ORLANDO — Recent statistics from LeanIn.org point to a significant leadership discrepancy in corporate America, and a panel of female industry leaders took center stage at the 2022 Furniture Today Leadership Conference to discuss strategies companies can take to avoid what has become known as the “great break-up.”
The panel featured four women who have achieved prominent roles in their respective areas of expertise: Lorrie Kelley, founder of Lorrie Kelley Advisors, Inc.; Nora Gomez, chief merchandising officer, Nebraska Furniture Mart; Julie Messner, senior vice president, home décor, International Market Centers; and Laura Aldrich, executive vice president, licensing, Scott Brothers Global. During the session, each leader overviewed their career progression and strategies for advancement.
“In 2022, LeanIn.org collected information from 333 participating organizations employing more than 12 million people with a 40,000 employee with a focus on how the pandemic has changed what women want from their companies,” Kelley said. “And they found that we are in the midst of the ‘great break-up’ and that women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rate we’ve ever seen.”
According to LeanIn survey respondents, for every woman promoted at the director level, two women at the same level are leaving their companies, and during the discussion, the four panelists discussed some of the ongoing challenges for future female leaders and possible solutions.
Gomez recalled that NFM leaders Tony Bolt and Irv Blumkin brought her on board after she segued from the fashion industry into home furnishings. Noting that women scored higher than men in the number of leadership traits they possess in a 2019 Harvard Business Review, she added that breaking down stereotypes continues to be a key challenge in leadership development.
“When you look at gender incongruity, it’s not that women can’t do the job,” Gomez said. “It’s that they are not used to seeing women in the job.”
Aldrich agreed. “There is still a lack of role models for women coming up, and if they are not shown that representation, it’s not a clear path,” she said. “Very few men fall into the CEO role accidentally. Women often don’t see the same career paths.”
Messner, who has held several senior positions within IMC, said that an important part of the pathway to leadership involves developing effective strategies as a manager.
“You have to manage the individual and understand what motivates them,” explained Messner. “It can be as simple as getting feedback from them during reviews and asking them ‘How can we help you grow?’”
Gomez concurred, adding that creating a coaching, learning culture is imperative for retention as well as advancement. “Embrace transparency and openness — that is what motivates people and keeps them with you,” she said.
As the new business normal continues to evolve, companies that build a positive work culture stand to come out ahead, said the panelists.
“At Scott Global, we respect people’s boundaries,” Aldrich said. “We will not send any emails on nights or weekends, and our employees are no longer hooked to their phones. The team is on when on and off when off.”
“If you think about what we as a society have emerged from, I think we have to ask ourselves if we have really emerged,” Gomez said. “There is still not an emphasis on well-being, and we have to get into people’s worlds and ask questions. I think empathy is the trait that is probably the most important to becoming a successful leader.”
See also:
"furniture" - Google News
December 11, 2022 at 10:16PM
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What women want and how to avoid the ‘great break-up’ - Furniture Today
"furniture" - Google News
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