Women’s Leadership Roundtable: 10 Tips for Channel Women
As women channel leaders strive for equity, they acknowledge that, “Change is hard and systemic change is really hard. ”
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Participating in the roundtable were Allison Bergamo, CEO of Bergamo Marketing Group; Pamela Diaz, CEO and president of Entara. Hilary Gadda, head of national partner management for Coro; and MeiLee Langley, vice president of global marketing for Xcitium. It was moderated by Brittany Watts, marketing director for channel at Informa Tech, and Buffy Naylor, managing editor of Channel Futures
Forbes calls it “Power of the Pack.” Shelley Zalis, a senior contributor for Forbes, explains that “Traditionally we have been taught to be competitive with one another, because there was such a scarcity of jobs at the top. It’s so clear that strategy doesn’t work. The truth is that raising each other up and channeling the power of collaboration is truly how we’ll change the equation — and have a lot more fun along the way.”
Zalis cites research in the Harvard Business Review showing that, like men, women need a professional network of peers. Unlike men, however, they benefit most from a circle of close connections with women.
“Women trying to rise up into leadership face cultural and systemic hurdles that make it harder for them to advance, such as unconscious bias,” Zalis writes. “The study suggests that a way to overcome some of these hurdles is to form close connections with other women, who can share experiences from women who have been there, done that — from how to ask for what you’re worth to bringing your unique talents to leadership.”
One of the most important things a close circle of women can do for each other is to overcome the fear of failure. Everyone falls down, and as roundtable participant Bergamo noted, “If you don’t recognize failure, how will you know what success looks like?
“I went to a women's startup forum several years ago. In one session there were three women startup founders on the stage. And when it came time for questions, I raised my hand and said, ‘I'd love to hear from each of you how you failed.’ And they practically threw me out of the room. The moderator actually came up to me and said, ‘We don't talk about failure here.’”
The power of the pack is that failure — and how to recover from it — is discussed as openly and honestly as success.
In 2013, writer and editor Ann Friedman introduced Shine Theory. It states that powerful women are more successful when they cooperate and collaborate with one another rather than compete. Ten years later, that concept still rings true. Queens straighten each other’s crowns. As Friedman stated, “I don’t shine if you don’t shine.”
The myth of scarcity is that there are only so many jobs for powerful women. This is untrue and leads to much unnecessary competition (see previous slide).
“It’s important to have the scarcity conversation,” said Bergamo. “To tell the women in your circle, 'Don't feel like there aren't enough seats at the table. I’m going to support you and help you pull up another chair.’”
It’s because of the theory of scarcity that many women are afraid to say no to offers that are not suitable or in which they are not interested. They think, as Informa’s Watts said, “If I pass this up, it may not come again. If I say no, I’ll be known as the woman who turns down opportunities.”
To be clear: If it’s not suitable for you or you’re not interested, it’s an offer, not an opportunity. Decline politely and professionally and keep looking for an opportunity that’s right for you.
From the time they are very young, females are admonished to “be nice.” In a blog on The Women’s Network website, Eleanor Chapman writes, “A critical sociological aspect of any professional setting — one not often talked about — is the necessity for, ‘feminine niceness.’ How many times have many women been made to feel they must smile, ply their co-workers and superiors with well-timed compliments, and rein in their passions to not appear over-eager and hard-headed? In simpler and more familiar terms, how common is it today for many of the women in workplaces to be told to ‘be nice’?”
She continues, “It isn’t because of a lack of effort that some professional women are gate-kept, roadblocked, and typecast into often inferior positions. This crisis emerged as a result of antiquated but hierarchically enforced notions of how women should behave while at work, be that as supervisors, general employees or as executives.”
“We get nervous to step on toes,” said Langley. “There’s an element of ‘Be nice, make everyone happy.”
Most women leaders know what it’s like to try to maintain balance when the need-for-nice runs headlong into work ethic. And according to leadership coach Kris Plachy, the solution is simple: Stop being so nice.
“Nice doesn’t win the day,” she says. “That nice compromises you as a leader, it compromises respect and, frankly, it compromises the growth and potential of your company.”
Which is not to say that women leaders should go from nurturer to nihilist. They can still be nice, but they must also learn to be assertive, establish boundaries and know when and how to say no.
Women are loath to ask for — much less demand — the recognition they deserve. We’ve all heard the maxim about if a man recognizes one or two terms in a job description, he’ll apply for the position. Unless a woman meets every single qualification listed, she won ’t.
And many times, even if a woman does go after a position for which she’s more than qualified, she’s hired in at a lower position with the promise that once she proves herself, she will be given the higher title. Women are evaluated on the basis of what they might do and men are evaluated on the basis of what they have done. This means, more often than not, they will be brought on at the higher level and given the benefit of the doubt. “Companies should give women the same benefit of the doubt as men,” said Langley.
