Brand new radio show on the Rise of the Feminine

Announcing our brand new radio show. From today August 1st, Gina Lazenby will be hosting The Rise of the Feminine live weekly on Voice America digital radio. It will go out on the Variety Channel on Mondays at 9am Pacific time, 5pm London time. You can listen to the show live via the weblink then it gets archived to be accessed .. forever at your convenience.  The Variety channel was chosen to keep the subject more general and mainstream, making a conscious decision not to be on the women’s channel.  The intention is to host conversations about gender and values that include men, in fact several of the show guests will be men. Here is the link to the Voice of America site.

Do join us on this adventure. This conversation about HOW and WHERE the feminine is rising across the planet is one that needs to be opened up with as many people as possible. Your insights and submissions are most welcome. This story about the rise of the feminine is not confined to one continent ….or one culture ….. it is global.

The show will also have a home and discussion space on Facebook. Here is the link to the new page.

It would be most helpful if you could take a moment to LIKE the Facebook page and share it with your circle …that would help start to get the ball rolling and give the show some exposure. Thank you. Any assistance you can give to support a successful launch is so much appreciated.

On the radio show, Gina Lazenby wants to bring a spotlight to feminine leadership. There are two aims: firstly, highlighting how women are rising in the world in the current shift of power and secondly, demonstrating how feminine values are increasingly being expressed in the world by men and women. Very often these are not attributed to a feminine quality but we want these values and traits of compassion, collaboration, caring, connection, community, empathy and intuition, which are at the heart of a new way of doing things, to be seen as feminine. This is not simply a new fad or smart way of doing business, it is the feminine way. By aligning these ways with feminine power we are ensuring that the status and value of women continues to be enhanced until we reach full equality. And this also supports men in embracing the other aspects of their humanity so that they can lead and contribute in a more balanced way.

Very often, as women rise to the top and enter the higher levels of power, they attract criticism for playing the same game as the men, often cited as being harder than the men. That’s both conscious and unconscious and is also an external observation that is not always the truth. Our cultures are very critical and unforgiving of women: just look at what is being hurled at Hillary Clinton right now, and what Julia Gillard was subjected to as Prime Minister of Australia. If you are immersed in a masculine culture that only rewards masculine traits, it can be difficult, and sometimes unsafe, to step out and be different by bringing your whole authentic self to your role and lead with your feminine energy. But times … they are a-changing. Women, and especially women leaders, need a sisterhood of support and this radio show will provide a spotlight to those men and women who have openly championed the feminine way.

Find us on Facebook.

Listen to the Radio Show Live on Mondays – 9am California, 5pm London

“When it gets messy bring on the women”… and it really is messy now

Rt Hon Theresa May, the longest serving Home Secretary since 1892 .. now a serious contender to lead the UK as Prime Minster

This week in politics it has been difficult to pick over the blatant lies to recognise the truths and to separate egoic personal ambition from a strong desire to serve the country… and even to see clearly who actually has the skills to navigate us out of this mess.  It doesn’t help with the media highlighting the drama of personality clashes either.

It is going to take a particular type of leader to see us through the months and years ahead to re-establish our credibility in the global community. Whilst he might have been everybody’s hero during the Brexit campaign, I don’t feel that Boris Johnson has the skills to be an inclusive leader….  remember the look of  shock on his face the morning of his ‘victory’  .. a little bit akin to a rabbit being trapped in the car headlights! At that moment it became clear that these guys did not have a plan. So while on the one hand I admire his running mate Michael Gove for being ‘truthful’ and declaring that what he had seen of Boris’ coping strategy when the proverbial hit the fan over the weekend. His behaviour made Gove recognise (possibly reluctantly) that Boris was NOT the right man to form a new team and heal the current rifts, in the conservative party and in the country. On the other hand, he then declared that HE was in fact the man to do this … again, would we have judged him worse for not knifing Boris the back and also stepping aside … that would make it look like he was walking away from the mess and vacuum that they both were responsible for?

Cross Party Collaboration needs to be created
I believe the way is clear for our current Home Secretary, Theresa May, who has been in that job longer than anyone in history, to be the next Prime Minister and by saying that I am neither declaring myself a Tory supporter nor a socialist. I think that the polarisation of being on the left or right is meaningless right now. We simply need a fair, uniting representation of the people – whatever that will look like. Cross-party collaboration like never before will be critical now to ensure that the voices who declared themselves unheard in the EU election, are now finally listened to.

Female nation leaders stepping it to unite
I found an interesting article this morning about female nation leaders stepping in after countries have been through trauma and crises. As I read it with interest, then increasing recognition, I discovered that I had written myself it two years ago !!

Basically, I reported in a post on this blog about research which examined five-decades of 5,700 national leaders which showed that in the most ethnically diverse countries, women outperform their male counterparts in terms of GDP, which is a significant indicator of progress. In tough economies with great ethnic diversity, countries with a female at the helm correlate with a 6.6 % rate of growth in GDP after their arrival. This compares, in similar situations with a less than 1% return from male leaders.

Perhaps some feminine sensitivity is needed for healing the divides
As report author Professor Katherine Phillips said, this “dispels the myth that women are too maternal, lack strength or are otherwise ill-equipped to provide senior-level leadership in trying times and amid complex circumstances. Our findings reveal that not only can women grow global economies, but that a little motherly sensitivity can go a long way in guiding a nation in need of healing to not only mend, but thrive.” I think that would now include the UK! We certainly qualify as a nation in need of healing.

