On the Horizon - Upcoming Events for Women in Leadership

June already!! A real variety of events for and featuring women in leadership for the month of June and beyond:

Vision Series with Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi: Value Adding + Brand Australia

Thursday 14^th June | 12 – 2pm | Perth, Australia | Hosted by CEDA 

In her keynote address, the Right Honourable Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi, will provide her vision on how Perth might improve its brand and global reputation, while increasing our economic links internationally.

As part of this discussion, The Lord Mayor will also examine the notion of "Brand Australia" and what this term means in the 21st century. Does Australia deserve to be seen as a trusted and refined nation?

For further details and registration: http://www.ceda.com.au/events/eventdetails/2012/06/w120614?EventCode=W120614

The Purple Boots Cocktail Party

Thursday 28^th June | 6-10pm | Perth, Australia

Hosted by Women in Engineering and Young Engineers WA Event Partner – Clough 

Join Women in Engineering and Young Engineers WA for a night of fun and frivolity raising money for a great cause. All proceeds go to Breast Cancer Care WA.

Proudly supported by Canton Lounge Bar. Canapes included. Free Cocktail/Beverage on Entry. Door Prizes and Raffle on the evening.

All welcome!

For further details and ticket purchases:  http://purplebootscocktailevening.eventbrite.com/  

Perth Business Chicks Breakfast featuring Ms Ita Buttrose

Friday 7^th September | 6:50am for 7:15 – 9am | Perth, Australia | Hosted by Business Chicks 

Ita Buttrose needs little introduction, she is a woman of many firsts. Ita was the first woman to be appointed to the board of Australian Consolidated Press and News Limited and still holds the title as the youngest ever Editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Ita has forever changed how women are perceived and valued in the workplace; she has truly paved the way. At a time where women did not hold positions of power, Ita rose to the level of the best blokes in business and didn’t throw her femininity away in the process.

For further details, dates for other Australian locations and registration visit the Business Chicks website

If you would like us to spread the word about your event, please contact us on facebook or by email . We would love to hear from you!

Perth is the place for Leadership in 2012!

Curtin Graduate School of Business is hosting two international Leadership conferences in 2012.  See you there!

ANZAM 2012 -  26th Annual Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Conference 

5^th – 7^th December 2012 | Perth, Australia | Hosted by Curtin Graduate School of Business

**Paper submissions close 30^th June 2012**

The 2012 ANZAM Conference theme ‘Managing for Volatility and Stability’ complements the range of more traditional streams and the preceding ANZAM Doctoral Workshop to ensure a comprehensive and versatile Conference that allows you to share research, rekindle existing networks, establish new links and contribute to challenging conversations in a collegial environment.

For further details, registration and paper submission please visit the conference website: http://www.anzamconference.org/

The International “Studying Leadership” Conference

10^th and 11^th December 2012 | Perth, Australia | Hosted by Curtin Graduate School of Business

The 11th International Studying Leadership Conference (ISLC) will be hosted by the Maureen Bickley Centre for Women in Leadership at the Curtin Graduate School of Business, Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. The theme this year is 'Leadership at the Crossroads?' — reflecting the often conflicting demands, expectations and applications of leadership in increasingly globally complex and unpredictable climates.

For further details and to register your interest in attending, please visit the conference website 

In the News: Unlocking the Full Potential of Women at Work

A newly released publications exploring the persistent lack of women in leadership...

McKinsey & Co. have recently released a report Unlocking the Full Potential of Women at Work. Following on from previous publications, this report is based on research involving 60 Fortune 500 (or similar) corporations in the US, and interviews with CEOs, senior business leaders, HR and Diversity professional and female executives.  The views of company employees are also harnessed, with 4000 employees from 14 of these companies providing information on career aspirations, ambitions and attitudes.

The report is jam packed with information, but here are a sample of the findings:

Corporations with the greatest success in achieving gender diversity at all levels of their organisation met one or more of the following metrics:

• A starting position that reflects the talent - the percentage of women recruited into entry-level reflects the available talent emerging from universities and colleges.
• Better odds of promotion past manager level - in a structured corporate pipeline, promotion to manager represents the first step to CEO. Women have good odds (at least 85% of that of men) of being promoted past this level in successful companies.  Interestingly, the metric used is not equal odds!
• More women at the top - successful companies have a high representation of women at the executive committee level.
• Women in the line - women hold at least half of the senior management roles in line positions, rather than staff positions from which they have a lesser chance of reaching the executive level.

Intervention at the middle management level can make the greatest difference.  The report showed that the rate of progress of women beyond the manager level (in line roles) was far less than men. At this level of experience, it was found that many women moved to staff or support roles instead.

A number of stubborn barriers to women's advancement remain. They are deeply intertwined and hard to eliminate. The barriers are described as:

• Lifestyle choices  - for example: to accommodate caring responsibilities, women may shift roles to increase flexibility and lessen travel
• Structural obstacles - for example: it is more difficult for women to access sponsorship or the right networks
• Institutional mindsets - for example: managers and recruiters making assumptions about women's career preferences or mobility
• Individual mindsets - for example: women holding themselves back, not asking for opportunities 

So what to do? The report offers some key areas of focus for moving from "good to great":

• Hands on leadership, starting at the top
• Diversity leadership with clout
• Pervasive sponsorship
• Robust talent management
• Strong accountably supported by data

The Bickley Blog would love to hear from you...

What is your company doing to ensure that they "Unlock the Full Potential of Women at Work?"  

Do the stubborn barriers resonate with your own experience? 

 Have you moved away from the pipeline to CEO - if so, what drove your choices?  

Email us with your stories or drop us a line on twitter or Facebook.