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Advancing Women’s Leadership through Coaching

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This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.

See the original article in this Link.

Advancing Women’s Leadership through Coaching

The 12 habits that hinder female leadership

Leadership culture, organisational practices and individual behaviours are three dimensions identified as important in international studies to achieve change in the development of female leadership internationally.

In this article we focus on the individual behaviours, mentality and behaviours that distinguish executives who have progressed to leadership positions in organisations.

Some of the most distinctive behaviours and beliefs of these professionals are the ability to advocate for themselves, the development of support and influence networks at different levels of the organisation, taking risks and developing new competencies, and a high degree of self-confidence.

In the book “How Women Rise”, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith identify the following 12 habits or behaviours that hinder the development of women in organisations:

  1. Reluctance to claim achievements.
  2. Expect others to spontaneously notice and reward your contributions.
  3. Overvaluation of experience.
  4. Just build, rather than build and leverage relationships.
  5. Do not recruit allies (peers, mentors and sponsors) from day one.
  6. Put work before your career.
  7. The trap of perfection.
  8. The desire to please.
  9. Minimization (in words and body language).
  10. Too much (too much emotion, words, information).
  11. Rumination.
  12. Let your radar distract you.

These habits frequently appear together. For example, the habit 1. reluctance to claim achievements often appears accompanied by 2. expecting others to spontaneously notice or praise and reward their contributions, leading to women not developing and assuming the importance of advocating for themselves.

Other behaviours that can be found together are habits 3. overvaluing experience, 6. putting work before your career and 7. the perfection trap, which together can limit the professional’s ability to take risks, open up to strategic projects and develop the competencies and skills necessary to progress in leadership roles.

To still refer to the behaviours 4. only build instead of building and leveraging relationships and 5. not enrolling allies from day one, which when given inhibit the development of support and influence networks at different levels of the organisation.

The behaviours 9. minimization, 10. too much and 12. letting your radar distract you, with absorption of too much information and/or decreased focus, hinder the development of influence in the organisation and for professionals to be perceived as having an executive presence.

In the coaching process, the coach supports the executive to:

  • Clarify your purpose and vision of the desired future.
  • Recognise your personal power and authenticity, your competencies, experiences and knowledge, that is, what you bring to the table.
  • Evaluate how you present and act in different situations, how you empathize and create rapport and relationships of trust, how you communicate with others, how you respond in crisis situations, what are the triggers that can arise and that must be taken care of.
  • Map your people of interest and identify potential allies, mentors and sponsors.
  • Define what value and impact you want to create, what new perspectives or emotional changes you can provide to enhance solutions in critical situations.

The coach accompanies the professional in her actions to:

  • Develop a learning and growth strategy with clear purpose and objectives.
  • Structure an active network of relationships and support.
  • Simultaneously manage work, career, and personal and family life.
  • Create greater impact and value in your communications and interactions.
  • Develop self-confidence and assume your personal power.

A professional coach supports the client in their development process, stimulating reflection and creativity, acting as a mirror for the client, encouraging the discovery and implementation of new lines of action. Sometimes, he supports the client with experimentation or role-playing techniques that allow him to visualize different perspectives, actions, and experiment in a safe environment, in a continuous process of reflection, action and learning.

Author: Fatima Ribeiro

The author is a PCC Coach, Coach in professional development, leadership and teams processes, and member of the Board of Directors of ICF Panama.

Poster for QLU's International Women's Leadership Conference

Women’s Leadership: International Conference

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I thank the participants in the “Female Leadership” seminar in Quality Leadership University el 10 March 2020, one of the last face-to-face seminars prior to the closure of schools and universities in face-to-face format in Panama

In this VUCA world and in a pandemic context with Covid-19, in which volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity increase, let us work to support each other, implementing best practices and transforming challenges into opportunities!

In a scenario of physical distance, let us remain emotionally and socially connected.

Poster with Fátima Ribeiro for the QLU International Women's Leadership ConferenceFátima Ribeiro with the women's leadership conference group at QLU

Fátima Ribeiro with Marshall Goldsmith

A day with Marshall Goldsmith

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On Friday, May 10, I traveled to San Diego, California, for a learning-filled Saturday with Marshall Goldsmith, author of several best sellers worldwide, considered the #1 Executive Coach in the world and among the top ten Business Thinkers in the last eight years.

