Male panel at New England event explores gender diversity

"Let's Hear it from the Guys” was led by author Fawn Germer and featured the male perspective on advancing women in the industry. The panel featured Ron Hodge, CEO of Delhaize America Operations; David Casey, vice president and diversity officer of CVS Caremark; Tim Boyce, associate director, customer business development for Procter & Gamble; and Paul Khanna, principal, Deloitte Consulting, Human Capital Group.

"We have sponsored networking events with executive panel discussions before, but they were always all-female," noted Lynne Powell-Pinto, the region's co-chair and a senior manager at Procter & Gamble. "Men have attended our events from the beginning, but we’ve never given them a microphone. We’ve gathered a panel of men who are champions for women in their organizations and we know that they have wisdom and advice to share.” The luncheon, held at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Mass., opened with remarks by Powell-Pinto and Marilyn Tillinghast, senior vice president, chain sales and customer service for C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc.

Advice from the top

"At Hannaford [Supermarkets] our philosophy is to hire the best person for the job, regardless of gender,” Hodge said. "Forty years ago, women were limited to retail jobs in customer service or as cash register clerks, and this impeded their advancement to store manager and other positions. However, Hannaford led a change in 1970s when they put a training program in place that required all associates to rotate through all departments, and that has built the talent pipeline for success.”

"It is critical for women to find a company where she can be herself,” he added. "If you feel you are not being treated fairly, have the confidence to speak up," the retail executive advised. "And if you don’t like the answers, have the courage to go someplace else if need be.”

The panelists provided advice for anyone entering the workforce and for women in middle management. "Be selective about where you go to work and carefully study an organization’s values,” Procter & Gamble’s Boyce said. "Find a company that has similar values to your own and then begin to build your brand. Know what you stand for and make choices carefully as these actions will reflect your brand.”

CVS Caremark’s Casey said college graduates entering the workforce should keep their Facebook pages clean, as recruiters review all Internet information about candidates. "There are still not a lot of women and women of color at the top of big companies. As a result, [women] need to work harder than the person next to them and know their stuff.

"Bring a women’s perspective to the table, but don’t feel as though you need to speak for all women,” he cautioned. "And don’t take the first offer on the table. There is always room for negotiation!”

Self-assessment is the first step to meeting career goals, Khanna noted, saying he would encourage his children to identify what they are passionate about and to pursue work that matters to them.

Tips to break through

The panelists also offered their perspectives on ways women can break through to the next level of their careers. The food industry executives agreed many women might be excluded from leadership positions because they don’t speak up in meetings or appear not to have an opinion. They suggested women find activities -- if not golf, something else -- they can use to connect with colleagues.

Hodge advised attendees to schedule monthly alignment meetings with their managers to talk about accomplishments and, more importantly, hear feedback on opportunity areas. "Be committed to learning and listening if you want to succeed,” he said.

Boyce added: "It is important to understand benchmarks and have frequent conversations with your manager to get aligned on metrics and quickly put some points on the board. Hard work alone is not enough. You need to toot your own horn gracefully as managers are not mind readers about your career aspirations.”

Women sometimes take difficult discussions and conflicts too personally, Deloitte’s Khanna noted, suggesting they focus on the facts and separate emotions out of discussion.

All of the panelists agreed playing team sports made them better leaders, as they understood the importance of communicating clear roles, expectations and goals. "Playing sports early on helped me understand leadership and the importance of observing, sometimes leading and sometimes stepping aside to follow,” Hodge said.

Casey advised attendees to develop an area of expertise and hone that specialty "because there is always someone on the bench waiting to replace you.”