Women in Media: Challenging Bias, Transforming Business

Madeline Di Nonno, Executive Director at the Geena Davis Institute led a rousing, left-coast oriented session on Women in Media this afternoon. The Institute has done wide-ranging research on gender bias in media, and their findings are stunning. For example, examining G and PG13 films that came out over a period of several years, one study found that equity in the depiction of male vs. female characters is “non-existent”; out of 5,554 speaking characters, only about a quarter were female. Female characters were largely unemployed (less than 20% of female speaking characters were shown in a job-related light). What is more, of the female characters that were employed, there was no representation at all of women in the major business professions (doctor, lawyer, executive, etc). “The good news is, all of the criminals were male,” Madeline joked.

“There really isn’t a conspiracy against women,” Madeline says. Rather, the bias is an expression of the under-representation of women (only 7% of film directors are women, for example). Geena Davis herself has noted “If she can see it, she can be it,” the point being that as more women enter positions of power in Hollywood, we can change the way female characters are portrayed, and therefore how young women view themselves and their options in life.

The women on the panel represented the momentum around women in media making a difference: Christine Cadena of Disney; Beth Roberts of Universal Cable Productions; Regina Thomas of BET Networks, and Maryellen Zarakas of Warner Brothers.

Maryellen noted that since starting her career in entertainment “everything has changed,” highlighting the transformations in entertainment--in particular, the digital revolution that energizes the sector today. Beth concurred, citing the phenomenal impact of the revolution in digital communication on business and how the near-immediate availability of information demands flexibility as business conditions change fast and often.

Regina talked about being one of only three females in syndication sales in the early 1990s, and the subsequent explosion of opportunities in the cable industry, particularly for women, who entered cable television in greater numbers than the film industry. Christine talked about the power of the consumer voice in today’s entertainment industry, and the way that has transformed the film industry. "If you're feeling comfortable, you're moving backwards," Christine noted. Her advice to women hoping to start out in the industry? "Take risks. Learn from everyone and everything. Ask for mentorship, ask for connections."

The audience was left with the impression of an entertainment industry that is in the midst of a total transformation, one that includes the voices of a diverse array of women leaders like the ones on our panel today, creating a proliferation of opportunity for women want to change the world.

Find research by the Geena Davis Institute here: http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org/research/

Highlights from Forte’s Dialogue with Leadership

Pat Yarrington, CFO at Chevron, and Cynthia Bates, Vice President of Microsoft’s U.S. Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) Organization joined us today in Los Angeles for the Dialogue with Leadership at our MBA Women’s Conference. Dean Olian of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management hosted the conversation.

The conversation was candid and far-reaching. Here are some highlights:

Cynthia studied microbiology in college and worked on Wall Street early in her career. When the opportunity presented itself, she took a role at Microsoft, in the M&A group, “shocking my friends, who wondered why I would ever leave Manhattan.” She says that kind of risk-taking is key to building a successful career over time. Speaking of her career at Microsoft today, she says: “I love the energy of starting companies, growing companies, and fueling the economy. This is a really transformational time. The intersection of technology and small business has never been so powerful. Technology products that were available only a few years ago to large companies like Microsoft and Chevron are now available at affordable prices to small businesses. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a place where my team can help people start companies and see them thrive through the power of technology.”

Pat noted that, early on, following in a family tradition, she thought she might study law. But she gravitated toward business school, drawn by the global nature of the corporate sector.  Although she has spent more than 30 years at Chevron, ascending to the CFO position, she didn’t have her career planned in advance; rather, she was presented with unexpected opportunities and learned to treat each as an adventure. “There were times in my career when I was asked to do a job that I didn’t want to do, that I didn’t think fit my skills. In each job, I found there was something new to learn, connections to make, and pieces of the business I could come to understand better.” She shared a particular anecdote about a time early in her career at Chevron when the CFO gave her a challenging assignment. He noted that he would not have asked her to take on the assignment if he didn’t have complete confidence in her ability to handle it, and suggested that her self-confidence should match his faith in her. “That piece of advice has stayed with me almost daily,” she says. “I go in with a view that my voice can and should be heard.”