The invitation to participate from a group of 22 excellent professionals from various countries came to me a few days before and I was filled with enthusiasm to have the opportunity to work directly with a person whom I deeply admire.

The programme, which included a workshop, skills training, and a reception at Marshall Goldsmith’s home, exceeded my expectations.

A co-creation of learning about the leadership of the future; he feedforward as a fundamental tool to implement behavioural changes, recognised by the people around us; best executive coaching practices and a special space dedicated to female leadership.

The atmosphere and energy were extraordinary, in harmony with learning and sharing experiences. A great generosity from Marshall Goldsmith, his team, his wife and all the participants.

The workshop was filmed and will be integrated into the documentary that is being produced about the work and legacy of Marshall Goldsmith, which will be available later in 2020.

Being a better person and a better professional is a constant learning process. In this growth process we can ask ourselves, daily or weekly:

Did I do my best in?

  • Have clear objectives
  • Work to achieve my goals
  • be happy
  • Finding meaning
  • Build positive relationships
  • Be fully committed

“Life is Good.”

a hug,

Fatima Ribeiro

 

See also my article on Future Leadership

Books on leadership and professional development, including How Women Rise

Fátima Ribeiro leading a women's leadership workshop in a training room

Women’s Leadership: Reflection and Action in Practice

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Women’s Leadership Workshop: Reflection and Action, 1st edition

At QLU – Quality Leadership University on March 20 and 21, 2019

2nd edition scheduled for the week of June 24 to 28, 2019

Thank you to all the participants for your commitment!

 

Fátima Ribeiro and participants of the Women's Leadership workshop: Reflection and Action

Poster for the Women's Leadership: Reflection and Action seminar at QLU

Women’s Leadership Workshop: Reflection and Action

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On March 20 and 21 at QLU – Quality Leadership University participate in this workshop that seeks to enhance professional development and female leadership, providing concepts and tools that generate reflection and allow the construction of an action plan that enhances skills and empowers women committed to their growth.

Among others we will work on:

  • Identify the habits that limit or enhance your professional development
  • Leverage your values and beliefs in your leadership development
  • Reflect on your personal brand and how to create a strategic network of relationships
  • Develop an action plan based on practical improvements that allows you to advance your career and improve your leadership

With a strong practical component and focused on generating results in the workshop, I will share some best practices so that learning translates into results and well-being that last over time.

Participate, share and commit to your development!

More information and registration in this link.

Some articles on the topic:

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Developing Your Leadership Potential as a Woman

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female leadership

In my article “Female leadership in Panama” I briefly describe the conclusions of a study developed in Panama on “Women in business management: gaining momentum in Panama.”

Among the measures aimed at overcoming the dilemmas and internal contradictions that women face when reaching positions of responsibility, the study identifies mentoring programmes, coaching and career development plans.

Coaching helps identify beliefs that may limit a woman’s professional and leadership growth, and break habits that hold back progress in her professional career, such as a promotion, a successful salary negotiation, or a career change.

The 12 habits that stop you…

In my coaching processes I use, among other tools, the 12 habits identified in the book “How Women Rise” by Sally Helgensen and Marshall Goldsmith:

  1. Reluctance to claim achievements
  2. Expect others to spontaneously notice and reward your contributions
  3. Overvaluation of experience
  4. Just build instead of building and leveraging relationships
  5. Do not enlist allies from day one (allies, mentors and sponsors).
  6. Put your work before your career
  7. The perfection trap
  8. The desire to please
  9. Minimization
  10. Too much
  11. Rumiando
  12. Let your radar distract you

These habits often appear together. For example, the habit (1) Reluctance to claim achievements often appears accompanied by the habit (2) Expecting others to spontaneously notice or praise and reward your contributions.

Others that can be found together are the habits (3) Overvaluing experience and (6) Putting your work before your career and the habit (7) The perfection trap.

Plan of action

If you detect some of these behaviours or habits in yourself, the suggestion is that you establish a strategic plan to implement changes.

