Stunned, we listened intently while our keynote speaker, Maya Kolaczynski from McKinsey Canada gave us the stats and facts from McKinsey’s report: “Women Matter – The present and future of women at work in Canada” June 2019.
I was still reeling from the stats as I sat with our panel which followed Maya’s talk last Thursday at JLabs Toronto’s “International Women’s Day: From the Classroom to the Boardroom – Navigating Your Career as a Woman”. How could so little change from 40 years ago when I was an earnest young tax auditor at the start of my career? What lessons did I learn from my time at JLabs Toronto?
IWD 2020 – Lesson #1
The “leaky” talent pipeline reminded me that the under representation of women has been around for a very long time – 40 years and counting? The report showed modest progress since 2017 toward gender equality at the entry level. But the biggest gap still exists between men and women beyond the entry level
“None of the companies on the TSX 70 index – a cross section of the largest and most heavily traded Canadian stocks – listed a woman as its CEO.” 5.
IWD 2020 – Lesson #2
I have been and still am a strong proponent of mentorship, having developed a successful professional mentorship program for newcomer professionals. But I had neglected to also include sponsorship.
And although I also understand the importance of sponsors, I was abruptly “woke” when Maya presented the power of sponsorship on one’s career.
“Sponsors play a critical role in an employee’s career development and advancement … sponsors will introduce their proteges to influential connections, highlight their work to senior leaders, and recommend them for jobs and promotions.”
IWD 2020 – Lesson #3
The moment I made this immediate and gigantic mind shift towards sponsorship, I realized how I can help young women plug “the leaky talent pipeline”! Young women like our emerging and new scientists in the audience and who introduced themselves and overwhelmed me with their honesty, transparency, and vulnerability. Their authentic desire to up-skill was refreshing and I left the event knowing they will leave the world a better place. And there is no time like the present!
My sincere thanks to Amanda Raponi and #JLabs for hosting this special IWD event, Caitlin Gagnon, our moderator Global Head of Executive Search-Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, and my co-panelists: Jennifer Moody, COO Morphocell Technologies, Drew Taylor, CEO & Co-Founder, Acorn Biolabs and Marian Nakada, VP, Venture Investments, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JDCC for sharing their sage advice, and Maya Kolaczynski for sharing McKinsey Canada’s “Women Matter” report. #womenhelpingwomen #menhelpingwomen #whywenetwork