Both speakers shared their tips for building a successful career. Pat suggested that MBA women focus on “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, and math) as a strong educational foundation for becoming part of tomorrow’s business leadership. Cynthia echoed that. “Today, we all are masters of technology. It’s so much part of our daily lives and today’s businesses,” she noted, observing that a strong base in math, science, and technology lay the groundwork for a successful career in many sectors.

On a personal note, both women noted that their parents raised them with the self-confidence and sense of equal opportunity that gave them a strong foundation for business leadership. Dean Olian asked Pat what makes her a strong leader, and she noted that building a collaborative environment and cultivating strong teams has been key to her success. She added that she has always held herself to a vision of continuous improvement, and Cynthia also spoke about the importance of building a culture of excellence. Asked by Dean Olian what she does to build that culture, Cynthia said that creating an environment that encourages risk-taking and bold decision-making is key. She also noted that it’s important for a leader to have a mix of humility, recognizing that we’re all human and make mistakes, and confidence, including the belief that together, the team can accomplish great things. Pat advised seeking out the right managers early in your career to build your leadership potential. “I have found that it’s more important who you work for than the actual job. If they inspire you and your skill development, that’s more important than the actual job itself.”

On the topic of continuous improvement, Dean Olian asked both women how they continually improve themselves. Cynthia talked about studying other leaders, paying attention to what they do well, and asking for feedback. “It’s really important to know the conversations that take place about you when you’re not there. Know what your areas are for development.” Pat says that she finds it works well to ask for feedback immediately following a presentation or the completion of a major project, seeking out input on what you could have done better and how it went.

The Dialogue concluded on an optimistic note, with both speakers noting that women are better represented in business leadership today than in the past. “We’re on the right trajectory,” said Pat. “It’s about the pipeline, and that’s why I come back to science, technology, engineering, and math, so we can be. We need to have a pipeline that represents the full diversity we want to see in business.”

After the conference, we’ll share a video with highlights of today’s Dialogue, including a one-on-one interview with Pat and Cynthia.

Tell us what you heard at the conference! Twitter @fortefoundation, #MBAConf. More coverage to follow.

Recent attendees on how you can make the most of this year's Forté MBA Women's Conference

The MBA Women’s Conference is just a few weeks away. This is a great time to start preparing for what will be a phenomenal opportunity to network, learn, and fully engage your MBA journey. To help you prepare, a group of past conference attendees spent some time discussing important things for you know before you go.

Colleen McMullen, Executive Director of Diversity Strategies and Programs at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business gives a basic introduction to the conference program, speakers, panelists, and companies you will encounter at the conference. She follows up with questions to a student panel about what to bring, networking, and the company expo. The student panelists also offer words of wisdom and how to make the most of your conference experience.

Listen to the webinar now>>

An Exciting Career with the U.S. Department of State, be sure to join their webinar on June 20th to learn more about MBA opportunities

Melinda Pavek

Carlson School MBA 2003

Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State

Every day, in my career as a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State (DOS), I apply the skills that I learned and practiced in the Carlson School MBA Program and through the Carlson Consulting Enterprise consulting engagements.  In eight years with DOS I have gone from being an entry level officer to the Deputy Chief of Mission (second in command after the Ambassador) in a U.S. Embassy.  I attribute my speedy rise through the diplomatic ranks to the interpersonal, analytic, negotiation and political skills that I learned and honed at Carlson.  Working for the government is the hardest job I have ever loved, and infinitely more challenging than private industry, but a Carlson MBA has helped me, as it will help you, to survive and thrive.

I am currently Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Administration.  My portfolio includes the Offices of Operations, Global Information Services, Emergency Management, Presidential Travel and Foreign Service outreach.  From August 2012, I will be the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei.  I have also served as Assistant General Services Officer in Kathmandu Nepal, Consular Officer in Kingston Jamaica, Regional Management Officer in Baghdad Iraq, and Management Officer in Lahore Pakistan.