Nobody has really been discussing any gender aspect of our current leadership needs and it would be fair to say that most of the players in the game have been men with a few walk-on parts taken by women … with of course the exception of Nicola Sturgeon who seems to continue to be a uniting force within Scotland.

I have not previously taken much notice of Theresa May but yesterday when she stepped on to the podium to announce her much anticipated candidacy for Britain’s next Prime Minster, I really saw that she had the reassuring presence which this Westminster comedy of errors is now calling for. You could tell she had been given a well-crafted script but by by comparison with much of the unscripted Eastenders-like drama around her, her voice was quiet, regal and reassuring.

“I am Theresa May and I think I am the best person to run this country.” For me that bold statement alone was a dead give-away that the words were written by a man. That’s OK … we need strong leadership now and courageous declarations. And the next bit was clever because it tackles all the criticisms levelled against her about being boring .. surely the polar opposite of the now-departed Boris Johnson.

“I don’t tour the Television studios, I don’t go gossiping about people over lunch, I don’t go drinking in Parliament bars …. and I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve. I just get on with the job in front of me.” She continued “People want strong resilient leadership and honesty from politicians”…. ouch, that was a clear reference to the lies that were the cornerstone of the Brexit campaign with many campaign promises being reneged on within hours of the win being announced last Friday. Trust in politicians in general is at its lowest and a calm, steady pair of hands, with a good track record at the top is probably a safe bet for restoring faith in our system. She is actually the longest serving Home Secretary since 1892 .. more than 120 years.

When it gets messy bring on the women
We also need a female role model who is different to Margaret Thatcher. Loved and hated seemingly in equal measure, we need to prove that not all women will be clones of Margaret. Politics is changing, unity is required and I strongly believe that feminine qualities of compassion and collaboration are what is needed to unite  the country.

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, often points out the difference that women bring to leadership situations. She is famously quoted as saying that if it had been Lehman sisters, the bank would probably not have collapsed. She also says that when times are tough, women are much better at doing what needs to be done and was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying: “ When it’s messy, get the women.”
I think Andrea Leadsom with her finance and city experience would be a good deputy PM and we have never had a female duo at the helm. And we could find that a likely Labour leadership challenge puts another woman in the Opposition Leader role. Interesting times ahead.

A roadmap from Futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard for the uncharted times ahead

Gina Lazenby with Barbara Marx Hubbard talking on Brexit morning about the bigger picture of what this all means

A small group of women had gathered to listen to Barbara Marx Hubbard, considered the original futurist and a woman who has written many books about conscious evolution. We were brought together on Friday, June 24 by Mirella Sula of Global Woman Magazine. The kind of women who showed up were all passionate about aligning their business interests with their deep commitment to creating change in the world. Barbara Marx Hubbard is definitely a poster girl for understanding how to ride waves of change, and at age 86 she been a leader in this field for over half a century.

I travelled down to the gathering from the north of England especially to meet Barbara. What started out as an interesting and exciting encounter became something a little more urgent as we were all trying to grapple with the surprising news about Brexit … the UK’s unexpected departure from the EU was just announced a couple of hours before we met. Barbara was a perfect mentor for putting all this real and potential chaos into perspective. Barbara was with us for just over an hour and half of that time was for questions. I was very keen to have time for an interview so when I heard that she was leaving immediately for the House of Lords, I asked to join her and ended up doing my video and audio interview in the back of a London taxi cab .. as you do !!

Here is the interview to watch. It’s very insightful and couldn’t be more perfect in its timing to begin to give us a roadmap. We are used to living in uncertain times but the political structures that we have become accustomed to, and we know no longer serve us, are actually dismantling hour by hour. There really is no map for what is ahead and it is crying out for a new kind of leadership, something we have not seen before but have to do envision afresh. I have also Transcript BMH Interview so that you can read it here … there is much to digest.

A few key insights:
This is all meant to happen as part of evolution
In order to have transformation happen, which is what we are seeking in order to fix our systems that no longer work, breakthroughs have to be created but breakthroughs can only come once we’ve had breakdown. This is exactly the space were are in now with our political system and democracy.

It looks fearful because that is all we are focusing on
The media we have is operating in the old paradigm and is only reporting everything that is bad news. The total focus is on what’s not working and we are in such an overload with that this weekend, it puts people in a state of fear, and against each other.  There are plenty of initiatives around the world of things being done differently and successfully that would give us hope but they are not being included in this one-sided news story. It is hard to have a vision for new possibilities when you are ignorant of all the good things that are already being instigated through other people’s creativity. Hope over fear will be a guiding light.

Why there is a big opportunity here for women
New leadership is needed and this is likely to come from the women. It by no means indicates that women would take over, it simply means that the men who created the systems that have now broken are trapped in an old way of working. It’s hard for them to see alternatives. Men are structured into a success syndrome culture but that’s not a natural way for women to work. This is where our creativity will come in and our feminine style of leadership with different values. Compassion, tolerance, intuition, listening, community building .. these are all highly feminine capacities which are being called for at this time.

Connection and community is key
Around the world people are already gathering in small groups, like we did in London on Friday, to discuss new ways forward. We don’t know what we are each doing … there is an urgency for us to connect. As Barbara said, everything that rises has to mobilise. Creating communities of common purpose that can connect to each other will be the way forward. As the big power systems start to collapse, which is quite terrifying to most people, the potential void creates space for the new initiatives to come through. The gaps are always frightening but they give us a chance so we need courage.

