of mind I apply as much to my hobbies (like choral singing) as to my professional career.

You changed from TV to software when you saw that the TV industry was on the decline. As many struggle through the recession, do you have any advice for those who are looking for new career options, either by changing industries or embarking on entrepreneurial activities?

Don’t be afraid of change. Think hard about the transferable skills you have and be able to articulate these. I could jump from TV to software because both require fantastically talented individuals who require a lot of love and attention. They’re both fundamentally talent-driven industries. And in both industries I was serving a consumer market. So it’s important to be able to present a narrative that makes sense to others – otherwise they’re so confused by you they don’t see what you have to offer.

I think entrepreneurship offers women the freedom to do business the way they want to and this hugely liberates energies and talents previously devoted to fitting in. But entrepreneurship is no easy option; as one fabulous business owner said to me, “when you own the company, it doesn’t matter which 80 hours you work.” She’s right! But the fact that you choose them makes them feel entirely different. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.

In this very strange time we are living through, I guess I’d say there isn’t any safe place, no job or industry you know is secure. What you do know is that with skills, talent, energy and the ability to take yourself seriously, you can figure out the next step.

Any last words of advice for professional women?

Watching the News Corporation fiasco with fascination, one lesson I take away is: don’t just be a pleaser. Many people – men and women – think the way to get ahead is to figure out what the boss wants and do it, whether it’s right or wrong, smart or stupid. They think this is how they get power. But the truth is that all they’re really doing is developing dependency, where their power derives from one person or a few people who, when they’re gone (or disarmed) can do nothing for them. Far better to build and develop your own skills, knowledge, networks and capacity because that gives you power you can take anywhere.

PWA New Members Breakfast

All members welcome

Friday, 18 May, 7.45-9 am

Camparino Cafè. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, corner Piazza Duomo (MM Duomo)

Are you a new member of PWA and would like to know how to get the most out of your membership? Have you been a member for a while, but don’t feel like you know enough about the association?

Join PWA at this members only event where Membership Director Viviana Cavalli will give a presentation about membership benefits, programs and activities, and PWA’s vision and mission in a relaxed and informal setting.

New Members Breakfast Meeting 7:45-9 am
Camparino’ Café, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, corner Piazza Duomo (MM Duomo)

Members only, €10 fee, payable by cash at the event directly to the bar, includes light breakfast.

Please register in the calendar section of EPWN (www.EuropeanPWN.net)

For more information send an email to membership@pwa-milan.org

All professional women welcome whether members or guests

Wednesday, 23 May, 7-9.30 p.m.
Digital Communications Expert and PWA Member Malikah Kelly presents:
“Social Media Jungle – How to Find Your Way”

More than any other medium, an effective digital strategy has the potential to catapult a brand to new levels of success. But before reaping the vast benefits of digital media, it is crucial to develop a strong communications method, one that effectively conveys who you are and what you offer.

This seminar will focus on sharing the tools needed to navigate the digital sphere and how to use social media to meet your personal and professional goals. Learn to:

• Identify which social media platforms will yield the strongest results

• Discover influencers and create brand ambassadors

• Strengthen the value of your online interactions

• Tailor your content to meet the interests of your fan base and keep strong levels of engagement.

If Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, Foursquare, Instagram, WordPress, bit.ly, yfrog, and Flickr, don’t mean as much to you as they probably should, this event is for you!

About Malikah
A professional in the fashion industry, Malikah Kelly oversees e-business and digital communications at Sergio Rossi S.p.A. Before moving from her hometown New York to Italy to complete her MBA at Università di Bologna Malikah held senior editorial positions at two consumer websites and is also a founding member of the Digital Girls Club, an online network for women in digital and technology. Read some of her musings here on Tumblr.

NH Hotel President, Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)
Networking Cocktail: 7 – 8 pm Presentation 8 – 9:30 pm

Entrance free for members, 25 euro for guests, payable in cash at the event.

Members and guests, please register in the calendar section of EPWN.

For more information, please send an email to speakers@pwa-milan.org

PWA president Monica Pesce discusses paternity leave as an under-utilized right in April’s Business People article Ribaltare le pari opportunità.

What You Missed at the April 2012 PWA May Speaker Event: Reinventing Yourself…
by Matilde Bois

Gaia Fabbri, Cynthia Both and Vania Bidoglio are three women who have changed their lives completely by becoming entrepreneurs.

Gaia : Combining work and passion.
After an extensive and very diverse corporate experience, but tired of living in a situation she already knew but couldn’t change,  (who hasn’t face that in corporate lives?), Gaia had the sense that customer behaviour had changed and that there was room for new businesses.

She decided to change her life and combine her professional life with her passion for food and traditions by creating The Dinner Planner.

Cynthia :  A search for independence
Very few people can say that they have achieved what they wanted. After a successful first career as a psychologist in the Department of Justice in Holland, Cythia followed her heart to Milan. She found love, but lost her family, her job, and had the feeling of losing herself as well. After many different trials, she became an English teacher, but wanted more – more than love, more than having a job, more than being a recognized teacher… so she started her own school. She shared with us how she got what she was looking for: not only financial  independence but also time and the lifestyle she wanted by creating her own company, EASYBIZ.

Vania : Building an asset for the future
After ten years of a successful corporate career in the HR department of Shell, Vania suffered the trauma of an internal restructuring. She shared with us how difficult it was to lose her job, but also how she reacted and chose to reinvent herself by creating her own HR consultancy, PERTALEA.

She had the dream of creating a real asset that she would leave to her child one day, and now she knows now what she is working for.

All three women encouraged anyone who wanted to try a new experience.  They also very openly answered the audience’s questions and provided  us with some useful insights:

• All three of them used the strong skills they had developed through their “first career”, despite changing fields

• They had various degrees of personal support from friends and family but this is not enough

• They benefited from mentors, male and female, however advised us to ultimately follow our own feelings at the decision point

• They took risks but measured ones, and have carefully implemented their projects

They now enjoy a sense of freedom and excitement. There is a real pleasure in being congratulated by clients and reaching a certain level of excellence, which is better than any recognition from a boss. Now that they have reinvented themselves, they are ready to continue with new challenges ahead.

All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.

Wednesday, 9 May, 7-9 pm

Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)

Where would you like to be? What do you need in order to get there? If you could design your own perfect PWA offerings tailor-made to further your goals, what would you choose?

Join us in this interactive exercise that will help you to define your needs and invent solutions for filling them. Using the proven Speed Networking method of numerous short and concentrated exchanges with others, you will clarify possible action steps while receiving immediate feedback.

This event is focused on making valuable contacts to expand your professional network – bring plenty of business cards!

Networking 7 – 9 pm/ Presentation 7:45-8 pm
Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10, (MM San Babila, Duomo)

Members and guests, please register in the calendar section of EPWN (www.EuropeanPWN.net)

For more information, please send an email to networking@pwa-milan.org

The McKinsey Quarterly April 2012 reports on a study of 180 publicly traded companies in France, Germany, the UK, and the US over the period from 2008 to 2010. The striking results show that companies with diverse boards enjoy significantly higher returns on ROE and EBIT. Read more here.