Success in Action: Building a Female-Friendly Organization

I work in a unique place – for a couple of reasons.

1. Our product is pet insurance. Seriously, we sell insurance for your pets. In conversation, this is typically followed by a confused comment of “Like, health insurance? But for dogs and cats?!?” Given that only a small (but growing!) percentage of Americans have invested in coverage for their four-legged friends, it makes for a great conversation starter.
2. Our company is made up of nearly three-quarters women, including over half of our leadership! Yup, that’s exclamation point-worthy. According to McKinsey & Company, only 30% of vice presidents and 18% of c-suite members are female in the financial services industry. So, over 50% percent is a number I will gladly shout from the rooftops.

As a result of these unique features of Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group?, I often find myself looking at pictures of pets from people I just met (and I love it!) and talking about how to attract, nurture, and advance women in the workplace. To best illustrate the latter, I like to highlight the outstanding members of my team who have shown true grit, agility, and entrepreneurial spirit, now shining brightly as a result.

Two of my right-hand women were recently honored by the Women’s Network of Northeast Ohio at their annual Women of Achievement Luncheon – Patricia Adams, AVP of Compliance/Legal, and Amanda Piccari, AVP of Operations. Both have been with the company for about a decade or so and have watched it grow from a small start-up to a multinational business. Along the way, they’ve been integral in ensuring we stick to our time-honored pledge of helping pets live longer, healthier lives – first and foremost.

Patricia leads a best-in-class compliance department that oversees legal matters for a variety of brands, partners, and beyond. Her ability to assess an obstacle and overcome it comes naturally, and I much admire it. Her background in public relations and communications also means that our marketing and compliance departments live in quite a harmonious state. She understands where the creatives are coming from and always provides thorough explanations or workaround options whenever she, unfortunately, has to tell them no.

Amanda oversees operations for our entire Akron, Ohio office, an exciting transition from her previous role as Director of Human Resources. One of my favorite phrases I’ve heard her share is: Listen to understand, not to respond. That ever-learning and thoughtful nature of hers is something to be applauded. It definitely caught my eye as we moved forward with some restructuring plans a few years ago that resulted in her career path expansion into claims and Contact Center oversight.

What You Can Do

I am an advocate for inspirational leadership. In short, identify who inspires you and be mindful of your actions with those around you. Do your best to act calmly, empathize, listen, and remain present, all the while matching your responses to your organizational values. Attitude is a reflection of leadership, after all.

Before moving forward to my top-3 suggestions for supporting women in the workplace, I also advise taking inventory of any hidden biases you may have. It can be eye-opening!

1. Provide opportunities for internal networking. This will help team members build connections across the organization, not just in their little cubicle corner of the world. It also encourages cross-team collaboration and builds camaraderie. 
2. Make connections a priority. Show your female colleagues that relationships with them are important to you and communicate why that is as well. This not only helps form a stronger bond, but it helps humanize both sides as well. No more are we looking at co-workers with a back-of-mind transactional worth attached. Instead, you see the whole person and what they bring to the table.
3. Amplify others around you. See a job well done? Point it out, not just to them but to their boss and cohorts. Giving another woman a moment to shine will not diminish your own light—it will only enhance it. You’re adding to your squad of support and further solidifying those connections you’ve been working so hard to build.

Little things like this can help make a big difference in the structural makeup of your organization.