At Knowledge Infusion we have a philosophy of "One Voice".  Key messages around talent management and HCM that we share and promote to our clients and community are consistent and true to what we believe in as an organization.  I think this is such an important concept in developing a brand and reputation in which others will follow.

This concept made me think about how important it is for individuals, specifically women in leadership roles, to first of all "find your voice".  I have been in many male dominated business situations where the females in the room tend to do a great deal of listening while the men tend to do most of the talking and self-promoting (this is certainly not the case all of the time and by no means a bash on men).  Why does this happen?  There has been plenty of research done on gender differences.  It is my belief that many women find it difficult to "find their own voice" because their natural tendency is to be more concerned about the working relationships, customer quality or service, and adding value to the company.  They are less focused on self promotion and career advancement and more focused on adding value to the company. Men tend to be driven by what's at stake for them personally, company image and reward.  Self-promotion and speaking "their voice" seems to be more natural and they rarely lose focus on their own career development.

Women who want to be heard need to "find their voice", stand up for what they believe in, and leverage their intellectual capital and experiences to influence and provide leadership.

Women in leadership today - does your voice get heard?  What works for you?  What challenges do you face?  Any words of wisdom for all the other women in business who continue to struggle with "finding their own voice"?  Please share your thoughts with the KI family and friends!

The August 28th blog by our friend Kris Dunn at HR Capitalist discusses the question of whether Americans or Europeans work harder.  Kris points to an article in Fortune in which Geoff Colvin argues that the debate about which country works harder is a fallacious argument, because Europeans and Americans define work differently.  Specifically, Americans define work as only those activities for which one gets paid.  Europeans would include in that definition work for which one (mostly women, I might add) don't get paid:  running the household, primary child rearing duties, primary elder care duties, etc.  I've been pondering this for a couple of weeks now, and I just came across another study that had me REALLY thinking about women, work, and leadership.

A recent study released by McKinsey (again) identifies women as a potential solution for the current and looking talent shortage, and advises that hiring women at all levels of the organization makes good business sense.  In the study, McKinsey found that companies with 3 or more women in top management were more effective that companies with 1 or fewer women in top management (see table below), as rated by survey results along 9 dimensions of effectiveness:  capability, leadership, external orientation, accountability, motivation, coordination and control, innovation, direction, and work environment and values.

This is just a hunch, but these same nine dimensions of organizational effectiveness strike me the same dimensions that enable an effecitvely run home.  If we think about the things that women provide their families - spouses, children, etc., I would say the list is the same:  capability (changing a diaper while talking on the phone and feeding the dog - takes 8 arms!), leadership (ever try to get a bunch of kinds under 5 to sit still for dinner?), external orientation (I learned more from my mother about money, people, and negotiation from trips to the grocery store), accountability (seriously a bummer not to get allowance if I didn't make my bed), motivation (definitely would vacuum if I got a new whiffle ball), coordination and control (3 kids - horses, hockey, gymnastics - all at the same time), innovation (how to stretch 2 toaster waffles for 5 kids), direction (masterful), and work environment and values (chores, team work, family dinners).

So, why don't organizations hire more women in top leadership positions, if studies show that the organizations can be more effective and more profitable?  Thoughts on this subject are most welcome!