Lawyer Monthly - Women In Law Special Edition

79 WOMEN IN LAW EDITION LAWYER MONTHLY diversity and want to support their senior female leaders by giving them the means to accelerate their development. They work with many bright, talented, articulate women who are frustrated that their voices are not being heard at work. To help them, they ask them to focus on three areas. It’s a useful checklist for anyone wishing to take stock of their career and work to accelerate their progression: Imprint – Clarity on goals and strategic focus to identify the imprint you want to leave on the business. What are your goals? (Yes, you may want to be Partner but you may also have the goal of a more flexible working week or to retire by 50 or to only work with a specific set of clients. Too often we go with what turns up, rather than go after what we want.) What do you want to change? And, what do you need to do to make that change? What legacy do you want to leave in the business and beyond? How do you build on your strengths and identify core areas of expertise to develop to make a tangible difference? Impact – Improving presence and personal impact. It’s not just about ‘speaking loudly’ in meetings, as one (male) CEO recently mentioned as the answer to why women’s voices are not heard at work. When a profession has been so male dominated for so long as law has, women are dealing with decades of institutionalised behaviours which do not serve them well. Progress requires men to listen (and act) on women’s voices and proposals, but women can advance the impact of their communication by being bolder in tone by: not using apologetic language, (‘If I may… sorry’, or, ‘but…do you mind?’); refusing to be interrupted (‘I haven’t finished’); and, not being afraid to take up space, by taking the time to say what is important, so that others feel the weight of your message. Influence – Developing the strategy and skills to progress in the organisation Many of the women we coach feel that if they do a great job, their work will be recognised and they will be singled out for promotion and progression. And, at times, with a supportive line manager, that does happen but it’s a very passive approach to take. Those who progress more quickly through an organisation are often those who are good at their own PR. They realise it’s their job to make sure they’re in control of the story. They want key influencers and sponsors to know about them. Should you have to do this? Surely doing the good work is enough? Only up to a point. Make sure you amplify your accomplishments. If this feels uncomfortable, or big-headed, include others such as your support staff in your accolades. But make sure the people who need to know what you have achieved, and what your ambitions are, do. Progress is being made within the establishment structures in business, society, politics and law that stand in the way of leadership diversity, but it’s slow. To speed up progress, more women need to gain senior positions and make those changes happen. Because then, EVERYONE, will benefit. Women ( 80% ) are just as likely to report they have received positive feedback at work, compared to 81% of men. Women (at 41% ) are no more likely than men ( 42% ) to feel spoken over or ignored in meetings.