eve-olution newsletter July 2005
Contents
- Statistic of the month
- Book of the month
- "Thanks, I'll do it myself" by Tracey Carr, CEO eve-olution
- Coaching Tip by Jane Campion, eve-olution's strategic coach
- Creative Female Leader
Statistic of the month
Geordies spend £17 on champagne every three months. Londoners spend £9 and Scots 50p. Source: Daily Mirror
Book of the month
Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High Growth Businesses by Candida Brush, Nancy Carter, Elizabeth Gatewood, Patricia Greene and Myra Hart
This is an important book for women intent on starting and growing high potential businesses. An invaluable guide that will provide you with a map for entering territory that very few people, let alone women, ever get to see.
"Thanks, I'll do it myself"
by Tracey Carr, CEO eve-olution
The original idea for eve-olution was born in January 2001 following a training event that I attended in Colorado, USA. The first Creative Female Leader seminar was run in November 2001 and was the beginning of a long and fascinating journey for eve-olution, myself and the team.
Three years and six months on and we have just completed the re-run of our annual survey 'Women Leaders Speak Out' which received an overwhelming response rate. The response has been so great that we have decided to hold back the results until September to give us time to do full justice to the voice of those who took the time to complete the survey and to allow time for us to work with Surrey University to substantiate the findings.
With this important landmark survey now competed for the second time, it is time for us to ask questions such as 'what have we learnt as an organisation over the last few years?'
In answering this question on behalf of my team I am reminded of some advice I was given as a naïve entrepeneur starting out in business: 'Never be the first to sell an idea – it takes too long to educate the market!' As Machiavelli says in The Prince, 'there is nothing more difficult to take on hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new.'
However, it does seem that there has been a sea change in interest and opinion over the long term benefits of discussing and valuing gender difference. For some organisations the topic is still taboo but for those who are brave enough to take the long-term view – the rewards are great. Gender is a culture and can be discussed, understood and assimilated in exactly the same way as we deliver any cultural programme. In fact, it is quite dangerous to address gender without looking at cultural differences.
I was recently in the Middle East meeting with a Global Organisation to discuss a change programme focused on cultural competency. The business case for this type of work is obvious – how can you outsource products and services to other parts of the world if you can't understand or communicate with your suppliers? For an organisation such as this it is easy to see the cost benefit of such an exercise. It is then relatively simple to kick start the gender conversation by including it in the cultural differences programme.
Unfortunately, there are still too few companies in the UK who are willing to tackle their own stereotypes. It is no longer meaningful to call a company just British and we need to move on and have a more sophisticated debate.
I have had CEOs and Presidents of FTSE 100 companies say to me that demographics will change as the pipeline comes through. This is simply not true. In fact the largest growth market in entrepreneurial activity is women. The fact is that unless organisations wake up to the 21st century - women will continue to vote with their feet. Our survey results support this worrying trend away from corporate life and women are continuing to say "thanks, I'll do it myself."
With the introduction of the new Government bill on gender placing a duty on public bodies to promote sex equality, I am hoping that awareness around this issue will increase and responsibility for taking action will be taken at the highest levels. After all – gender is something that affects each and every one of us. With globalisation now a reality for all of us, I personally believe that we are in an era that presents great opportunities for increased understanding between different cultures – men and women included!
Coaching Tip by Jane Campion, eve-olution's strategic coach
"I want a little peace/more time/success!"
Welcome to this month's coaching tip which is, once again, packed with helpful insights from eve-olution Coach Jane Campion who regularly hears: "How can I possibly get all of this done? I simply don't have enough hours in a day and the multiple demands on me - all urgent – far exceed them. My career depends on what's happening. As for my personal life, well, I guess no one has one anymore. That's the way it is right?"
Over 130,000 women became self-employed in the last 12 months alone (Source: www.womensenterprise.co.uk). Women are not choosing the corporate life. Government scratches its head and employers watch the demographic timebomb of 2012 approach.
So who has the power to change things? We do. Each one of us.
This tip is dedicated to all those who want to be effective, are committed to what it takes, but need some guidance – presented in one serving – about taking control. It is less a tip on time management and more one on "self" management – in the interests of personal freedom, greater effectiveness and peak creativity.
Click here for this month's tip... (MS Word document, 31kb)
Creative Female Leader
This ground-breaking two day event still forms a key part of much of our progressive leadership work within FTSE100 companies. The CFL has helped countless numbers of entrepreneurial and ambitious women develop clearer visions, strategy and take actions to move towards new goals and horizons. The course is still open for individual delegate participation - Contact us now to see how you to can create a massive shift in your own awareness and effectiveness.
Some of our most recent comments have included:
"The time spent in the company of other like minded professional women was a wonderful opportunity to make time for my own personal development. I put my goals to paper and have been working towards them ever since. I have my goal map on the wall and look at it every day" MB
"A great mix of theory and doing... amazed at the speed of improvement... I am in control of my physiology and can make a difference" LM
"Enjoyed the creative picture drawing to bring dreams to life... great course, will recommend it to friends" JD