This career has given me some amazing stories and allowed me to play a role in history.  The group photo below was taken when Secretary Clinton visited Lahore in October 2010.  The second photo was taken in 2009 the day I helped to inventory the vault that contained Saddam Hussein’s seized treasures in order to turn them over to the Iraqi government.  I especially like that I am wearing a CSOM T-shirt and posing with Saddam’s favorite gold gun.

Communicate Yourself: There is only ONE secret to interview success.

By Angela Guido, Founder, Communicate Yourself

It’s easy to get lost in technique. Premeditating your personal stories does make it easier to tell them. Communicating yourself effectively does have an impact. Making eye contact and not saying “um” or “like” too much do send a certain signal. But all of that will happen naturally if you know this one secret. There is really only one thing that matters in a job interview. Ready for the secret? Here it is: YOU ARE GREAT. You are. Already. Just as you are right now. If you know that and believe it, the interview will be a success.

Think about it. There you are forced into a small room for an extended period of time with one other human being – a stranger. It’s awkward and uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that they are supposed to be evaluating you and that you both have certain personal objectives riding on the interaction and it is a recipe for self-doubt, stifled expression, and preoccupation with everything but the conversation at hand. It’s easy to think that practicing more, memorizing more, and technique-ing yourself into perfection will make it go smoother. But in fact, we have found that instead of helping you relax into the conversation, ironically all of those things can increase the pressure and distract you even more from your only job in that room: SIMPLY BEING YOUR GREAT SELF. You won’t get every job you interview for: not every job is the right fit for you. But if you can truly be yourself during the interview, the conversation will be a success, you will make a meaningful connection with the interviewer, and the right jobs will find you.

So before you go into that interview, in addition to all the preparation techniques you already like, try adding one or more of these:

1. Celebrate your awesomeness: This one is easy to do. Just look at your resume. Look at all of the awesome things you have dedicated your time to, the incredible accomplishments you have fought for, the specific and measurable impact you have had in the world. Take a few moments to just review and reflect right before you go into that interview room. Appreciate the person you are: the person who would take those actions, pursue those goals, and achieve those outcomes. Aren’t you just so proud to be you?

2. Appreciate your personal growth: If you are honest with yourself, there are places in life where you have failed. Yes you have. So have we all. It is part of life. But failure exists for a reason. It is there for our growth. Ever notice how success doesn’t really challenge us to stretch ourselves or expand beyond the boundaries of who we already know ourselves to be? A failure represents a place where we grew in life. That’s why interviewers ask about failure in the first place – because everyone wants to work with a failure. People who fail are people who grow. So celebrate your failures too for the way they have improved the person you are and expanded what’s possible for you.

3. Learn to brag: As women, we aren’t always the best self-promoters. But once you admit to yourself how great you are, you will want to share that with others in a way that feels good to you – or in other words, doesn’t FEEL like bragging. The key to doing this is the world’s oldest art form: storytelling. You can share any accomplishment – no matter how extraordinary in a way that makes you seem humble if you tell a story! Stories work for failure too. Please join us at this year’s Forte MBA Women’s Conference for our Communicate Yourself Workshop to learn more about how to tell a great story!

Greetings from Nicole Bolton - See You in Los Angeles!

Are you looking forward to sightseeing before or after the Forté Conference in Los Angeles this June? Los Angeles is a vibrant city with plenty of tourist attractions for you to see. Most visitors to the city take in the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry with a tour of Hollywood. And others venture to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills to shop like a celebrity. But if you’re more interested in spending some time living like an LA-local, check out UCLA Anderson student Nicole Bolton’s recommendations for making the most of your time in Los Angeles. Just make sure to pack your sunscreen!

Nicole Bolton is a Forté Fellow and MBA Student in the Class of 2013 at UCLA Anderson.

