How IBM's former CEO diversified the company's workforce

How IBM's former CEO diversified the company's workforce | Companies need a clear path to leadership to keep women | Change your mindset to become and effective networker Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 8, 2023 [WFF Leadership SmartBrief]( Advancing and Empowering Women Leaders [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT A Leader's Edge [] [How IBM's former CEO diversified the company's workforce]( [How IBM's former CEO diversified the company's workforce]( Rometty (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Watching her mother start from zero skills to learning how to do tough jobs after Ginni Rometty's father left the family, as well as her own experience as an apprentice, led the former chairman and CEO of IBM to widen the job candidate pool at the company to those without a college degree but were willing to learn. "I had found a pool of people, by the way, all from underrepresented groups that, if I was willing to re-credential a job that had been over credentialed, I could bring far more inclusion and get good employees into the workforce." Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (3/7), [CBS News]( (3/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( STABILITY YOU CAN TRUST FLAT® Table Bases and Equalizers can adjust to almost any surface to eliminate wobbly tables and bring stability to your operations. [Click here to view our technology.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Career Progression: Developing Leaders [] [Companies need a clear path to leadership to keep women]( Many women feel they are overlooked for leadership positions, with 64% saying they can do a better job than their manager but only 47% of men saying the same, according to a survey from Monster. To combat this promotions gap, companies can offer women clear paths to leadership via sponsorship and mentorship opportunities and make sure there is robust representation of underrepresented groups in leadership, Monster career expert Vicki Salemi says. Full Story: [CNBC]( (2/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Change your mindset to become and effective networker]( Make networking effective by focusing on how you can help others instead of the other way around, deciding if you want to attend small or large networking events, keeping records of who you meet and following-up to deepen relationships, writes Christine de Largy, and executive fellow with the Leadership Institute at the London Business School. "It takes effort to build your network, but is enjoyable when you choose to be curious, have a learning mindset, and want to help people," de Largy writes. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (3/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Diversity and Inclusion [] [Molson Coors CMO: Inclusivity, creativity key to success]( As the new chief marketing officer for Molson Coors, Sofia Colucci believes an emphasis on creativity is the key to growing a brand, while building a focused sales approach with a strong point of view will drive results in the long term. Colucci also discusses a push for more inclusivity, noting the brand's efforts to create platforms for the Latino and LGBTQ+ communities and a plan to celebrate International Women's Day on Wednesday. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (3/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Twrl Milk Tea founders reveal mission-minded purpose]( Olivia Chen and Pauline Ang, founders of Twrl Milk Tea, aim to expand awareness of the Asian milk tea tradition and promote female and Asian American representation in the consumer packaged goods space. "Our dream is to get onto shelves at major retailers, where we can share Twrl Milk Tea and the flavors of our culture with a wider consumer base," said Chen. Full Story: [New Hope Network]( (2/28) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [An inclusive culture hinges on "we," not "they"]( Building an inclusive culture means emphasizing "we" over "they" in both thinking and communication, and dialing back a drive for authenticity that may lead to behavior that could be divisive, says leadership coach and author Sally Helgesen. "I think a little less emphasis on authenticity and a little more emphasis on what is professional in the situation would help us with communication across a range of divides," Helgesen says. Full Story: [McKinsey]( (3/2) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] - [Exec: DEI Initiatives Require Leadership Participation]( Strategies & Tactics (March 2023) Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [4 Simple Productivity Improvement Points To Dominate Your Day]( - [The Ultimate Guide To Developing Self-Discipline]( - [30 Life Lessons Learned in 30 Years]( - [How to Find Average Salary Information for US Workers]( - ["I Will Teach You to be Rich" Book Summary]( [] Women and Innovation in the Workforce [] [Bose works to boost gender parity in music production]( Only 2.8% of popular songs from the last decade were produced by women, and while this discouraging statistic has been known for a while, efforts to change it for the better are still moving slowly. Bose has now teamed with She Is The Music to create a production pipeline, providing production kits to individuals in She Is The Music's network. Full Story: [Marketing Dive]( (3/3) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Women CEOs who lead in customer service]( Profitability and customer experience are hallmarks of this list of 20 companies led by women CEOs by author Blake Morgan. Walgreens' Rosalind Brewer is one of two Black women running a Fortune 500 company, Michele Buck has made strides in making The Hershey Co. a more female friendly workplace, and Best Buy's Corie Barry has used feedback to enhance the company's customer-centric culture and led the company in being vocal on social justice issues. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (3/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Why tackling gender wage disparity remains tough]( The wage gap between men and women has changed little over the past two decades with women making an average of 82% of what men make -- not much above the 80% average for women back in 2002, according to Pew Center research. Many factors make up the stagnation including women flocking to lower paying types of jobs as well as plain old discrimination, but experts say the gap could be closed faster through more generous family leave policies, parity and wage transparency laws and more dedicated efforts to build truly inclusive company cultures. Full Story: [The Hill]( (3/1), [Pew Research Center]( (3/1), [HR Magazine (Society for Human Resource Management)]( (2/2023) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] WFF News [] [International Women's Day: Celebrating women as natural leaders]( Although women continue to face steeper climbs into senior management than their male peers, when they do rise into leadership positions, they are actually judged to be more effective than their male counterparts both by those who supervise them and those who report to them. [Read more](. 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