Men need our help
This is the time where the evolving woman needs to nurture the evolving man. We have to give men love, support and guidance to enable them to step into different ways of being that they are not familiar with. While stepping forward we also need to step back and provide a space of holding, to enable men to take on the inner exploration that they need to find their own creativity in a way that they have not done before. It is a beautiful and scary journey for all but at the end of it we will be creating different kinds of relationships where both the man and woman will be aligned by the passion that comes from the jointly supporting each others’ purpose.

The Dalai Lama is right about women saving the world …
He has said that the world will be saved by western women. We’ve got the freedom, the education and for those over 50 and the decades beyond, there is much less focus on child care. We know how to love a family and our concept of family has expanded globally. Barbara so elegantly put it: “We have more love in our hearts than we were able to give in the old structures”. We are on the loose with energy and passion and we need to mobilise … !

The Breakfast Event where Barbara had been speaking was organised by Mirela Sula, Founder of Global Woman Magazine. Their next major event is the Global Women’s Summit on July 30-31

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Jo Cox: the painful loss of a new kind of leader

An unusual combination of MP and activist
Jo Cox MP was exactly the kind of new leader that society and politics needs right now and we didn’t really know what that might look like until the bright media spotlight was thrust on her, sadly for the wrong reasons. She was the first female Member of Parliament to be murdered, and brutally so last Thursday in her home town and constituency while serving her community.  The country was reeling in shock and for the rest of that day and following day… there was no other news.

The more we heard the more we were able to build up a picture of an extraordinary politician and inspiring leader. We listened to work colleagues talk about how wonderful a loving mother she was, with a bright, brilliant intelligence; a ferocious campaigner; a champion for the dispossessed, disadvantaged and vulnerable all over the world with the street cred of having spent most of her adult life working in social justice actually on the ground and working in refugee camps. Not only that but she was effective. People spoke of her energy, passion and practicality and her ability to take on major issues. Apparently she worked with Sarah Brown (wife of ex-PM Gordon) on MDG5, the only Millennium Development goal that by the mid-decade had not had any impact. The issue of maternal health was simply not on the radar of world leaders .. until she put it there. Sarah has since written that the number of deaths of women in childbirth then halved when she championed the issue.

If only we had known all this before, we could have loved her while she lived! And how it would have given us hope that change might be starting to happen. We have got so used to being disillusioned with the whole system that it became easy to forget, or we didn’t see, that a new breed of politician has been coming in to Parliament. I certainly did not know that inspiring individuals like Jo Cox had been motivated to serve the country by standing for election and working inside the House of Commons. Thankfully, she was not alone. On the very night of her death another female MP joined Westminster having been elected to replace the Tooting seat vacated by our new Mayor of London. Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, is another professional, passionate leader who is local born and raised in Tooting and works as an A&E doctor at the local St George’s Hospital.

A new set of values
As people shared their experience of Jo the most commonly quoted traits and values were:

• dedicated,
• passionate,
• loving,
• accessible,
• warm,
• compassionate,
• honest,
• always listening and
• having a huge heart.

Reading through that list one would not normally think that we are talking about a politician, in fact it was this image of a hard-working loving mother and skilled community champion that added to the pain of the tragedy. These are not qualities that are brought so openly to the political arena. Recently, we have seen a huge increase in negativity in the debate between public figures. The appalling personal insults and low quality of dialogue has made many people disengage right when we need to be able to listen and understand how to decide on the future of the country. Our political leaders have not been role models for emotional intelligence and when things get nasty it might be seen to give permission to other people, who may not have full command of their emotions, to express themselves with very inappropriate action … as witnessed last week in an extreme way.

What good can come from this?
BBC new presenter Joanna Gosling asked Jo Cox’ s friend and fellow MP, Stephen Kinnock, if this might mean we could see “a gentler politics?” He replied that there needs to be a reflecting so that the tone of anger is dialed down and that politicians are in fact very good people who need our respect. Jo’s own wish would be for a society of tolerance, hope not hate. Her drive and compassionate approach to all that she did got her noticed by politicians on both sides of the house in the short time she was an MP, just over a year.  Compassion is so rarely brought to bear where big decisions are made in countries and corporations and yet it is exactly what society needs to create change. Only last week I attended a Summit in Berlin called Femme Q where we heard how feminine intelligence will be key to creating change the world with compassion being in the top five traits that leaders need to embrace to create change. Jo Cox was certainly a trail-blazer in feminine leadership.

Jo’s one fault …
Lord Kinnock spoke movingly on live TV, unable to hold back his tears, recalling, as a family friend of twenty years, that he had encouraged her. He was impressed with how she used her high intelligence to solve practical problems and her fight for common sense and fair play. Poignantly, he said “this was a woman who could not be stopped”.  He drew attention to her one fault … in his opinion she was too modest and he advised her to push harder .. for herself, to get heard. This is often the plight for so many women leaders focussing on what is dear to them but unwilling to drew attention to their achievements, letting them speak for themselves. Rather tragically in this case, attention has been drawn to Jo and her work, but a little too late for her to know how highly regarded she was.

Personally I believe there will be a ripple of change. People will absolutely remember the amazing mother and fearless champion who might want day have made it to the top as a party/country leader.  She has set a high benchmark for a new breed of politician who’s loyalty to their community is their priority and who bring new values to play a very different game of politics that actually brings change. That’s my prayer for Jo Cox.

When are you planning to retire?

