News Archive

The “diversity” conversation is not new but its ongoing nature indicates it is one which has not been adequately addressed.

Recent research moves the nature of the conversation from a social base to a commercial base through trends such as the increasing power of women in driving spend and the cost to organisations through the leaking talent pipeline.

On a recent Asian trip I spoke with representatives from over 40 different local, regional and multinational organisations about the challenge of diversity and in particular, the development of women. Participants expressed significant interest and echoed the sentiments of Australian colleagues.

Regardless of where the conversation is had, the challenge has been to identify tangible things to do to address this complex issue.

Praesta, through research in the area, has developed a “Road Map” to support organisations and women in this quest. It covers the practical things women can do to improve their chances of success in senior roles. It also looks at the many things companies can do to make themselves more attractive to women executives. It also looks at what organisations can do to remove the cultural, psychological and organisational obstacles deterring them from appointing more women. The attached article provides more information about the Road Map.

One exciting example of an organisation embracing the challenge is the Women’s Media Network (WMN), an Asia Pacific industry body providing professional support, leadership development and networking opportunities for women in media and related companies. There initiatives include a Mentoring Program which taps into the region’s leading female executives. We are delighted that Praesta’s expertise in this area has been recognised through our engagement as partners and facilitators of the Mentoring program (www.womenmedianetwork.com). The WMN was featured in The Australian on Monday 16th November.

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Recently we did some workshops on “Impact and Presence”. The feedback was very positive and a key learning that was highlighted was the ongoing need for leaders to be aware of how much they actively influence their own impact on others.

The phrase “leaders cast a long shadow in organisations” has never been more important than today. Part of what creates the shadow is the way they lead, their philosophy, the culture they create and how they interact with others. A primary part is how they come across in daily interactions, i.e. what is their impact on the people they lead and manage. While this is intangible, it is so important. We all recognise and feel when people are having a positive impact but often find it difficult to explain exactly why and what it is that they do to have that effect!

The following article looks at five key ways to positively maximise your personal impact.

The questions at the end are designed to give you something to ponder and catalyse you to put into action some small tweaks to increase your impact and lengthen your shadow.