“I think so many women burn out because they’re constantly trying to prove themselves. We overwork. We want to save the day. We want to be reliable. But when the time comes for promotions, women will not raise their hand. Men will.”
If you think you can do the job, go for it. And if one of your co-workers is hesitating to pursue an opportunity that’s perfect for her, give her a little shove. Tell her to raise her hand.
One of the primary differences between men and women in the workplace is their respective levels of confidence.
Men have been dominant in the workplace for centuries, and they have the confidence levels to prove it. As one roundtable participant described it, “Women are struggling to clear a path for themselves while men just keep following each other down a fast track that’s been there for thousands of years.”
And if a woman is able to make inroads in her chosen field, she must be careful not to get in her own way by allowing herself to fall victim to impostor syndrome, the inability to believe that her success is deserved.
When you reap the rewards of putting in the work and doing well, you deserve them. Don’t grease the rungs on the corporate ladder by thinking “I’m not worthy” or “I don’t belong here.” Your accomplishments validate your abilities, so celebrate the former and appreciate the latter.
Take a tip from women athletes. When they’re standing on the awards podium, there’s not a doubt in their mind that they put in the work and deserve the win.
According to the Pew Research Center, neither men nor women do a lot of negotiating when it comes to starting salaries. Men do slightly more than women (32% for men, 28% for women), even though they’re more likely to have been offered a higher salary than a woman would have been.
Among those who did negotiate, 28% got the higher pay they asked for, 38% got more than originally offered but not as much as they requested and 35% got only what was originally offered.
In addition to learning from others’ failures as well as their own, women must look to their inners circles for a reality check.
“Women don’t want to talk about salaries and I don’t know why,” said Langley. “I always try to have bigger conversations about what we’re getting paid. And Janet Schijns is a big advocate of that. She advises women to talk money and find out what their peers make. You might make more than them — and good for you because you probably negotiated — or you might find out that you are grossly underpaid.
“A few years and a few companies ago, I found out that a female director I worked with was making $30,000 to $40,000 less than one of the managers I hired. Because she never talked about her salary! When she told me, I literally shook her and said, ‘No! Go tell them you need more money!”
“It’s also a part of staying too long,” said Gadda. “Sure, you get marginal increases, but how much could you get for what you’re doing now if you went somewhere else? You may love your job and the people you work with, but at what cost?”
Whether the idea was yours or someone else’s, be sure that credit is assigned correctly.
The best way to ensure that your ideas can be traced back to you is by establishing a paper trail.
“Write it down and submit it to your higher-ups,” said Gadda. “Don’t be passive about presenting your ideas. Be proactive.”
Equally important, the roundtable members agreed, is making sure that colleagues — especially female colleagues — are recognized for their contributions.
“What I’ve noticed is that as more women are getting seats at the table, they’re making such they have each other’s back,” said Watts. “I’ve had it happen to me. I was on a call and one of my female colleagues said, ‘Brittany mentioned that a couple of weeks ago. It’s a great idea.’
“We have more awareness around the issue. Most of us have been there, so we want to stand up for others as well as ourselves.”
As noted earlier, men leaders and women leaders differ in how they deal with challenges. Men tend to be reactive (“We need to fix this problem.”) and women tend to be reflective (“We need to determine what caused this problem and correct it.”) And here’s great news for women leaders who are tired of hearing that their approach is “too emotional” or “touchy-feely” — research shows that your way of doing things is more effective. According to Conference Board’s “The Ready-Now Leaders" report, organizations whose leadership teams are at least 30% female are 12 times more likely to be in the top 20% for financial performance. Research by Leadership Circle shows that female leaders are more effective than male leaders at every management level and age level.
“Women tend to be creative,” said Gadda. “They look ahead and they look around. They like to incorporate the big picture in their ideas.”
“Men need to be more empathetic,” said Diaz. “Empathy is one of Entara’s core values. And our male leaders’ styles are changing over time. They’re seeing that they should ask different questions and not assume they know the answer. And that’s tough for people with confidence.”
“Women have a different skill set,” said Gadda. “And the boat is always going to go in a circle if you’re only using one oar.”
Writing for Forbes, contributor Kathy Miller Perkins noted that, “The core of outstanding leadership is authenticity. It is the bedrock for solid relationships, effective communication, ethical behavior and sustainable success. … Society still places value on conformity, and organizational cultures frequently make uniformity a high priority.