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#DadiJanki, #IDOP, Dadi Janki

Today the UN is celebrating International Day of Older Persons with this year’s emphasis being on age inclusiveness in the urban environment. It’s estimated that by 2050, people over 60 will account for one quarter of the urban population. So in an era when old age is often seen as a burden (on the taxpayer, healthcare system and social care) and we don’t expect people to work and be economically active in their later years (hence the free bus passes etc for the over 60s!) the question about when to retire is an important one.

What do you base your decision on?  The need to earn money, the desire to escape the daily grind and having to show up and clock on somewhere everyday? Some organisations and professions even have enforced retirement.

But what if you love your work so much that it doesn’t feel like work?

Oscar-winning British actress Dame Judi Dench who seems to appear in several movies EVERY year, has said she is driven spare by people asking her when she is going to retire … just because she is now 80 years old. She has told reporters to stop asking her.  I think she is a fantastic role model for our generation of working women to follow.

Another role model who I am inspired by is Dadi Janki, now in her 100th year, and  who will celebrate becoming a centenarian in January 2016, is actually still working full-time. I find that incredible. Her passion for what she does not only keeps her working but also on the move.  This year alone she has so far clocked up 49,418 business air miles.  In a world of huge challenges and great change, the wisdom that Dadi (which means Elder Sister in Hindi) can offer seems to be much in demand. Her daily routine starts at 4.00 am with a schedule packed full of meetings with both students of the organisation (Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University) as well as leaders from business, government and all walks of life.

Dadi doesn’t restrict herself to just one urban setting. In the last few months alone she has spent time in London (her home for most of the past 40 years) New York, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, Singapore and numerous cities throughout her native India.  It’s quite amazing that she is still able to keep up this level of activity.  In contrast to the pervasive image of old age as being burdensome, Dadi’s focus is very much about what she can continue to give to society.  She even began her new job at the age of 92, becoming the Spiritual Head of the international spiritual education organisation that she first joined in 1937.

So how does she keep so youthful and active with a schedule that many people half her age would find somewhat daunting…? What keeps her wanting and able to work at her age? Apparently, these are her secrets that will help you keep on working …

Top 10 Secrets for staying young at 100 years of age taken from Dadi Janki’s blog:

1.  Sense of Purpose.  Dadi has a very clear vision for the future of humanity, which she feels she is working towards and will continue to do so.  Retirement is not a word in her vocabulary.  When you have passion for what you are doing, why would you want to stop?  This passion and sense of purpose gives her energy, drive and commitment.

2. Inner Connection.  Dadi feels a strong connection to her own inner being and to a greater power beyond herself.  This gives her a rich inner life and is the source of her own energy.

3. Spiritual Discipline.  Dadi’s life has been committed to following a spiritual path which nourishes and sustains her.  This gives her life structure and discipline and keeps her focused.  She always experiences a state of deep inner peace with a quiet and stable mind.  This power of silence means she can stay calm, no matter what is going on around her.

4.  Control Over Thoughts.  Dadi has a well-developed control over her mind (through the daily practice of meditation).  This allows her to focus only on positive thoughts which bring benefit to herself and others.  Despite her many bouts of ill health, she chooses not to pay attention to any aches and pains.  “Thinking about my pain only adds to it” is her answer to doctors’ questions about what she is feeling.

5. Selfless Service.  Thinking of others is a secret key to a happy life.  Dadi’s life has been one of altruistic service, thinking of the needs of others in balance with her own needs.  This keeps the energy flowing out to others so it can flow back in return.  She is therefore continually supported by the good wishes of those she has first supported herself.

6.  Living with Others.  Throughout her life, Dadi has lived in community with others. There are always people around her, of different backgrounds and walks of life and importantly across the different generations.  This keeps her in touch with what is going on and with the energy of youth.

7.  Early Rising.  Dadi has always woken early each day (4.00 am).  Morning meditation gives her time with herself and her connection with the Divine.  She always keeps this time as her own special time.  This gives her the power and energy to get through the day without experiencing any stress, even though she has a very demanding workload.

8.  Simple Life.  In contrast to the aims of many people today to accumulate and acquire, Dadi has very few possessions. She is therefore able to travel light and keep her world clutter-free, clean and simple. This keeps her from feeling heavy and burdened.

9. Healthy Living.  Dadi’s food has always been vegetarian. In addition, she places great value on the nourishment of food that has been cooked with love and good wishes.

10.  Laughter is part of life.  Despite her heavy work schedule, Dadi always finds time to laugh.  Her teachings are deep and thoughtful yet she is able to bring a lightness through her humour.

which ones do you embrace already? And when do you want to retire?

What I learned from Margaret Hodge

Margaret Hodge has been the Labour MP for Barking (near London) since 1994 and after holding various ministerial posts (Culture, Children) she is now the high profile Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.

Margaret was interviewed at a special convening of The Leaders Club in January sharing her wisdom from a long life in politics on both sides of the house of Westminster. Read the report of this event. This is what I personally took away from that dialogue.

