|
INTERVIEW WITH RENETTA MCCANN / CEO, the Americas, Starcom MediaVest Group
VALUE From our 2006 Census A subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, Starcom MediaVest Group is one of the world's largest brand communications firms with offices in 110 cities in 67 countries. What do you see as the biggest challenge to increasing the number of women on boards and in senior management? What additional barriers exist for women of color? 
First, society has to believe it is valuable to have women
in key positions inside companies. Then, there have to be
specific programs that get women on clear career paths, with
time running a P&L, in product management, in distribution,
working with the customer. Are women getting access to the
key drivers of a business so they can build up their skills
and success? You have to get the breadth of perspective and
you must have access to formal and informal power
networks.A lot of what goes on inside a company is all about comfort. Many people are not comfortable with differences. For women of color, it's about making people at the top comfortable not just with race, but also gender. That's a lot of work, on top of all the other work you have. For me, it never occurred growing up that I would have a CEO title. For a lot of people of color, exposure to the opportunity and possibility is itself a challenge. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but it is still pervasive. What personal experience has taught you the value of having women among a senior leadership group? How about the value of diversity generally? Women by nature bring an inclusive leadership style. We come at problems differently, looking at how pieces fit together into a whole. In my industry, a lot of entry level positions are held by women. You need to have women in leadership positions to make sure they have a path to follow. I'm proof that women can get there: I've had P&L experience, run a global business unit, raised two teenage children, have a husband. One of the things I put on the table was a diversity initiative - not just about ethnicity, but around mindset, experience and life style. We encouraged people to set up affinity networks and to develop ideas that could enhance our value to our clients. In industries where audiences are segmenting, the more diverse points of view, the better. More broadly, I am in the camp that thinks that Darwin was misinterpreted. It's not so much about survival of the fittest as it is about adapting and being flexible. Organizations that can be flexible and adapt - those that can change their beaks - are the successful ones. I don't know how you get that done without a variety of people and variety of styles of leaders. Have you had a female mentor or role model who has been important to your career success? Most of my mentors on the way up were male. What I learned from them was to look over there and over here, to have a wider understanding of what's important, what is real, what is not. Once I got to the top, I needed to form my own informal 'board of directors' of people from different backgrounds. It is lonely and isolated in top management; you need to figure out how to keep re-connecting. If you are not able to adapt, it makes life nasty at the top. I also spend a lot of time with people who are much younger, just as many males as females, and about 65%-70% African-American. I have learned a great deal on the way up. It would be selfish not to share that with the next generation. |
||