2013 Issue

80 T he board room of almost ev- ery engineering company remains a testosterone filled room. The engineering industry is welcoming more women into the ranks but few have made it through the board room door. As an example, the 2010 Environmental Financial Consulting Group, Inc’s CEO conference boasted 251 attendees of which only 11 were women (4%) and only 2 of these women were owners. Sadly these numbers are reflective of companies across the country. The 2009 Catalyst Census shows that women’s share of board chair positions remained flat at 2.0 percent and that women hold only 15.2 percent of all board seats, a number that reflects little growth over the past five years (Catalyst, 2009). It is imperative that companies incorporate more women into all levels of employment but especially upper leadership positions for three reasons. 1. Shrinking Labor Pool Women make up approximately 50% of the labor pool and influ- ence 70% of household spending in the United States (Catalyst, 2009). Therefore, it makes business sense to include women in the decision-making process and to capitalize on this huge source of talent. To not do so allows a significant drain on the efficiency and effectiveness of companies. Employers must change not only policies but the very atmosphere of the workplace to welcome and motivate women to ensure that they maximize the pool of talent available for leadership. 2. Productivity By not accepting women into the leadership ranks of a company their contribution and motivation is limited and dampened. This limiting condition has a very real cost to every company. Unmoti- vated employees do not contribute their maximum capacity and negatively affect the productivity of not only themselves but those they work with. If they choose to leave, as many do, the company loses its ability to amortize the training money and time invested in them. Finally, by expanding the pool a company draws from for leadership, all levels of the company will benefit. Benefits will result from the different ways of thinking and acting that the top candidates will bring to the company. This inclusivity and diversity will motivate and challenge all employees and ensure that the best decisions possible are made through the increased pool of talent and the expanded set of role models. 3. Bottom Line Results A Catalyst study of 520 companies found improved financial measures when women serve on the Board of Directors. Return on Equity, Return on Sales and Return on Invested Capital were stronger across all industries for companies with three or more women Board of Directors (Catalyst, 2007). The study did not offer reasons for the stronger returns only the result of comparing returns and board makeup. I interviewed women leaders across the spectrum of engineering organizations including privately held niche firms, publicly traded international companies and governmental agencies. Following are five traits I found that are shared by these women that have made it through the board room door of engineering companies. Trait 1 - Persuasively Communicate “Communicate to add to ideas rather than stop others’ ideas.” The women leaders I interviewed were unanimous in their view that the ability to communicate in order to align and persuade is critical to their success. The era of command anddirect leadershiphas passed. Leaders must now be comfortable with different thought processes and different ways of expressing thoughts. The world is indeed flat Breaking into the Men’s Room Five traits of women engineers with a Board Room seat By Jeannine Wirth, P.E.