It is my second year to sit on this task force, and it means a bit more to me this time around.  As I look at the phrase, “task force,” I am struck by a couple of things:

The word ‘force’.  We are a force.  This is a movement that must work.

I also like the way ‘women’ is used.  We are ‘in the economy’.  With men.  Making money in a different way.  And building the global economy for our part in it.

This to me paints a different picture than many of the ways in which we look at women in leadership.  Most of the statistics that we use to obtain the return on investment for us being a valid part of the economy are about getting us ‘in’, but very few are about getting us ‘up’.

For example, if we take the statistics that to refer to the breadwinners in a household, or to the statistics that we are leaving half of the talent out, or even if we talk about the need for ‘nurturing’ leaders, it is a bit easier to make the case to let us in the door and even up to, say, the third level of leadership.  Just under the C-suite.

But, to put a women in the chair of a CEO or to see the norms of business change for what we have to offer – with men, it is a bit different.

That seems to be what we are addressing.  The task force brainstorms and votes and discusses implementation, and the results are printed in the Wall Street Journal.

Women like Madeline Albright, Dee Dee Meyers, Geena Davis – - and men like James Turley (CEO of E&Y), Daniel Akerson (CEO of GM) were on hand to offer their thoughts…  Amazing!!  I was starstruck nearly every moment.

Here is what we did.  Read about it! Task Force Working Groups: Recommendations, Co-Chairs and Subject Experts

And, yes, we did a lot, but you can see that the fight isn’t over! Women, Welch Clash at Forum

Well, I have to say that the findings and the fights were all worth it!  Nearly everything that we spoke of touches on what our mission is here at Soluna.  You will note that there is a priority that the task force recognized in creating ‘holistic diversity programs’, and just the nuances around the return on investment that we are speaking of, now.

All I can is, ladies and gentleman, join us as we take this on as a ‘human conversation’ at the next level of diversity.  I have hope.  Soluna is here.

In some research I was a part of on behalf of the Positive Psychology department at U Penn, I was privileged to join over 500 people who came together in Appreciative Inquiry to make changes in Cincinnati, OH.  (I would like to say that David Cooperrider, the author of this method and my professor, ROCKS!!)  The Core Change Summit was an amazing experience for me – as an incredibly diverse group of people came together to strategize cool things for the whole community.

Not only was this an example of what needs to happen for diversity to be fostered at the next level, but it was a fantastic place to experience people as their authentic selves – - another goal of diversity.  This Summit was truly a human conversation.  WOW!!

One resident, who happened to be one of the most articulate and caring human beings I have ever met, spoke of what it was like to be a ‘returning citizen’ (what a GREAT title for him, rather than the more typical title of ‘ex-convict’) and what that meant to his attempt to be a valued member of this society.  He made a mistake as a youth, paid his debt to society and is now living in the world as a young, black man who is just trying to do good things.  I sat with him (sorry to leave his name out, but I have not been able to reach him for permission!) for a couple of days, and we became great friends (even though I am truly old enough to be his mother…  egad… though I would be a proud one!)

He made a presentation to the group, and it has not left my mind since.  Or my heart…  He said, in a low, steady voice, ‘It all starts with hello’.  He said what it meant to him when people didn’t quickly need-to-be-on-the-other-side-of-the-road-really-quickly, as he walked closer… and he mentioned that when people knew of his past, he became ‘invisible’.  He had the most amazing ideas for the community.  He explained how the mere utterance of a cheery salutation flooded him with positive emotions and made him work even harder.  I thought, geez, that is what we are meant to do on Soluna Connect!!  We are meant to ‘start with hello’ outside our corporate walls.  We are meant to talk to people we might not talk to – so lawyers are not just hearing from lawyers, and bankers from bankers…

Who knows where the next new ideas to foster diversity will come from?   After all, I got a great idea for how simple this Soluna solution really is – -  from a ‘returning citizen’ who has never held a corporate job!!

Ladies and gentlemen, what could we start with a simple ‘hello’?