Know Before You Go—Mastering Your Elevator Pitch

By Jodi Glickman, Founder, Great on the Job

Mastering your elevator pitch is essential, especially in the job search process, both as you network and interview for your next role.  Your personal 30-second spiel about who you are, how you’re different, and why you’re memorable is going to be invaluable to you as you move through the steps of landing your dream job…

Here are three important ideas to think through as you craft your pitch:

1.     Why do you want the job?  Do you love the company; are you an avid fan of their products and services?  Have you been dying to break into the entertainment industry ever since a young age?  What is really driving you?

2.     How are you uniquely qualified? Understand the position and be able to answer the question “why are you a great candidate for this company?”

3.     What ties together your past and current experiences?  Be ready to communicate your story in a way that is compelling and makes sense — what is the glue that holds it all together?

Your elevator pitch is your opportunity to communicate these critical pieces of information to someone in a crisp but casual way — without even being asked.  As you answer the why, how, and what, keep these three pointers in mind:

1.     Think relevant, not recent. There’s no rule that says you must talk about your resume in reverse chronological order.   It’s more important to include the relevant parts of your background than include everything you’ve ever done since high school.  Pick and choose what will resonate with a recruiter or interviewer based on the position at hand. 

2.     Focus on skills-based versus industry-based qualifications.  Think of how your skills are transferrable to your target industry.  Alex, a recent MBA, was a chemist and researcher before school who wanted to work in corporate finance.  When pressed to explain why she chose finance, Alex exclaimed, “That’s the way my brain works.” As a scientist, her thinking was methodical, mathematical and formulaic — all of which translated to someone who would be a natural fit within a corporate finance department,

3.     Connect the dots — what ties it all together? I personally had a significant hurdle to clear as a former Peace Corps volunteer interviewing with investment banks. I explained away the transition by emphasizing that I was a big picture thinker by nature and a numbers person by training.  Banking was a perfect combination of the two— I liked looking at client’s challenges and issues from 30,000 feet and then digging down into the details to come up with creative financing solutions.

Ask yourself these questions as your craft your personal pitch and you’ll be able to use your story to impress others from the get-go and land that dream job!

Jodi Glickman is an expert in training young people how to be Great on the Job. Jodi is an entrepreneur, author, public speaker, consultant and regular blogger for Harvard Business Review. She is a contributor to Fortune.Com and Business Insider and her book: Great on the Job, What to Say, How to Say It, The Secrets of Getting Ahead (St. Martin's Press, May 2011) is a veritable master class in workplace success. Jodi has trained some of the best and brightest young minds in business—her clients include Harvard Business School, Wharton, NYU Stern School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, BofA/Merrill, Citigroup, Baird & Co., The Forte Foundation, and 85 Broads, among others. Jodi is a former Peace Corps volunteer (Southern Chile) turned investment banker (Goldman Sachs) turned communication expert. She received her MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

It is not about Passion, but about Purpose

By Sonita Lontoh, Executive, Trilliant

Some students in business schools know exactly what they want to do for their careers and go after them with conviction. Others are not quite sure and may follow the consulting and banking route to see whether they like it and build the skills and network for their next jobs. Still others are wondering whether they should just follow their passion in order to be happy.

Problem is, sometimes it is not clear whether what one thinks as a passion is actually just a hobby. As I was pondering my own career decision after business school, I had a guiding principle that I wanted to work in an arena where I was contributing something greater to society rather than just selling a product. I also wanted to work in a career where technology, business and policy intersect. On a more personal note, I also knew I had to go back to San Francisco as my husband was living there and we had been living in separate cities while I was pursuing my graduate degrees. I worked on a career plan on finding a purpose where my passion and skills could be put to use to help solve a problem in this world. At the time, I had the choice to go to green technology, biotechnology or high-tech sectors. After thoughtful consideration, I decided to pursue a career in green technology.

