AUTHOR SPEAK: SUSAN MACKENTY BRADY
What we have found is that best-in-class companies hold people accountable for how they interact with one another.
Susan’s latest book Arrive and Thrive on the seven impactful practices for women navigating leadership
Return to your best self – where your strengths, value, joy, and vitality meet.
is now available in all leading bookstores. Grab a copy now.
Are there certain principles you would advocate for women to help them thrive in today’s workplace? In my book Arrive and Thrive, my co- authors and I outline seven impactful practices for women navigating leadership. Let me give you a brief overview of three of them. The first is investing in and returning to your best self. What does that mean? Well, it’s where your strengths and talents come together with where you can add value, and where you feel joy and vitality. Leading from your best self means you stand in respect of your own value and the value others bring too; no better than others, but you’re no less than others, either. Another practice is embracing your authenticity. We mature and change over the course of our lifetime, which means that the way we honor ourselves changes. It’s important, then, to regularly check in with your values to make sure your work aligns with what you want and need at your current life stage. Then there’s cultivating courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the presence of vulnerability. It’s what we do to flex our muscles during a moment that feels risky or scary to return to our best selves. It’s calling on the narrator in your mind to tell you
that you are not just good enough; you’re fantastic. What are the most important steps that organizations can take to foster an environment in which women can thrive and where there is a focus on inclusivity? Supporting women to thrive takes resources and tools, but – most importantly – it’s about checking in with the women you’re currently employing. Do they feel they’re making a meaningful contribution? Do they feel valued? Are you helping them learn and grow? Are you giving feedback in a positive, constructive way? These are some basic management tenants and often, they are missed. We’re solving the big global problem of advancing more women into leadership, when in fact, some of the work organizations can do is double down on their management leadership capabilities to ensure the women who are already employed remain in the organization. What are the primary motivations for this – what do organizations gain? There’s a lot of data that shows that advancing women’s equality can add to global GDP. A McKinsey report, for example, found that we could witness a US $12 trillion growth globally if
women were participating in the workforce at the same rate as men. Other research has found that gender-diverse companies are 25% more likely to earn more than their competitors. In the US alone, if we hired and promoted women at the same rate as men or the same rate as countries like Norway, the economy could grow by 8%. Can you share some specific examples of how organizations have built an environment that allows all employees to thrive? There is great progress being made among organizations that are seriously working on developing the mindsets of leaders to make workplaces work for everyone. Some recent research found that one of the top challenges for women is microaggressions – for example, talking over someone, taking credit for their idea, or not asking for their opinion in the first place. These are very fixable moment-to-moment behaviors. What we have found is that best- in-class companies hold people accountable for how they interact with one another. We can’t have belonging or inclusion when human beings are not respectful and thoughtful in their behavior toward
others. Best-in-class organizations are investing in human-centric leadership practices. What can organizations do to maintain positive momentum around inclusivity? The new frontier of leader readiness is helping all leaders understand how their mindset needs to shift very specifically to realize the value of the unique contributions that all of us bring to the organization. Every situation is more complicated than any one person can see. We need to remain curious for longer than is comfortable. Intellectual humility and knowing how to return to our best
selves before we react might be the two skills that are most important in the future. I’m very proud of the body of work coming from The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. Many organizations today are equipping their leaders and their employees to understand bias and to realize that their environment might not be equitable for all. We’re asking the same leaders to be champions for change and ultimately, sponsor underrepresented populations so that they not only advance and stay in their place of work but truly thrive.
About the Author: Susan MacKenty Brady is the Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership at Simmons University and the Chief Executive Officer of The Simmons University Institute leadership well-being coach, author and speaker, Susan educates leaders and executives globally on fostering self-awareness for optimal leadership. Susan advises executive teams on how to work together effectively and create inclusion and gender parity in organizations. A highly sought authority on emotionally intelligent leadership, Susan has been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America and has keynoted or consulted at over 500 organizations worldwide. for Inclusive Leadership. As a relationship expert,
Gender-diverse companies have a 25% higher chance of out earning competitors.
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Volume 8 ai:sight by Fractal
ai:sight by Fractal Volume 8
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