Pam:
Let’s just say that we start fostering diversity through gender balance, as we’ve suggested in our Soluna Institute mission.  The irony of the movement [currently take on by women's organizations and supported by women's initiatives] then is that the major tipping point for women will have to come from men!!  If women make up 15% of the C-level roles, then the leaders who will take this on for all of us will be – - to a very great extent – - the men who currently sit at that level in the other 85% of the CEO positions!!  Guess we’d better invite them to the conversation a bit more often!!!

So, gone are the days where we women can discuss our futures just among the other women in our affinity group.  (Okay, so, yes, these groups give us a lovely sense of ourselves and a necessary bond with other women that gives us strength, BUT….)

What do men need to do/know/be to help us all foster the diversity we need for better decisions, stronger families and more successful communities?  Seriously, guys, what do you need???

You are about to hear one man’s answer.  Hey, Charlie Elkins, are ya ready?  Will you help us all?  [Oh, and by the way, Charlie just happens to care a lot.  He is not only a Board member here at Soluna and a marketing leader in his industry, but he enjoys helping men and women make sense of their marriages.  He even wrote a book to offer some witty guidance to his son on the subject of understanding the other sex.]

Charlie, if you (and other men, of course) are meant to do-this-diversity-stuff along with all of us, what do you need?

Charlie:
I’ve been married 24 years as of a month ago.  One of the keys to a long, successful marriage is being a student of your mate’s behavior, and your own.  Studying her behavior helps me anticipate situations that will arise.  Observing my own behavior as objectively as possible helps me recognize my tendencies and perhaps modify my responses to better accommodate her.  To keep it interesting, I try to find humor in each situation.

One of things I struggled to understand early in marriage was my wife’s desire to share a seemingly moment-by-moment account of her day.  This usually occurred right as I walked in the door from work.  It felt like a flood of words washing over me.  I found myself frantically asking myself, “what am I supposed to do, what am I supposed to DO?”  I think this is pretty common husband/wife behavior.  Eventually, I learned that my wife was simply sharing her day with me and there was usually no “to-do” attached with any of it, although there was the risk that I would be expected to remember some nugget of information at a future date.

If you study marriage as I have done, it becomes pretty obvious that men and women approach it with very different, perhaps even opposite expectations. Most men approach marriage, and everything else for that matter, in terms of action and accomplishment–what am I supposed to do?  Men want to know what they are expected to do and how it should be done.  Most women approach marriage in terms of emotions and relationship.  Women want to share their feelings, both shallow and deep, with their husband.

I think the working world mirrors marriage in various ways.  Certainly, those of us in management find ourselves inundated with information, much like I did as a young husband coming home from work.  In the working world, we frequently receive reminders about the company’s commitment to diversity and such.  We are told that diversity is important.  We have programs and metrics related to diversity.  Yet I don’t think most of us really know what we are supposed to do.  It can’t be just theory and it shouldn’t be limited to purely token actions like putting a female on the board or setting a quota for racial balance in a department.

If diversity is really a serious objective, we need to find positive, practical ways to enable each person in the business to know how to bring about diversity in their department.  We need to take it out of the realm of pithy statements by executives and generic posters in the breakroom.

I have some thoughts on how to make accomplishing diversity practical and will share them in future blog posts.

Ladies and Gentlemen, What do you think we should do?

In early April, the editors of The Wall Street Journal will bring together 150 CEOs, policy makers, industry leaders and subject-matter experts – women and men – for a unique, highly interactive working session on the powerful impact of women in the economy.

Soluna Institute has been invited to attend and take part in this elite task force.

The mission of this executive task force is to address key issues that affect not only women and their potential, but also companies and their ability to harness the opportunities offered by this vital segment of the workforce.

Using a fresh, data-driven approach, the task force’s deliberations will spring from original research commissioned by the Journal and conducted by McKinsey & Company for release at the conference. Through provocative interviews with the Journal’s editors, luminaries from many fields will share insights to inform the participants’ work.

Central to the conference program are dynamic working groups focused on specific industries – finance, technology, science and health care, law, government, and media – as well as on key career stages. In these sessions, participants will collaborate to identify the most urgent priorities for business and government, and to create action plans for immediate solutions. Task Force members will preselect their working sessions. For a list of co-chairs and subject matter experts associated with each working group, and other featured participants, please click here.

The task force findings and original research will be published in a special worldwide report in The Wall Street Journal and on WSJ.com.

