Speakers at the conference include the awe inspiring: Dr Heather McGregor, Principal Shareholder at Taylor Bennett and Newspaper Columnist; Mireille Guiliano, ex-CEO of Clicquot, Inc and Author; Dr Nighat Awan OBE, Entrepreneur and CEO of Shere Khan Group; Dagmar Chlosta, VP Processes and Systems Solutions, Adidas; Puja Turner, Director Debt Capital Markets, Deutsche Bank; LaVerne Council , Corporate VP and CIO, Johnson and Johnson
A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to attend London Business School’s annual Women in Business Conference, and I have recently stumbled across my conference gift pack in which I found a pile of notes that I’d scribbled down throughout the day. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a diehard feminist, despite what the title of this article would suggest. In fact I would say I am the very opposite. Nor was this conference a feminist crusade, rather it was an informative day with key speakers being women. These women had led interesting careers and shared advice and experiences which could be helpful to everyone.
The day started with an informal breakfast (where the fruit platter disappeared in seconds and the pastry plate remained untouched) followed by a series of talks. Discussion circulated around the big changes that will take place in the business world over the next few years and the implications that it shall have on us. It was unnerving stuff as I learnt that urbanization will dominate, isolation shall occur for those that don’t keep up with social technologies and be exempt from global knowledge (a by product of both globalisation and social media), and due to an ageing population we shall find ourselves working into our seventies! However, despite these daunting predictions there are upsides; as zimmer frames enter the work place it is predicted that work environments shall become more humane, flexi working will increase and talent pools grow. My only thought on this is where exactly will we all fit? Can we squeeze another generation from 65-70 into the work place? Practically speaking will there be enough desks and jobs and if not who will be the trade off for the cohort of elders?
With my head spinning on thoughts about the future three panels of interesting speakers provided a breath of fresh air. Their over arching advice was no one should feel constrained in what they do, there are no set rules or career paths to take. Learn from unconventional teachers, Lorella (founder of the Jamera Khan group) said she learnt from Asian women, and if you feel the need to cross boundaries then do because the work place shouldn’t straight jacket you. Forget any notion of glass ceilings (very wise words) as there is a ‘fit’ for you. And I agree with these words. Business is something that continually evolves, it isn’t static, and change (no matter how much people fear it) is good, it keeps things fresh. Innovation, creativity and satisfaction comes from crossing boundaries and moving forward, ideas should bounce of others and progression should be made from learning from a host of experiences (even family dinners round the kitchen table!). This is maybe something that we all tend to forget, it is very easy to become stuck in your ways pushing the productivity frontier in a straight line outwards.
In climbing up the career ladder people can easily lose sight of the big picture as well as themselves. It is very easy to morph into something with big blinkers. As the panellists wisely said, ‘Don’t lose your golden thread’. This is a thread of authenticity that runs in your inner self. By that I mean it is what makes you tick, it is what you love and what shapes you so it can be anything from culture or theatre to social issues or politics. It is therefore vital to ‘be you’! We waste too much time judging ourselves and looking at the world as hierarchical; hierarchies can make leadership a lonely experience. So, as Laverne Council told us remember to be fun, allow others to be and don’t straight jacket yourself or anyone else. Most importantly don’t forget ‘you’ time, it’s the one many of us forget until we burn out. By remembering what it is you aim for you can be better focussed. I think that this is guidance that individuals and businesses can take on board. There is a need to remain focused, to not over complicate and to keep a check on what you are turning in to – something that perhaps the financial district forgot to do in 2007.
After further cups of coffee and a buffet lunch I left the conference with opened eyes. One resounding comment made by Heather Graham that day particularly stuck in my head; ‘be careful as to who’s heads you tread on on the way to the top, because they’ll be linked to arses you kiss on the way down’!
