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When Faith Glazier took up her first professional job, she noticed a strange phenomenon at the company. Women were jumping ship at an alarming rate. According to Glazier, now a partner with Deloitte Consulting, the reason soon became apparent. It was also a clear commentary on the typical consultant "style" that prevailed at the place. Women were leaving not because they wanted to have more time for family, said Glazier, a panelist at the conference session on "Discovering Your Leadership Style and Exercising Influence." Rather, they were bailing because they yearned for a better job. And they wanted a better job, she told the audience, because they wanted to work for a consultancy that wouldn't shoehorn them into the role of "guerrilla consultant."
What defines a woman's style as a consultant? According to Glazier and three other consultants on the panel, it's OK to utilize a variety of leading styles, but proficiency in your field has to be the main goal. There should be no doubts about your ability to do your job, they said. "Know what you're doing, establish credibility, find mentors," Glazier advised. Find a way to be yourself and not fit into a specific mold.
Learn how to ask the right questions, added Anna M. Hogan, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Adroit Systems, Inc. "Work hard, play hard, do a good job, and take every opportunity you can get your hands on," she advised. Hogan emphasized the importance of being in command of your subject in order to build professional credibility. Opportunities will present themselves when you become a subject-matter expert, she said. Make yourself indispensable; your historical project knowledge will be valuable in the long term.
Cheerleading?
As a woman, Hogan believed, she was seen as less threatening to clients and colleagues. Hogan said she shaped her leadership style by making herself accessible and by maintaining connections with her customer base as well as past and present employees. "As a leader, you have to know where the expertise is in your group," she said. "That recognition makes them feel good. You need to make decisions and make sure the group presses ahead with the plan."
When Phyllis Rothschild got her first performance review at her first consulting job, her manager said she was doing a great job—but wasn't "a very good cheerleader," Rothschild told the conference audience. Now vice president for the Strategic Capabilities Group at Mercer Management Consulting, Rothschild described herself as "calm, understated, not a chest-pounder." She said she wanted to cultivate a leadership style that would make her someone whom people were comfortable to be around.
"Be yourself," she advised. "Find a style that suits you." Consultants working with clients should put the emphasis on larger and longer customer relationships because it takes time to establish credibility. And try to be the on the "leading edge of intellectual capital," said Rothschild.
| Work hard, play hard, do a good job, and take every opportunity you can get your hands on. |
| —Anna Hogan |
"My leadership style evolved over time," observed Elizabeth Ramos, a vice president of Bain & Company. Her first manager worried that Ramos wasn't "tough enough," while she recently overheard employees saying that she "rules with an iron fist." It is important to realize that leadership style can be situational, Ramos told the audience, and you must tailor your style to confront different people and circumstances.
Someone to watch over me
Mentor-training programs can be great, said Rothschild, and there's one in place at her company. However, she told the group, "You can't force that relationship," especially since people tend to establish more organic relationships within their teams. "It's important to know who you are. Know what you want to get out of [the mentoring] relationship," she said. Seek out mentors who have values and interests in common with you and who are already involved in the industries that you find interesting, she advised.
Get to know as many people as you can in the industry, said Ramos, adding, "Assigned mentors have a very low take rate." Ideally, you and your mentor should gravitate toward each other, but "don't be afraid to be proactive, because anyone you'd want to have as a mentor is going to be busy," she said. Although you may feel like you're bothering your busy prospective mentor, most people are flattered to be asked, panelists agreed. Go ahead and make that call, or better yet, set up a meeting. Concluded Ramos, "You can't underestimate the power of face to face."
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If I Knew ThenÂ…
Asked if there were anything they wished someone had told them before they started a career in consulting, panelists said yes:
Anna Hogan, Adroit Systems, Inc:
- Don't take things personally. Clients may end up hating your project.
- Believe that sometimes luck does play a role in winning projects.
Elizabeth Ramos, Bain & Company, Inc.:
- Seek feedback often.
- Ask tough questions of your supervisors like: "How could this have been done better?"
Faith Glazier, Deloitte Consulting:
- Don't underestimate the importance of mentors. The more people who look out for you, the better.
Phyllis Rothschild, Mercer Management Consulting:
- Establish who you are, and know your style.
- Try to do things—both personal and work-related—that you'll remember ten years from now.