The Two Percent Club: Bring on the girls
PICK up any heavyweight business publication and you can bet your last penny that it will have a man gracing the front cover.
The interview will focus on his past successes, vision for his current company, and plans for the future. The tone will be confident, unambiguous, masterful and unapologetic.
Above all, the interviewee will have absolute confidence in his qualities as a business leader.
If you were an alien reading such publications you could be forgiven for thinking that the female of the species was incapable of leading from the front and driving value.
The problem is it’s just not true. Women are under represented at senior board level but there are plenty of successful female business leaders and professionals. They simply don’t shout about it.
And therein lies the real problem of board diversity. Not glass ceilings, inequality and gender prejudice but invisibility.
As Linda Pollard, deputy chair of Yorkshire Forward, explained at the launch of new high profile female networking group The Two Percent Club at Harewood House this week, women just don’t think about talking up their achievements or marketing themselves.
Membership is by invitation only and members have been drawn from highest levels within organisations such as chief executives, partners in professional firms, directors and their equivalents from the public sector.
Initially the Two Percent Club’s activities will consist of a bi-monthly members’ luncheon for 20 to 25 targeted senior business women from the private and public
sectors of the region.
It plans to expand its work to encourage the next generation of female leaders.
Add your views on the launch of The Two Percent Club below.
“Career development is not by accident – it’s by design. Yet women are guilty of sitting about waiting for the call rather than promoting themselves,” says Pollard.
“Obviously they have to be credible and show they add value, but they’ve got to be visible in that success. Respect is earned.”
Her thoughts are echoed by Benja Fagerland – guest speaker at the launch and author of the influential Female Future project, which led to the Norwegian government introducing legislation that company boards have to have a minimum of 40% women.
“It’s not a female issue, or a diversity issue its a good business issue,” she says.
“Companies need to have talent and there is evidence that having women on the board is good for the bottom line.”
Fagerland is also keen to debunk the ‘glass ceiling’ myth.
“It’s all in people’s heads and it’s not just women,” she stresses.
“There is no glass ceiling. It’s all about talent not gender.”
She believes that multi-tasking (running a business and a family) should not be regarded as a barrier to career development (Fagerland suggests turning the question back on a man who suggests that women can’t do their job properly because of worrying about the kids). Rather it should be addressed as both a family and political challenge.
Interestingly she suggests that one of the reasons that women don’t have a greater board presence is that female talent simply isn’t on the radar.
In the small world of senior corporate movers and shakers not being on the list really does mean you won’t be getting in.
Whatever the route cause the statistics speak for themselves. The number of women sitting on board tables in Yorkshire is 16% below the national average.
Moreover, research by business advisory firm BDO Stoy Hayward last year showed that the number of women attaining board positions has acutally fallen in the region.
Which is a somewhat worrying trend in the light of another report, which shows that by 2010 just 25% of the workforce will be able bodied white males under the age of 45.
Pollard is determined to reverse the statistics. And she believes networking is the key to a gentler corporate revolution.
“We need to network if we are to show the world what we can do. You have to push yourself. Admittedly it’s an art form but one we have to learn – and learn quickly,” she stresses.
Addressing the newly joined 2 per centers at the launch she added: “I’d like to see us working together to find the next members, the next 2 per centers. The people you think should be on boards or at the head of companies.
“For too long so much talent has been wasted, overlooked, lost – so much potential underdeveloped. With you as role models – and I hope 2 % gravitas – these women can see how it’s done.”
Even as the rain poured down it was clearly evident at the club’s launch that spirits would not be dampened. Bring on the girls.
