WOC 2016: Daring to be Different; Breaking the Glass Ceiling and Riding the Glass Escalator (Presented by Lockheed Martin Corporation)

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October 13-15, 2016Detroit Marriott

Renaissance Center Detroit, MI

Daring to be Different: Breaking the Glass Ceiling and Riding the Glass Escalator

Melonie D. ParkerVice President, Human Resources

Cheri LarkinsDirector, Global Talent Acquisition

Dionne L. MackSr. Manager, Global Diversity & Inclusion

Signature Seminar

http://www.womenofcolor.net/


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Guiding Principles

Moving up the ranks is a team sport, not an

individual competition

Relationship building is up to you

How you handle adversity & hard

times define you more than your successes

When in doubt, take a minute to step back

Don’t expect your leader to chart the path of YOUR career

Rely on your trusted advisors

Don’t assume your manager knows

your career aspirations

You can be right and wrong – all at

the same time

If you focus on every slight you

may lose focus of your goals



Group Activity BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS

REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE SCENARIO

CAPTURE KEY REACTIONS AND QUESTIONS ON NOTE CARDS



Scenario AYou have been a member of your team for approximately five years and have developed a strong relationship with your leader. He is a white male, former Air Force Captain and has worked his way up in the ranks over the last 15 years after a very impressive military career. Although you are both the same age, he sometimes makes comments comparing your personal life to the life he observes his daughter living, who is about 10 years younger than you.

The team supporting him is comprised of 10 people of various ages and backgrounds. Several individuals have been mentored by him and come from the same state. He has strong personal relationships with them and their families often spend time together outside of work. It usually only becomes a problem when you have a good idea that one of them had not thought of or were too complacent to put the work in to try something new. They ask question after question trying to poke holes in your suggestion until your boss ends it asking you to “do some additional research” and come back to the group. Usually those instances result in the idea being shelfed and not moving forward. It has sometimes caused tension for you, but you have worked through it professionally.

You are always the “go to” person when there are hard things to accomplish for the team and you believe that is because of your decisiveness and ability to get things done. You don’t like to “play politics.” You say what you mean and tell your colleagues exactly what you think.

There is a new position being created and it would result in a promotion for you. You have been thinking about talking to your boss about the opportunity, it is the perfect next step for you. You almost believe that it was made for you and that he is already considering you for the role. To be certain, you think talking about it with him might be a little helpful - just in case.



Reactions

WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS?

ANY RED FLAGS?

POSITIVE INDICATORS?

WHAT ARE SOME PROACTIVE MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE THINGS THAT MADE YOU GO HMMM…?

WHICH TOOLS OR GUIDING PRINCIPLES APPLY?



Scenario BAt the staff meeting this week, there were two announcements. The first announcement was to inform the team that there is a new program the group is assigned to support. Your boss was very excited about the opportunity. A new team member put the idea forward and got unanimous support for the effort from the leadership team. It highly-visible, department-wide undertaking with a final out brief to the CEO. The lead who is being credited with the idea is a younger white male that recently joined the team. (He was a former protégé of your boss from his Air Force days and considered widely as a “high potential” individual). The problem for you is that you presented an almost identical program about a year ago and it was one of the ideas that got “questioned to death” and never moved forward. Now, the same group is very excited about the recommendation they had “serious concerns” about when you proposed it. The second announcement is that your boss wants everyone to congratulate your colleague on her new promotion. Rather than post the new job he mentioned a couple of months ago, your boss selected one of his inner circle members to get the position you had thought was perfectly suited for you. Your newly-promoted colleague is also considered a high potential leader, although she is nearly 4 years your junior in experience. While this is going to be a stretch for her, he is confident it will be a rewarding growth opportunity. This meeting is the first time you are hearing about either of these two developments. Obviously, you are upset about both.



Reactions INITIAL THOUGHTS?

WHAT PARTS OF THE SITUATION WERE OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONTROL?

WHAT WAS WITHIN YOUR CONTROL?

WHICH TOOLS OR GUIDING PRINCIPLES APPLY?



Key Takeaways BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS RELY ON TRUSTED ADVISORS HANDLE CHALLENGING SITUATIONS GRACIOUSLY THINK LONG TERM AFTER SHORT-TERM SETBACKS RECALIBRATE AND COURSE-CORRECT IF THINGS GO

OFF-TRACK TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER COMMUNICATE YOUR ASPIRATIONS TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF





Additional ResourcesForget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career, Sylvia Ann Hewlett

Good Is Not Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules for Minority Professionals, Keith R. Wyche

Emotional Intelligence 2.0, Travis Bradberrry & Jean Greaves

Forbes Article: A New Obstacle for Professional Women - The Glass Escalator

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/05/21/a-new-obstacle-for-professional-women-the-glass-escalator/print/