1. Working as a lone woman (in a majority of men) and having a mission can make you a big target for both criticism and untruthful media coverage. I think that this is less about gender and more about being in a minority and trying to shift the status quo.
2. You’re never too old to take on a a big mission or a big job. Margaret is 70 and has been in the running for the election of a new Mayor for London. I can stop whining about being in my late 50s and feeling like I missed out on anything. Just get on with it!
3. Doing what you believe is right and actually having the courage to speak out might mean you lose out in the popularity stakes …. but as long as you are true to yourself and your values, that will give you the strength you need.
4. Get involved. Don’t leave everything to the politicians. Get behind a big idea. Get behind a small idea. Get behind something. I am talking to myself here.
5. Tell the truth. Other people might not like, but better to be known as a truth-teller, particularly in the current culture of politics that is so tainted by lies and dishonesty.
6. Have the humility to recognise when you were wrong. If you make a mistake, own it. Be upfront about it and that will help to defuse some of the ammunition your opponents might line up against you.
7. Don’t just complain about what you see that is not working … do something different to try to bring about change.
8. Value the immense power of listening …. really listening …. so that your stakeholders feel heard.
9. Work with others to get results … cross boundaries, partitions, borders, tribes …. whatever traditions separates you … find ways to come together to get results when you have a common cause and both of you will benefit.

 

Are there any politicians who have inspired you?   What inspired you?

Meeting the UK’s “Tax Rock Star”

Gina Lazenby meeting Margaret Hodge MP at Westminster, London

I was really keen to hear Margaret Hodge speak, not only because she is a female MP, still a rarity in the UK, but also because she is one of few really high profile women in politics. She’s outspoken and her honesty and forthrightness has in the past attracted some bad press so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet her in person and judge for myself.

I have to say I was expecting her to be rather formidable. As Chair of the Public Accounts Committee she has a reputation for roasting the targets of her investigations. As political author and columnist Polly Toynbee put it, she “turned the dull-sounding public accounts committee into the most rigorous scrutineer” of wrongdoers … “making bankers, tax-avoiding CEOs, failing ministers and permanent secretaries quail under her sharp tongue.” Margaret herself said that when she was in Paris at an OECD meeting they lauded her as a “Tax Rock Star” for her work in putting tax avoidance onto the Government’s agenda.  She is quoting as saying to a senior executive of Google “ I think you do evil!” over their pitifully low tax payments in the UK.

At our January gathering of The Leaders Club in Westminster’s Portcullis House, she delighted us with her honesty and authenticity, sharing stories about her early life as an Austrian Jewish refugee in Cairo. That traumatic start in life has obviously helped shape the woman of today. She observed herself as being a “stroppy” child and told us of her reluctant journey through business and motherhood into politics. No, in person she was not in the least formidable … well not in the English sense but in the French I would definitely call her “formidable!”.

Margaret Hodge was interviewed for The Leaders Club by Richard Smelt, HR Director of McCains. It was a well-researched and excellent Q and A.

A haphazard career
It was interesting to hear of the journey she took which led her in to politics. I used to think that people went into politics OR business. Margaret points out that this is not a good thing. She said politics today is “too professional” and not only does it need people with some business experience as well,  it needs to involve more “ordinary people” who reflect more the views of voters. Margaret’s journey started out at Unilever where she worked after graduation but soon left because, in the late 1960s, women were allowed to do the research but not allowed to write the reports.

Politics was not on her radar but when she left work when she had her children, she needed to do something outside the home. She joined her local council. From her involvement in community politics in Islington, she saw the issues of the day that needed tackling and joined in the marches and activism of that time. Gentrification and the loss of affordable housing have been passions of hers to stand behind. She has weaved in and out of politics and business ever since, and although she never intended to become an MP and work in the “odd bubble that is westminster”; somehow she was persuaded to stand for Barking in 1994.

She spoke of a different kind of politics
When the leader of the BNP (British National Party) targeted her parliamentary seat in Barking, she was forced to rethink the way she related to voters. Her London suburb had shifted from being mainly white to having very high levels of immigrants and that had put enormous pressure on housing needs. She set out to really listen to her voters. She avoids ribbon-cutting at opening events, instead, she creates opportunities to sit down with her voters over cups of tea and listen to their concerns. She is well aware of the broken trust politicians have so she has made it her priority to re-build trust by making sure she can deliver on the requests made of her that she is certain she can actually do something about. No empty promises from Margaret.
A champion for women
With so few female politicians at Westminster, she has always been in the minority and issues that affect women have never been held as important when the majority of MPs have been men. She spoke of her early work on diversity which has always brought the media pack down on her. Conversations that she championed 30 years ago that attracted ridicule are now being held as relevant today…. finally. One of the greatest changes that she has been involved in was the right to have flexible working. There were no maternity rights when she had her children so she said female MPs across the parties aligned and worked together to change this. She shared her dismay that years later, women are still structurally disadvantaged and real progress remains an illusion. She sees that women of child-bearing age are not being promoted and her own daughters were both made redundant during their pregnancies.

When Margaret was Minister for Culture she was alarmed at how few women were on cultural and arts organisations boards. Only 26% of the names being put forward for consideration were of women. She said they made an effort to find women to propose, and within a year they almost doubled the numbers to 46% for female candidates. Sadly, after she took a year out for compassionate leave, the energy for this dissipated and the numbers slipped back to 26% but it shows what is possible when intention is placed behind an initiative for change. This experience has led her to back positive action to advance women since leaving it to the system is not working.

What advice has she for women today?

• Of course confidence is always an issue so it is hugely important that women support each other by offering encouragement and reinforcing that women “can do it” when they have moments of doubt and think they are not up to the job. Women’s self belief must be bolstered.
• Don’t think of your working life as a short sprint .. it’s a long haul especially if you take time out to care for children or later in life for ageing parents. Expect to come back and continue the ascent, especially if we are all now being expected and encouraged to work until we are 80 … Margaret herself is aged 70 and has put her hat in the ring for Mayor of London.
• Use women’s networks … they are critical. we have to be there for each other especially in work cultures where men know their way round the system
• Ask for more. As event host Richard Smelt pointed out, when men take on a new job they are 60% likely to ask for more money whereas only 30% of women will think to do this.