Align your objectives with your purpose, start with one, maximum two habits, which you fragment into small habits or routines, be specific and concise in your actions and define a time limit to implement them.

Recruit professional help such as a coach or someone committed to your development and who also wants to implement changes and establish “peer coaching”, promote your objectives, ask for feedback, listen, thank and implement changes during the course of your action plan.

In a coaching process, purpose, objectives, objective and subjective reality, visions and options are worked on in an integrated manner and an action plan is implemented.  The action plan encourages the implementation of actions, accompanied by the development of relationships and feedback, which allows the desired changes to be implemented by measuring their effectiveness.

Our beliefs shape our resistance to change, our responses help shape our circumstances, and our behaviours shape how others respond to us.

Organisations can implement coaching processes that support the development of female leadership, or professional women can choose to individually contract a process that contributes to their professional development.

References: Book “How Women Rise”, break the 12 habits holding you back from your next raise, promotion or job, Sally Helgesen y Marshall Goldsmith.

 

 

 

A professional leading a team meeting in a glass-walled room

Women’s Leadership in Panama

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Reality

Panama occupies the position 43 in the world ranking in 144 countries of the World Economic Forum’s Gender Parity Index, but 71% of companies do not have women at the highest management level.

According to the study “Women in business management: gaining momentum in Panama”, the percentage of representation of women in management positions varies by level and becomes narrower as we rise in level.  In the supervisory ranks, we have a level of representation of women of almost 37%, at the mid-level 34%, at the senior level 22% and at the top executive level only 8%.

The difficulties for women to be in management positions (CEO or member of the Board of Directors) increase with the size of the company, reiterating that large companies have the lowest representation of women in senior management positions.

The lesser presence of women is felt in areas of operations and research and development, with women in Panama occupying more relevant positions in areas of marketing, sales and human resources.

90% of companies agree that women lead as effectively as men, but different barriers were identified in the study, the first related to a lack of general or line management experience and the second to stereotypes about the role and skills of women, which seem to reflect a contradictory view with the first statement.

Other important barriers identified in the study were women’s limited availability or time flexibility to travel, lack of support to combine work with relationships/family, and leaders’ lack of commitment to the advancement of women.

In the study’s focus group, women identified the main obstacles as: the dilemma between family/career balance, the organisation that is not very conciliatory, and spaces of power that are not very inclusive.

70% of the companies surveyed declare they have a balanced and inclusive culture, but only 30% of them recognise that, with the same skills and professional qualifications, women find it more difficult to reach senior management positions.

There are limitations such as social conditions and an exclusive corporate culture and there are limitations imposed by the women themselves due to personal beliefs or family conditions.

Important benefits obtained with the implementation of diversity and gender equality initiatives in companies are recognised in the surveys, the most relevant being: the increase in business results, including profitability and productivity, the increase in the ability to attract and retain talent and the improvement of the company’s reputation.

It is important to promote and disseminate these important benefits, promoting successful good practices and working with different actors jointly to reduce the identified barriers.

Among the measures aimed at overcoming the dilemmas and internal contradictions that women face when reaching positions of responsibility, the study identifies mentoring programmes, coaching and career development plans.

 

Coaching supports change

The coaching process is key to identifying beliefs that can limit a woman’s professional and leadership growth, and to breaking habits that hold back progress in her professional career, such as a promotion, a successful salary negotiation or a professional change.

In the coaching process, objectives are identified, objective and subjective reality is reflected on, options are generated and an action plan is implemented.

The action plan stimulates the implementation of actions, accompanied by the development of relationships and feedback, which allows the desired changes to be implemented by measuring their effectiveness.

The coach accompanies the professional in their executive and leadership development and the process can be implemented at the initiative of the company or directly with the professional who is committed and responsible and wants to enhance their professional career. The key indicators or KPI’s They are established case by case. In the case of processes contracted by an organisation, it includes evaluations of leadership growth by the stakeholders or interested parties selected as significant to the process, being a measurable and quantified process.

In my article “Are you a woman? Develop your leadership potential” You can find more information about female leadership development.

 

References: The study “Women in business management: gaining momentum in Panama”, promoted by CoNEP – National Council of Private Enterprise and ILO – International Labor Organisation, and prepared by Stratego and Enred Panamá.