4 min read

Bringing Home The Bacon

Apr 18, 2014 6:00:00 AM

Gibson_Blog_(48_of_122)Remember the song from the 1980s commercial for Enjoli perfume: “I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never let you forget you’re a man.  Cause I’m a woman…Enjoli.”

Recently a tweet from Jerry Scott, our Director of Operations, caught my eye and launched a discussion about women in the workplace and at Gibson. He was responding to an earlier tweet about a recent article in The Washington Post where the new Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, the first woman in its 100 year history, said that America’s economic success over the past century has been due in large part to greater contributions by women: “Making fuller use of the talents and effort of women in the workplace has made us more productive and prosperous.”

In Jerry’s earlier days of his working life, there were no personal computers, no email or voice mail, and no cell phones. “But none of this compares to how things have changed for women since the 70s,” said Jerry. “Particularly when you consider their impact on business and society - as half our population is experiencing explosive growth in influence.”

He went on to share that in the 70s his high school didn’t have sports for girls other than two who were allowed to play on the men’s tennis team. There was a club for women interested in basketball. He added, “It was only half court, because girls didn’t have the stamina to play full court, and double dribble was allowed since girls couldn’t dribble with one hand.” Some of this may have to do with Jerry attending high school in Tennessee, but I digress.

“The only pictures of girls in the sports section of the Annual were cheerleaders. Those with career aspirations could select from nurse, teacher, or secretary. Talk about Mad Men in real life,” said Jerry.

“There has been breathtaking achievement in every facet of society that showcases women’s strength, talent, and capacity. High school, college, professional, and Olympic athletic ability and achievement have been stunning to see.”

In fact, there are a mountain of statistics and examples of the advancement of women in the workplace.

  • Women now make up a majority of college students and earn a majority of bachelor’s degrees.
  • The percentage of women with college degrees has tripled since 1970.
  • Women saying they would like to be a boss or top manager someday stands at 61% for Millennials from age 18-32, versus 21% for Boomers from age 49-67.

Think about the impact these trends will continue to have on the workforce!

We have remarkable female talent in our company including three of our partners. We are focused on developing leadership across our organization and growing the number of women in sales and advisory roles. Capitalizing on the full capacity of all our employees is one of our highest goals. Which is why I asked a few of them, all partners, to give their perspective.

“Women have come a long way and I know my generation has benefitted immensely from the women who ‘forged ahead’ despite societal views and their overall lack of opportunities,” commented Liz Misenar who is one of our top managers. “And, there is still more (way more) to be done. The key at Gibson is our sense of pride about our workplace policies and training programs that assist all of our employees in meeting their full potential.”

She believes that the requirements of effective leadership are changing.  Research shows that openness, collaboration and empathy are more critical in driving innovation. “The diversity women bring to the table encompasses these ideals and provides a broader leadership perspective,” commented Liz.

Another partner, Sandy Wallace, has been with Gibson for over 40 years. She has first-hand experience with the opportunities for advancement within our company. “The culture of women as the majority of our workforce has been prevalent throughout the years. We have a strong history of hiring talented women and promoting them within the organization,” she says. “I’m proud of the fact that we are predominately women – over 70%! We have been able to hire the best talent available and help them achieve their career path along with our growing organization.

I asked Tania Bengtsson to give input on this blog post – like I do with many of them. She quickly admitted this was one of the tougher ones. “Working women don’t balance anything. We juggle everything in our lives. Everything is a series of ‘choices’ – sustaining a demanding career, being the primary caregiver, and running the household – choices most men don’t have to make. And there’s a high price to pay – literally and figuratively.” If you know her you’re not surprised by the passion in which she states her viewpoint. Tania continued, “I don’t want the topic of women in leadership to be divisive but to be an encouragement to those women who are aspiring to become our future leaders.” Well said Tania!

What’s The Risk?
The risk is that an organization, either directly or indirectly, limits itself with outdated policies, poor culture, and lack of opportunity.

I’m not a proponent of some of the recent articles saying women-led organizations have better results. I believe it is just as small minded as the male-favored past. And I’m also getting tired of the “bossy” conversation. To me, it’s not about men or women. And it’s not about being politically correct. Instead it’s about the battle for talent.

That means holding everyone accountable, challenging them to grow, having the hard conversation when they are falling short and encouraging them to take risks and try new challenges by giving them tough assignments – men and women alike. The most pressing issue for us as leaders is to focus on developing everyone to lead consciously and with intention.

A final and important note: while we are proud of our culture and awareness, we are far from perfect. We get regular feedback on this topic and we’re listening. ‘Bringing home the bacon’ is important to us all – especially women who face an uphill battle more often. 

 

Topics: Executive
Tim Leman

Written by Tim Leman

Tim is Chairman and CEO at Gibson. He joined Gibson in 2005 as the Director of the Employee Benefits Practice and became a principal in 2007. He was named President in 2009, CEO in 2011, and elected Chairman of the Board in 2014.

With Tim’s leadership, Gibson has been selected as a Best Places to Work in Indiana, named to Principal’s 10 Best list for employee financial security, maintained its status as a Reagan & Associates Best Practices Agency, recognized as one of 20 Indiana Companies To Watch, and named to the Inc. 5000 list. Read Tim's Full Bio