Paying Tax is a question of fairness
It has been reported in the press how she has skewered top execs of the global tech companies who are operating in the UK and have kept their tax liabilities to a minimum. Is that smart business? It’s not fair says Margaret. If you are a business that needs employees then those employees need to live somewhere with an infrastructure that are supported by public services, including healthcare. Who pays for this so that YOUR employees are educated, healthy and can get transportation to your place of work?She felt it was particularly odious that a big consulting accounts firm had been paid by the Government Treasury to write to technical framework for taxation regarding invention and patents, only to then “sell” their advice about this to their clients.

Margaret’s work on the Public Accounts Committee has intervened to ensure that the Government makes their legislation more robust to protect from this potential loss.Margaret talked about us needing a new moral social contract .. that people would want to give according to their means and contribute to the common pot. However difficult it is to set up cooperative working and business models like the John Lewis Partnership, we need to look at these options.

 

 

 

Great news from Scotland: New female leader inspires with a new language

Scotland is a long way from London and I would not normally follow the workings of the Scottish Parliament or find it remotely interesting.  But today the country’s new leader is making their first appearance in the house and for the first time this post is held by a woman. In fact, the one candidate she was up against was the female leader of the opposition, and her anointment in the role took place the day before in a procedure led by the first female Presiding Officer in Scotland. With the lead players at Holyrood all women I decided to watch the live streaming on BBC News of Nicola Sturgeon’s performance as First Minister taking her first Questions. She was impressive. Her language was different to what I normally hear coming from a politician’s mouth.

Anything positive spoken about a woman can be taken as a criticism of men. It’s not. I am wired to look and listen out for difference. The more we can understand the difference that women bring the better for all of us. As we search for new ways to conduct business and politics it is important to recognise the special contribution that is available by having more women in key and leadership roles.  Not just because equality of opportunity is a good thing but we need to understand, name, respect and leverage feminine qualities that will help take us all in a new direction. What struck me about Nicola Sturgeon was her language and her invitation for a different approach to dialogue.

She said she wanted to avoid  “the usual defensive ding dong” that is traditional of political discourse.    “I am open minded to any proposals that come forward from any side of the chamber as to how the government can do things better.” The topic of healthcare was raised and specifically the postcode lottery of uneven access to life-saving cancer drugs.    Again appealing for consensus, the First Minister, added: “On this issue, possibly above all other issues, it’s important that we don’t divide on party lines – these are matters of life and death for many people.” She referred to the problems being complex and not professing to have all the answers herself inviting anyone to come forward with ideas and she would make time to sit with them and listen.

I can’t ever remember a Westminster politician or male minister admitting to not having answers, saying they were open-minded and willing to listen to the opposition, or wanting to be participative and non-combative. How refreshing! I would much rather vote for a politician who said they did not have answers. We know they don’t know but they won’t admit it. What we need is their listening because it is in that open creative space of dialogue that we will find the answers that society is looking for to the myriad challenges we face.  Tell the truth I say. Name the reality.

“I’m lost …. we are lost … but let’s get together and talk about a way forward … let’s use our combined intelligence and wisdom and see what emerges from that.” Now that is the kind of speech I am interested to hear from a politician of any colour and I am inspired to discover a female leader emerge in Scotland who has the courage to ask for help. Bravo Nicola. It seems she is demonstrating what Professor Vlatka Hlupic, author of The Management Shift, would call “emergent leadership” which her research indicates is our only way forward if we want to create a sane, solvent, sustainable world.

 

Factors affecting success – what women can bring

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Deloittes

The factors affecting success: what women bring that is different

Last week on the 44th floor of what is (or perhaps once was) the tallest building in Benelux, a group of business women gathered and decided how to spend 250,000 Euros on their new venture. They were told they could not borrow any money from the bank and they had to quickly make a series of decisions which would determine whether they went bankrupt or survived and in the process, do right by the planet.

Not quite a normal day in business but then this was a game set up by Deloittes to test entrepreneurial skills and adeptness in an increasingly fast-changing world that demands profitably AND sustainability.  What made the day a little more unusual was the fact that all the participants were women. This was to be a uniquely female-only venture into successful business planning. I wondered what that might be like…

I’d had the privilege of speaking to these women in a keynote prior to the game (see transcript in previous blog post) and was also given the opportunity to have a bit of feminine influence on how the game was played. I only made some small changes but I could see that they did have an impact.

It was an interesting experiment. Here is my account of how it went with my insights summarized at the bottom…..

1. Let’s start with the tables – the physical preparation for success!    You have to pay attention to the way the environment creates the atmosphere and shapes the narrative. Are you setting the space to support debate and argument or consensus?   So first off, I wanted to change the layout of the room. As is standard for meetings, the hospitality team had spent some time getting all the lines perfectly straight with the rectangular tables. I just knew it was important to re-arrange everything. Round tables really help to bring people together as a group and build community but that was not an option here. We couldn’t do anything about the table shape so we created a herring-bone V-shape which felt much better. The room was still neat but there was more flow. It’s a subtle intervention which can have a powerful effect on the outcomes.

