Silicon Valley Women Discuss National Survey Results

August 13 2003 - Women executives from Cisco, Dell, Google and Xilinx recently discussed the implications of Women in U.S. Corporate Leadership: 2003. a June Catalyst report. The discussion was sponsored by The Professional Area Network for Women in Technology (PANW) and non-profit research and advising organization Catalyst.

The report they considered examined the perceptions of the Fortune 1000's most senior women and the CEOs with whom they work. Participants setout to determine parallels and differences between the experiences of senior technology executives in the Silicon Valley and the results of the national survey.

Kara Helander, Catalyst vice president of the Western Region outlined the study's highlights, focusing on barriers women face in the workplace, work satisfaction, women's aspirations for senior leadership positions, and the report's recommendations for making change. According to the survey:

55% of women aspire to top leadership roles;
Only 15.7% of women were corporate officers in 2002
Just seven of the Fortune 500 CEOs are female
The West lags the Midwest and the South in rate of advancement - and total numbers
But 73% of women stated they were satisfied with their choices balancing personal goals with professional aspirations

"The biggest barrier to women's advancement is the lack of experience in running a revenue-generating P&L. Other barriers cited include: women being considered as outsiders, subtle stereotypes around perceived family obligations, and the lack of both mentoring and networking," said Helander. She also mentioned that the fault does not lie solely with women. "It's not about fixing women; it's about fixing the organizations that women work in. Companies need to deliver a sustained commitment to women from the top and rotate women to get line assignments. Women can hold their managers accountable, take risks, accept stretch assignments, and network to highly visible positions."

After outlining the national survey results, Kara Helander moderated a panel discussion with four veteran female executives:

- Denise Peck, vice president of Marketing Operations at Cisco
- Karen Quintos, vice president Americas Customer Experience and SMB Operations at Dell Computer
- Sheryl Sandberg, vice president Global Online Sales & Operations at Google
- Sheri Anderson, vice president and CIO at Xilinx

All local panelists agreed that women must overcome unique challenges in business. Both Sheri Anderson, who worked as a civilian for the Navy, and Sheryl Sandberg, who was chief of staff of the U.S. Treasury under the Clinton administration highlighted the issue of facing stereotypes. Karen Quintos identified the reluctance of corporations to move her off of a job well done to new areas in the organization to gain functional experience.

* The women gave the following lessons learned and words of advice:

* Speak up early when you are not being supported by your manager

* Make what you are doing demonstrable to others ... it's not just what you think you know, but also who knows you know it.

* Use the natural skills and talents women have in abundance like caring, building networks and being sensitive.

* You are only as good as the team around you.

* Be yourself. Develop a style that you are comfortable with.

* Prioritize or someone else will prioritize for you -- especially when it comes to work/life balance.

* There are a lot of paths to get you to where you want to go. The lateral ones are often the most important and useful.

* Ask for the job you want and pick a good boss.

* Establish what you are good at and surround yourself with others to fill in for your weaknesses.

* There are lots of definitions of getting to "the top." It doesn't always have to mean CEO.

"Since there aren't many women in top leadership positions, it was a pleasure to hear these women candidly share their career insights and experiences," said Kathryn Ullrich, the president of PANW. "Their stories and tips give inspiration to all women aspiring to leadership roles."

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