eve-olution newsletter April 2004
Contents
- Coaching Tips from Jane Campion
- Metropolitan Police and International Women's Day, by Tracey Carr
- Employment Law Update
- March Graduates - CFL Programme
- eve-olution Masterclass Teleforum
Coaching Tips from Jane Campion, Strategy Coach, eve-olution
Truly excelling - succeeding in ways that matter to you - requires strong commitment wrapped around a dream. Commitment, because life constantly tugs and pushes us, sometimes in ways seemingly out of our control. The dream, because success demands a compelling focus.
Someone said that success is the process of realising all we are meant to be and do: our dreams. The question is: how do we achieve them?
What if every one of us has some greatness planted in us: a seed that, if allowed to grow, would fulfil and reward not only us, but our world? What if we could get quiet for long enough even to hear it? Author Nancy Kline presents the idea that, if people are heard without distraction, judgement or interruption for just 10 minutes, they can talk a challenge out and arrive at new wisdom and solutions, just like that. I've proven that in my work.
Modern lives don't offer the leisure or traditional "ears" that long-term, mentor-employers, extended family and friends once did. The clear listening, focused positive inquiry and independent insight provided by coaches have made them popular as one result.
I encourage you to go a step further than just hiring a good coach. Create a personal success panel: a board of directors for your life and work who will listen to your dreams and to whom you can be accountable for achieving them. I have coaches and advisors for my dream, for my work, my career, my latest research, as well as a close financial advisor, a spiritual director, a person who keeps an eye on my work-life, fun-and-happiness balance. Each knows something of my goals, my sense of purpose and holds me accountable for my progress towards part of it. This accountability supports my strong commitment to doing the work that achieves my dream rather than missing the important challenges that will make the difference.
Today:
- What is your dream? (If you need a clue, it's that "impossible" one you hardly dare to tell anyone about but would absolutely love to live.)
- Who would you choose to help you get there? (Who do you know that you admire [or envy] for their abilities and achievements?)
- What will you do to enlist their support and what will you commit to do? (If you don't know, ask for some quality listening time from them - not ideas or advice - and be sure to listen to yourself as you speak.)
This month's coaching tip is dedicated to the memory of my stepmother Anne Hiles-Smith
Metropolitan Police and International Women's Day
by Tracey Carr, MD eve-olution
At the beginning of this year eve-olution were given the very great opportunity to work with the Metropolitan Police on a study looking into the needs of their Part Time Workers.
Our focus to date has primarily been with the Private Sector and, in particular, Banking and so it was with "eyes wide open" that we approached this project and the Met Police culture as a whole.
We are all constantly exposed to reports in the Press about British Police and it is from these references that we draw our conclusions. However, we have absolutely no insight until we have experienced something and having been immersed with the Met for a little while, I would like to share some of my perceptions and, in particular, reflections on the International Women's Day Conference hosted by the Metropolitan Police Service at the Museum of London.
The line-up of speakers was impressive and included the Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Carole Howlett and Anni Marjoram, Mayors Policy Advisor on Women, GLA.
Carole, who is an inspirational role model to us all, spoke of the work that was being done to understand the needs of women employees, officers and staff, and also of the need for police, as a whole, to embrace gender difference.
The work that has been done on Gender Difference at the Met is a shining example of what can be done. A "Gender Agenda" focuses on the specific needs of women in the Service and has produced a full range of interventions that clearly demonstrate a rigorous commitment to culture change.
My personal experience of working with the Met is that they are forward thinking and not afraid to pursue, with vigour, a radical shake-up of traditional methods. Almost everybody that we have met, interviewed or observed in the Met is operating from a strong set of values and a commitment to making a real difference.
As Carole Howlett said at the conference, "We must take the opportunity to develop ourselves and our progress."
I agree. Self-clarity is the key. Companies and organisations need to re-educate management on gender difference so that we avoid the sole promotion of women who emulate the male work ethic.
And as women we owe it to ourselves to maximise and achieve our potential. Look for patterns in your life, understand the context and most importantly act as role models for other women because this may be the first/last generation of women who are trying to learn by trial and error!
Employment Law Update
Positive Discrimination or Diversity and Inclusion?
The Sexual Discrimination Act 1975 forbids discrimination at every stage of employment: advertising vacancies; engagement of employees; promotion and other opportunities, dismissal. Once a woman is in a job, her employer may not discriminate against her in the way it affords her access to opportunities for promotion, transfer, training or to any other benefits, facilities or services or by refusing or deliberately omitting to afford her access to them. (SDA 1975 s6(2)(a)).
Does "Positive Discrimination" have a place at work?
Positive Discrimination under UK Law
It is the case that so called "Positive discrimination" is unlawful under UK law. Both men and women are protected against less favourable treatment on grounds of their sex. To treat a woman more favourably would be to treat her male comparator less favourably.
This seems to open the door for a broader interpretation of what can be done within a Company to encourage the issues of Diversity and Inclusion to be addressed - it appears to be the case there is some legal recognition and also some help within the law to allow companies to positively encourage Diversity and Inclusion.
One important and interesting exception that is made within the act is discrimination in training. Positive discrimination in favour of women or men, in affording access to training and encouragement to apply for particular work, is permitted to an employer, if, at any time within the 12 months immediately preceding the doing of the act, there were no persons of the sex in question among those doing that work or the number of persons of that sex doing the work was comparatively small. (SDA 1975, s48 (1)(2))
Positive Discrimination under Community Law
The position in relation to Community Law seems much less clear. The EDT European Directive treaty, specifically allows for "measures (intended) to promote equal Opportunity for men and women, in particular by removing existing inequalities". (art 2(4)).
This seems to open the door for a broader interpretation of what can be done within a Company to encourage the issues of Diversity and Inclusion to be addressed - it appears to be the case there is some legal recognition and also some help within the law to allow companies to positively encourage Diversity and Inclusion.
March Graduates - Creative Female Leader Programme
The March Creative Female Leader Programme was an extraordinary experience. The Programme has just been re-written to include a section on famous Women Leaders and some reflections on how values shape Leadership style.
We were very lucky to hear form Jayne Chase about how she has managed her career and some of the tips for surviving as the most senior woman at Siemens including how this changes when working in places such as Japan and Germany.
Our Programmes are limited to a maximum of 8 women and are most suitable for senior women or for managerial women who are high achievers. The March course included a Financial Controller from Compass Group, a Detective Inspector from the Met and a Project Manager from Siemens.
These were some of their comments:
"Good mix of delegates. 'One stop shop' for a woman's toolkit for work. Great to share experiences and learn from others."
"A wonderful 2 days, I will take lots of great learning away with me."
"Balance between conceptual and practical good. Great course."
"Absolutely brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it."
eve-olution Masterclass Teleforum
March saw the launch of the eve-olution Masterclass teleforum, an innovative series of personalised telephone coaching in which delegates from contrasting business backgrounds are invited to share and build on the experiences gained from their participation in Creative Female Leader Programmes.
Funded by Business Link (Hertfordshire), the first series will run for six months and is being monitored by Professor Mark Hart of Kingston University as part of his research into preparing recommendations for Government policy on Diversity in the Workplace, and in particular how women manage working lives and careers in large organisations and in their own businesses.
Delegates expressed their enthusiasm for the way the forum concept worked, and we look forward to opening this facility to even more women in the near future.