Participation is by invitation only. Applications are welcome; to apply, please request an invitation.

The Soluna Institute
Officially launches August 4, 2010 in Dallas.

We are excited to share our message with you and honored by
the support of two keynote speakers in our brief program:

Linda Rutherford,
Vice President, Communication and Strategic Outreach,

Executive Sponsor of the Southwest Diversity Council, Southwest Airlines

and

Timm Elrod,
COO, SkinCeuticals, L’Oreal

We know what we need | Gender diversity in leadership!
We know why we want it | More profits. More talent. Better decisions!

Let’s figure out how to get there. Together.

CONTACT US for more information, or
If you are interested in attending the launch event, please RSVP.

Speaker’s Bios:

Linda Rutherford
Linda serves as Vice President of Communications & Strategic Outreach for Southwest Airlines.  Her own view of leadership is “lighting the path and cheering on the talent you surround yourself with as they sprint down it.”  It is that clarity of purpose that makes her a wonderful role model and informs her role as Executive Sponsor of the Southwest Diversity Council.  The rest of her time is spent in guiding the efforts of Media Relations, Employee Communications, Emergency Response, Strategic Public Relations, Emerging and Multimedia, Charitable Giving and Community Relations, Graphic and Creative Services and Community Affairs and Grassroots.  Her previous career was that of a journalist for the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, and she has an extensive newspaper and magazine reporting background.  The best advice she ever received, she says, was from her mother, who told her she could be anything she wanted to be if she believed in herself, never gave up and gave 110% to everything.  Ms. Rutherford is a Journalism graduate from Texas Tech University.  With a husband and two children, she is an example of a woman who is an executive, a wife and a mother every day.

Timm Elrod

Timm is currently the COO of the US division of a Global 50 multinational corporation responsible for its operations in the US and supporting the expansion of the division’s brand, globally.  In addition to these responsibilities, he is also involved in seeking ways to leverage sustainable entrepreneurial ventures to address social issues related to women in leadership and poverty in developing countries. Timm has over twenty years experience in the computer technology, plastics and professional skincare industries.  In previous assignments, he was responsible for supply chain, manufacturing, product development, information systems, production & logistics planning, quality assurance and procurement for entrepreneurial small and mid-sized high growth firms and at the Fortune 100 level.  He has significant experience with systems design and implementation, strategic planning and analysis, operational corrections, mergers/acquisitions and post-acquisition integration of acquired companies.  Mr. Elrod most recently received a Graduate Certificate in Business Intelligence from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.  He also holds an MBA in Management and a MS in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Arlington and a BBA in Management Information Systems from the University of Oklahoma.  Timm and his wife Cathy are the proud parents of two fabulous daughters and enjoy sharing the world with them.

in any country,

with men?

- as per ‘Breakthrough’, a report prepared from the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2009.

Currently, the only millennial promise yet unmet from the World Economic Forum in Davos is ‘Women in Leadership’. It has been proven that if women lead proportionately in business and elsewhere, profits will increase and the impact to their own communities will be positive.

So, we know the ‘what’ and the ‘why’… and now the Soluna Institute has been created as a non-profit institute and foundation, dedicated to finally addressing the ‘How’! Because the Soluna Institute is a non-profit, we are able to encourage individuals and businesses to jointly invest in research and education that is more comprehensive and actionable than the efforts that currently exist within siloed company walls.

We all profit when we work together, men and women, as evidenced by the following:

“Closing the gender gap… would have huge implications for the global economy, boosting US GDP by as much as 9%, EU GDP by 13% and Japanese GDP by 16%”
- Goldman Sachs’s Global Economics Paper No: 154

Women reinvest 90% of their income in the families and communities, compared with men who reinvest only 30% to 40%
- former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright

“Eliminating gender discrimination in relation to occupation and pay could increase women’s wages by about 50% and national output by 5%
– Rachael Mayanja, UN Special Advisor on gender

Companies with 3 or more women board of directors, return on equity was 16.7%, compared to the average of 11.5%
– Groundbreakers report from Davos

Restricting job opportunities for women costs the region between US$42 billion and US$46 billion a year in GDP growth.
- UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Countries