People are often mistaken to believe that in order to be happy, they need to pursue their "passion." This belief is further reinforced by the millennial generations entering the workforce today, who proselytize to pursue their passion. There also seems to be a clear distinction between what constitute "non-passionate" careers – businessmen, lawyers, bankers, and "passionate" careers – teachers, writers, artists. Although this line of thinking affects both men and women, there seems to be a belief that women are more likely to be in a position to pursue their passion for a “full-time career” because they are not usually the main breadwinner in the family. This somewhat also implies that passionate careerists oftentimes cannot make a good enough living to be the main breadwinner. After all, how many writers become Pulitzer-winning or best-selling authors? Is following your passion worth it?

I believe this type of thinking is flawed because time and again, it has been shown that in order to be happy, both men and women need to have a purpose in life. There is a difference between having a purpose and a passion or hobby. For example, just because someone likes fashion as a hobby, it does not necessarily mean he/she will make a successful career as a fashion designer. Instead of confusing passion, hobby and a career, I suggest people focus on finding a purpose -- finding ways on how you can leverage your passion and skills to solve important problems in the world. Finding a solution to climate change is one example of how one can help solve one of the world’s biggest problems.

People who are working hard in solving the biggest problems are often compensated in the biggest ways, not just in financial terms, but also in human satisfaction terms. Solving problems shift the focus from you to others. It shifts the conversation from what you like to do (having a passion or hobby) to how you can be a valuable contributor in helping society solves its problems (having a purpose). This paradigm shift in thinking is quite empowering as it shifts the frame of reference from the self to how we can help others. People become less self-absorbed and ironically, more likely to be genuinely happy. Don’t you sometimes find that you’re happiest when you don’t think too much about how to become happy?

The good news is that there are a lot of big problems in this world to solve. Each of us has the unique skills to solve some of these biggest problems. Which ones resonate with you?

There are a few things you can do to try to figure this out. Broaden your horizon and network with others who may be working to solve big problems. Look to solve problems for which you can personally identify with. Develop emotional maturity to realize that the world does not revolve around you.

We don't find true happiness by focusing on ourselves. We do by connecting with and helping others.

True happiness comes from the intersection of doing what we love, what we’re good at, and what the world needs. The easiest is to focus on the first, let’s combine it with the second and most importantly, the last.

Sonita Lontoh is an executive at Trilliant, a venture-backed Silicon Valley clean tech company. She is a clean/green technology expert recognized on Wikipedia and is a frequent speaker/contributor on energy, clean tech, and women leadership topics. She is passionate about leveraging innovation to transform our energy use to combat climate change, and to encourage more women in technology leadership positions. Sonita earned her Master of Engineering degree from MIT, where she was also cross-registered at the Harvard Business School. She holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research from UC Berkeley. Follow Sonita on Twitter @slontoh and see her speak at the 2012 Forte MBA Women Conference.

Seat buckle fastened? Let’s finish—here are your final tips to maximize your mentoring relationship.

1.      Do the work. Come prepared to mentoring meetings. Follow through on your commitments. Stay focused on your learning goals. Continuously work at strengthening the relationship. Keep up the momentum.

2.      Make mentoring prime time. When you show up, be fully present. Don’t get distracted. Remember you are taking up valuable time in your mentor’s day. Make it value added for him/her too.

3.      Keep a journal or learning log so you can reflect on what you are learning as you are learning it, have a record of what it is you have discussed and refer to it as you evaluate your mentoring journey.

Dr. Lois J. Zachary | President of Leadership Development Services, LLC

Dr. Lois Zachary is president of Leadership Development Services, LLC, a Phoenix-based consulting firm that specializes in leadership and mentoring, and is director of its Center for Mentoring ExcellenceÔ. She is an internationally recognized mentoring expert and has been cited as “one of the top minds in leadership” today. Since The Mentor’s Guide was first published in 2000, it has become a best-seller and the primary resource for organizations interested in promoting mentoring for leadership and learning, and for mentors seeking to deepen their mentoring practices. With her companion books, Creating a Mentoring Culture (2005) and The Mentee’s Guide (2009) and over 100 published articles, she has created a comprehensive set of resources for promoting the practice of individual and organizational mentoring excellence. In June 2012, Jossey-Bass will launch the publication of five mentoring pocket tools on mentoring excellence.