2. Turning a room full of strangers into a community:  

   Few of the women knew each other and this game was going to test everyone’s capacity to contribute quickly. That’s a little harder when you are sitting with strangers. When the going gets tough in business it’s the relationships you already have in place that will stand you in good stead. So I devised a warm-up bonding session to help create community very quickly. Read about the Power of Circle below. It worked a treat.

3. The Power of Circle for community building and bonding:

   For the warm-up, we had four teams, so the women took their chairs away from the tables to make 4 tight-knit groups. This supported everyone having a closer connection without the table acting as a barrier. They were given just 2 minutes each to share what had inspired them to be who they are in life now. I gave each woman an inspiration card with a random word on it and an abstract symbol.  They were to share their story in the context of this image and/or word … whatever it meant to them. That way, their thinking would move into the more expansive right brain which would elicit a get a deeper sharing. When a question makes one think, one really never knows what one is going to come up with so there’s a need to delve a little deeper …. with much richer rewards and insights!   It’s fun, it’s intuitive and it starts to engage other parts of our selves.

4. Getting everyone primed for attentive listening: 

   At first, the idea of sitting in a circle for a discussion sounds and looks a bit alien in a corporate setting, but once you are in it, it actually feels very comfortable.  Bring in a talking stick and that is of course another off-beat addition. The idea of a circle is that it supports everybody speaking, everybody being heard one at a time. What the talking stick does is let a person speak when they feel it is the right moment for them.  You can either speak in turn or allow whoever wants to go next as the mood and energy changes with the conversation. You just need to be the one holding the talking stick, or whatever is serving as the totem, and everyone else is attentive and listening. The sharing circle worked well and a community had started to form. They were beginning to get the measure of who they were and what different contributions would likely be made.

5. Game on – how will decisions be made: 

   So the programme started with each team being asked to make a series of decisions on what kind of business they would be and what strategies they would use so there was quite a lot of debate before the game actually began. The room was filled with discussion. The players later reported on their enjoyment of their democratic approach of letting everyone speak their piece and give input into the decisions being made by really feeling heard.

6. I had been asked to observe and make comments on the communication process. As the game progressed I noticed one team were further ahead so I paused the process to ask how they were managing the debate. Interestingly they were using the talking stick (in their case a green stone) taking it in turns to hold the veto or casting vote for each decision. They had taken the time early on to discuss how they would manage decision-making and it was paying off.

7. How female only teams were different:

   To say that the groups were playing a game with a time pressure, there was a tremendous sense of calm in the room. The conversations and debate had been polite, friendly with very intentional listening which had created a very harmonious atmosphere.  The groups were all very engaged and there seemed to be a strong sense of focus and togetherness with barely anyone leaving the room for a break. It was hard to interrupt them.

8. A lot of space had been created for deep listening. The groups ensured all questions were handled in a democratic way, everybody was heard fully.
9. A spirit of friendly competition still remained in this very collaborative atmosphere. There was a desire to win but as I overheard the debates, I sensed an even stronger desire to do the right thing. There was a commitment to harmony and the elegance of conversation with everyone’s contribution respected.
10. What I notice consistently in female-only groups working together is a strong desire to do whatever it takes to preserve the relationships.
11. How things are done are held as important. Good process is valued and is protected against a strong focus on simply achieving the outcomes, especially if the community and relationships are look like they will be compromised along the way.

In summary:
It would be a mistake to conclude from this exercise that women-only groups are in any way better. What does emerge, is an opportunity to witness feminine energy be more present in the business context in the absence of any men participating. It is a chance for women to have a greater understanding of what happens when feminine qualities are magnified away from the presence of men. As I pointed out to the group during our concluding insights, research shows that balanced teams are more successful than male-only or female-only.

Both genders are bringing something different. This occasion was an opportunity to get a greater sense of what women can bring that is different from the dominant male culture.

• Deeper listening: The circle style of conversation provided a communication structure that better supported this.
• Inclusive debate: The groups exhibited a higher level of commitment to making sure that all were heard.
• Relationships were valued. There was a high level of sensitivity as many participants were working together for the first time
• Decision-making seemed to be very inclusive with all contributions sought and welcomed; and even those who were against the majority decision were given airtime to check that their views were included.

 

How women can lead with their feminine qualities

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Deloittes

I was invited to Deloittes Netherlands to talk about how women can develop an edge in their leadership by embracing more of their feminine qualities and values. The world in the second decade of the 21st century is one that is requiring more collaborative working styles and more empathetic, intuitive, compassionate environments that are increasingly being shown to help people thrive … and as a consequence these are bringing in more profit. With some of the largest companies in the world now showing a greater profitably when they have more women on the Board and in executive positions, compared to those led by male-only boards, the question of how to leverage the power of women in a way that is not being done now, needs to be at the top of every company agenda.

