Good girls go to heaven...bad girls go everywhere...

Last week was ‘equal pay day’ in Belgium, a symbolic day that illustrates how far into the year a woman must work to earn the same amount made by a man in the previous year.

I was appalled that we need such a day but recent studies indicate that the wage gap between men and women is still over 20%. Little progress has been made over the last few years.

Glass ceilings and part-time jobs left aside, why haven’t we been able to close the gap, even after so many years of feminism?

According to Danielle Moens, from the Center of Balanced Leadership who was interviewed by Radio 1 on the subject, we may be partially to blame ourselves. Contrary to men, we lack the guts to ask for a salary increase or a promotion. And although it may not be politically correct, she is right…

Unconsciously, we are raised to be kind and never to ask for anything. As a little girl, we listen to fairy tales about the beautiful princess who waits for her prince to ask her to marry him. Boys on the contrary, are raised to bargain for themselves. They are the ones who invite the girls for a dance, they are the ones who go down on one knee to propose. The concept of winning or losing is part of their daily life.

We unconsciously transmit this attitude into our working life. Although women often excel in negotiating for others, we forget to negotiate for ourselves. We believe that delivering tangible results will automatically allow us to process in our career.

When you look at male colleagues, they prepare and advocate their case.

They start by building an internal network that will sponsor their request. They exhume self-confidence and act as if they deserve the desired promotion or salary increase. They emphasize their added value and actively promote themselves.

So maybe it is time that we move from being a good girl to being more assertive in getting what we think we deserve.

Does this mean that we have to become masculine? Not at all.

However, it is possible to apply some of these masculine techniques to promote ourselves, without thinking that we will automatically be labeled as bitches. Focus on your own unique, feminine qualities and the added value they bring to the business and combine it with the mental preparation to actively promote yourself.   

Who knows, becoming more of a ‘bad’ girl will allow us to close the gap. And we can finally leave the sexist concept of ‘equal pay day’ behind us.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

Isn’t it time for true female role models?

Well…first things first…I wish you and your loved ones all a wonderful year and may 2016 bring you joy and happiness.

The start of a new year is also the time of award ceremonies: the Times Person of the year, product of 2015…

In Belgium, the business year starts with the election of the ‘Manager of the Year’ by Trends magazine.

It was quite surprising that in spite of some very talented female CEOs, only men were nominated. It got worse when I looked at their ‘hall of fame’ and saw that in 31 years only once a woman was elected as the winner.

Being curious about human nature, I wonder why. Maybe it is because female leaders are not that interested in the winning the award of being the best manager. Maybe we don’t put in the effort of advocating for ourselves, showing off the results that we have achieved through different media, making ourselves visible to the world. Or maybe female leaders thrive on measurable results and achievements, much more than on recognition by the general public.

However, in today’s business environment, where transformation and change are an inherent part of life, effective decision-making requires input from both male and female leaders. Both of them bring different strengths to the table, allowing a broader perspective and new angles to resolve the hurdles along the way.

To do so, it is imperative that we train and create a world of talented future managers, both male and female that do not only have male leaders as a role model.

But let’s face it…where do we find those female role models? Should we look at Hilary Clinton or Angela Merkel for inspiration? Or are the young female entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley examples that we can learn from?

So it is time that the fearless female leader rises, showing young girls that it is possible to reach for the sky. Not on an individual basis or organized in company but though the public opinion and maybe even through the winning of awards.

So here is a call for action…let me know of any female role models that you may have, introduce me and maybe they will be willing to write a guest blog as a source of inspiration.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch

Ooops...the story does not stick...

As I was flying to Zurich last week, I was in good company. A best-selling author of cooking books and an advocate for a healthy life style, was sitting 2 rows in front of me. Needless to say that I was very curious to check whether she was as healthy looking as her approach promises.

I was disappointed to see that her appearance, without the make up, was not as glowing as I would have expected….I even secretly thought that I looked more radiant J.

It only goes to show that stories are subject to reality-checks. Which brings me to my last blog and my promise to talk in a sequel about pitfalls.

For every good story, there is a least one that does not stick. Most of the time it does not have anything to do with the content of what you are telling but with the way the story is being told.

The one thing you should always keep in mind is the objective of the story that you tell…in this case, you want to attract the right type of candidate… a candidate who will fit in your team and who will thrive within the organization.

This does not automatically mean that you should tell the same story over and over again. Always using the same strategy will make you lose diversity among employees.

Depending on the role people will have or the type of personality you are looking for, you can differentiate or stress other aspects of your story while keeping the overall framework the same.

As the world is becoming smaller, the importance of having a story that is spread throughout the organization becomes more important. The really good candidates (and those are the ones you want to attract) actively search for information on potential employers through on-line media or through talking to (former-) employees. Therefore it is imperative that stories are aligned. This does not only mean that everyone should tell the same story, preferably spiced up with their own personal experiences but also the website and all social media should breathe the look and feel of that story. Even the reception and the atmosphere during the interviews should convey the same message. Images and feelings have a stronger attraction than words.

To prevent these pitfalls there is an easy solution: build a genuine story, one that reflects reality. A story that all employees can relate to and that shows the company as it stands today. It does not have to be an idyllic picture but a personal story that reflects your drives, your challenges and your enthusiasm for the organization that you work for.

Let me know your story, and I’ll tell you whether it sticks!

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch