In conversation about Leadership

I had the chance to attend a great conversation yesterday between Arafeh Takhikhani, Cathy McClay, Simone Gemkow and Laura Henry after a warm welcome from Helen Owen.

Great collaboration between WiNG and the London chapter from the International Association of Women. Thanks.

Helen shared the 3 pillars that Women in National Grid (WING) work on:

1. Create belonging
2. Give women a voice
3. Support the female talent pipeline

What became apparent (and funny) throughout the conversation was the parallelism among the panelists, it was a celebration of hard work, talent and constant learning in their journeys, albeit from different backgrounds.

Laura was the moderator and asked several questions to give us insights on the world of leadership concerning women, reflecting on the role of mentoring.

These were my takeaways:

Transitioning from individual contributor to manager

Regardless of how good we are at our job, enabling others and benefitting from the multiplying effect and synergies of delivering on objectives collectively is presumably one of the most significant challenges in people's careers.

What am I going to be valued for, when I cannot rely on my individual contributions?

Panelists candidly shared how long it took them to change their mindsets (and behaviour) so they could get the best out of their team members, while still being themselves and authentic.

Let's be smart about those skills we can bring across from other areas of our life.

With the change in hierarchy taking place, let's not forget that managers have new peers and find themselves in environments where they have to delegate, influence and manage stakeholders more effectively. With and without authority.

The role of mentorship and sponsorship in our careers

One of the roles of mentors is adding metacognition. Sometimes we have intuition, we know what we want to do/think we should do and mentors can explain why and how, by sharing their experience. Advice is tailored to your specific situation.

There is room for mentors in the organisation where we work and outside.

I once heard about a mentor for a situation, a rol or for life. The most important idea about mentoring is that it can be fluid (or long term) but must be led by the mentee.

Beware of the booby trap: look for mentors (be it normal, reverse or any other type) in your direct line of reporting. Some leaders develop others for their own benefit and trap them in their roles for their own benefit, not the benefit of the mentees.

The role of networking in our careers

How can anybody say "networking" is not for me?

The panelists challenged that everyone is interested in people, and that it all it takes. Listening to each other, being there for each other, learning from each other.

After a while, they approach you for roles because they think of you. After a while, you approach them for help, when you need them.

Belonging to an ethnic minority was discussed, it compounds some of the multisectionality of people. It brings its own cultural and social constraints, to be added to being a woman.

We all need alliances and partnerships and networking is the mechanism to build relationships to benefit each other.

'Put yourself out there' we were told. It can be said louder but not more clearly!

The role of power

Great reminder from the audience about the power of knowledge, the power of network and the power of position.

This led to a conversation about, in the experience of the panelists, what are the topics the mentees they have worked with need most help with.

<The Authority Gap> by Mary Ann Sieghart was quoted several times. Confidence and self-believe can be missing (or low), regardless of the knowledge we have.

Oftentimes knowledge was not what carried our panelists forward, but learning strategies to deal with moments when they felt challenged, or becoming a team player.

In other words, they work with their teams and mentees to develop communication, listening and empathy skills.

What did others take away?

I'm keen to hear/read, please feel free to comment.

And perhaps next time we can discuss the role of coaching.