“Nevertheless, in a world where trust is paramount, authentic and transparent leadership is not just a nice-to-have quality but an essential one. Therefore, to become a great leader, you must embrace authenticity.”
All of the previous recommendations from the Women’s Leadership Roundtable point in the direction of authenticity. Create a coalition — not a competition — with your female colleagues. Know what you want and don’t be afraid to ask for it — and negotiate. Make sure that you and your female colleagues are not overlooked or underappreciated and receive the credit you all deserve. Challenge the status quo with your unique skills and abilities.
Back in the ‘80s, women leaders taking the first running tilts at the glass ceiling were advised to “think like a man” if they wanted to get ahead. Today’s leaders are stepping over the broken rung on the corporate ladder, bringing innovative ideas and ways of doing thing into the workplace. "I don't want to think like a man,” said one. “I want to be valued for what I accomplish thinking like a woman.”
Writing for Forbes, contributor Kathy Miller Perkins noted that, “The core of outstanding leadership is authenticity. It is the bedrock for solid relationships, effective communication, ethical behavior and sustainable success. … Society still places value on conformity, and organizational cultures frequently make uniformity a high priority.
“Nevertheless, in a world where trust is paramount, authentic and transparent leadership is not just a nice-to-have quality but an essential one. Therefore, to become a great leader, you must embrace authenticity.”
All of the previous recommendations from the Women’s Leadership Roundtable point in the direction of authenticity. Create a coalition — not a competition — with your female colleagues. Know what you want and don’t be afraid to ask for it — and negotiate. Make sure that you and your female colleagues are not overlooked or underappreciated and receive the credit you all deserve. Challenge the status quo with your unique skills and abilities.
Back in the ‘80s, women leaders taking the first running tilts at the glass ceiling were advised to “think like a man” if they wanted to get ahead. Today’s leaders are stepping over the broken rung on the corporate ladder, bringing innovative ideas and ways of doing thing into the workplace. "I don't want to think like a man,” said one. “I want to be valued for what I accomplish thinking like a woman.”
During last month’s Channel Futures Leadership Summit in Miami Beach, some women channel leaders got together behind closed doors for a no-holds-barred roundtable. Moderated by Brittany Watts, marketing director for channel at Informa Tech, and Buffy Naylor, managing editor of Channel Futures, the roundtable included Allison Bergamo, CEO of Bergamo Marketing Group; Pamela Diaz, CEO and president of Entara. Hilary Gadda, head of national partner management for Coro; and MeiLee Langley, vice president of global marketing for Xcitium.
The group covered a wide range of topics during their hour-long discussion. But no matter what the subject, from how men and women differ in their leadership styles to how younger generations differ in their approach to work, there was one common denominator: the gaping lack of equity for women in the workforce, both inside the channel and outside.
Women want equity. Not equality, equity — that’s what the “e” in “DE&I” stands for. When there is equality, all parties receive the same resources or opportunities. When there is equity, consideration is given to parties’ differing circumstances. Equality is guaranteed by labor laws. Equity is harder to come by.
Take, for example, motherhood, arguably the biggest different circumstance for women leaders. “Women are struggling to figure out the right way to navigate motherhood and work and moving up the corporate ladder,” said Entara’s Diaz. “There’s so much that women have to navigate.
“I saw a cartoon of a man and a woman on a running track. The man was running along with no obstacles, while the woman had babies, dishes and laundry in her lane that she had to get over or around. I know that a lot of men are stepping up and doing more, but the lion’s share still sits with women,” she said.
Men and women bring different skill sets to leadership positions. For one thing, “men tend to be fixers, they have a fixer mindset,” said Bergamo. “Women have a different approach. It’s more collaborative.” Men set out to solve an issue, whereas women tend to start by looking beyond the issue to see if it could be the symptom of an even larger problem.
For women leaders — in all areas of business, not just the channel — the overarching problem is that they are bucking the system. Impostor syndrome, not being heard, being excluded or overlooked and lacking equity are just some of the symptoms.
“Change is hard and systemic change is really hard,” said XCitium’s Langley. But, she stressed, as today’s women leaders are managing their own careers, they must also encourage young women to enter the channel and mentor them as they develop.
“The channel is kind of aging out,” Langley said. “We don’t have as many young people coming into the channel. That could create a problem of not having enough people coming up behind us. But it also gives us the opportunity to pull more women in.
“We need to look at women, especially younger women, and get them into the channel. We must be willing to teach them how the channel works and how they can succeed within it. We can help create and shape the next generation of channel leaders who are going to be taking on our roles and, hopefully, have more women at the table. But that has to start now so they’re all at those tables when we’re ready to retire.”
Our slideshow spotlights 10 recommendations from the Women’s Leadership Roundtable.
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