Deloittes have a Women-to-the-Top initiative and three of their women leaders, Marieke Treffers, Kelly Pender  and Hilary Richters invited me over from the UK to speak at a women-only session where they planned to play a Business Game that tests your leadership and collaborative decision-making skills. I was to providing the pre-game content that spoke of the power of feminine leadership. Here is a brief summary of what I talked about with other blog posts (to come) that will share more insights from the day ……

• I noted how unusual it is for women to gather in a business professional setting without any men. We don’t often have that chance, if at all. Usually, if we ever meet as women-only it is in more social contexts and environments. Today we were going to play with that opportunity to experience the difference of just using our feminine energy.
• My passion is to explore new solutions to create change in the world. This includes looking at new kinds of leadership and specifically what women can bring …not just ourselves as part of a gender headcount, but our feminine qualities and traits. These are so often held back because they are not welcomed and embraced by the Dominant Culture. As most corporate people say …. that soft stuff is a bit of a distraction and not seen as relevant to the main thrust of business.
• In explaining my work and writing about the Rise of the Feminine (title of my forthcoming book) it is important to note that the bigger picture is about men and women working together and blending their different energies and contributions, once they have been recognised. It’s all about balanced teams, balanced decision-making and balanced leadership.
• I noted that progress has been slow.  The journey that women have made in the last four decades in particular, from the kitchen and home to being able to be Captains of Industry, and not just half the workforce, is stellar when you look back over hundreds of years of being held back and marginalised. However in the second decade of the 21st century, women are anything from 2% of CEOs (top 100-200 companies) and 5-20% of Board Members. Will we ever make it to 50% or the 40% that some countries are regulating for?  New thinking is needed.
• Whilst regulations for Company Board positions are a key driver, they don’t necessarily solve the problem and keep women in the pipeline that serves those top exec positions within companies. Women are not always leaving because they can’t get through the glass ceiling .. some don’t like what they see on the other side of the glass and are unwilling to pay the price.  Big change is needed and that takes a higher level of engagement by women, actively supported by men. In fact, there’s a need for men to move from simply approving female-focussed initiatives to driving them and really getting behind the problem.
• So why don’t women make it up through the pipeline? I talked about how many women report that they feel unseen, misunderstood, unheard by men … yes there is actual research to show that some men (and it amplifies with age) cannot hear the softer higher tones of women. (I have written about that before).
• I explained the cultural undercurrents that form so much of the conscious and unconscious conditioning of human societies. The work of Dr Riane Eisler and her book “Caring Economics & The Real Wealth of Nations” provides an excellent blueprint for explaining how so much of what women stand for and contribute is perceived as being worth less in society today.  Dr Eisler talks about the two opposing paradigms for organising human behaviour: Hierarchy and Partnership.
• The Dominant Culture today, so very steeped in hierarchy is having challenges adapting to the changes that are coming as women and feminine values rise.   A recent example I quoted is the news article reporting that female CEOs are more likely to be fired than their male counterparts…. seven times more likely if they have come from outside the organisation.  Men are far less patient of any perceived failing performance by women. I recently discovered a new phrase that describes this … the GLASS CLIFF.
• I documented my own journey from being a bullied senior exec leaving a top job in the newspaper industry in the mid 1980s (now that’s a LOOOONG time ago!!) which then spurred me into being a successful and award-winning business owner. I was definitely Action Woman completely embracing all my masculine achievement traits (quite unconsciously), even in my own enterprise, and that led to serious burn-out and a long period of re-invention in new fields. Over the years, and a phase feeling very invisible and lost as an older woman in a society favouring youth, I found my new direction and energy by understanding what my feminine qualities could bring to my life and success. My latest incarnation, called by poet George Hardwick an “entrepreneurial queen of grace” feels a better description of a new and more productive, wiser, authentic self.
• I proposed that the era of women striving to be seen as Equal and the Same, where the conversation is about women being able to do a job as good-as-a-man, needs to be replaced with Equal and Different. Now it is the time for women to reconnect with their unexplored feminine side, become familiar with these traits, and bring them to bear in the much-needed transition process to a new way of working, living, being and leading.
• The Athena Doctrine book and research data of 64,000 people was referenced. This is a superb resource. Co-author John Gerzema writes about 32,000 people canvassed for their opinion on which of a long list of values were either feminine, masculine or neutral. Another 32,000 people across the globe were asked to list the qualities of the ideal modern leader. Not surprisingly (well not to me) 90% of those traits are feminine with the research vocalising that people (men and women) expressly want to turn away from proud, independent, uncollaborative leadership styles… so very much a signature of the Dominant Culture. If ever there was a mandate for women to step forward and lead change as their authentic selves, the Athena Doctrine provides the evidence and blueprint.
• These feminine values and traits have been left out of the corporate sphere for so long that it is very difficult for most people, men and women, to grasp how to bring them in. I shared stories about where I have seen collaboration, community-building, inclusive-thinking, healing and compassion played out at the highest level on the world stage. Change is happening and role models for different decision-making and leadership practised by both men and women, are there for us to follow now.
• Practical tools were promised and I talked through a number of ways that women can act, think and speak differently to leverage their feminine power. The two main recommendations were 1) to utilise the circle as an advanced and simple methodology for communication in meetings where everybody is more engaged, and 2) for women to focus on community-building in their organisations instead of simply networking. It is in these community gatherings, women can practice holding their personal power in a different way. The rewards of both circle communication and women-only gatherings are outstanding for higher levels of engagement, performance and success.
• My Keynote now completed we moved on to the next part of the event which was the playing of a business game that allows teams to explore (in an online business fantasy world) the impacts of risk-taking, and the pressure to make quick decisions in a fast-changing world to sustain a profitable business where the context is securing the needs of people, profit and planet.  Of course, working together as a team is important to the game so as a primer, I led a pre-game session of community building.
• There is nothing quite like sitting in a circle sharing stories to bring a group of strangers together quickly and help build relationship for effective working.
• Sharing a personal story that introduces you is a particularly powerful way to bond.
• Read my next blog post for more insights from this day

If you want to review the actual slides then check them out on my slideshare profile