If an employer fails to provide collaborative opportunities for its female employees, Fine Line encourages those women to organize their own events. By working together to solve specific business issues, Shubert says women can improve their working lives and add value to their organizations. Her only warning is that women-only gatherings can arouse suspicion. "The events must stick closely to business themes," Shubert says. "If you want to start a social club for women, do it after hours."
4. Upper executives don't hear about women's accomplishments.
"Most of the women we work with are extremely effective leaders," Snee says. "But they're often not good at drawing attention to their achievements." Women should not assume their peers and managers know about their accomplishments. Snee says women must make a conscious effort to name and claim the work they do. In a cutthroat corporate environment, women must not worry about sounding too boastful. To compete with male coworkers, they must worry only about taking credit where credit is due.
"If you end up in the elevator with the vice president or CEO, do you talk about the weather or do you talk about your recent successes?" Snee asks. "In the time it takes to go from the third floor to the fifth floor, you can gain recognition for your work."
Contact Jan Shubert (janelle_shubert@harvard.edu) and Ellen Snee (finelinees@aol.com) by email.
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