Different mentors and coaches can provide counsel for different components of a career.AFP/Getty Images
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Felicia Mayo believes every ambitious woman needs a circle of close confidants. Her own personal team is made up of her husband, her executive coach and a diverse group of trusted individuals from a wide range of industries and occupations. She calls them “The Avengers,” like the famed Marvel superheroes with wildly different talents and powers.
“My Avengers are not all people like me,” says Ms. Mayo, executive vice president of people for Block, the financial services and digital payments company co-founded by Jack Dorsey. “I think it’s important to have different coaches and mentors and seek counsel for different components of a career.”
Ms. Mayo has long been at the forefront of the evolution of human resources, developing and growing inclusive work environments for titans of American business such as Oracle, Juniper Networks, Tesla and Nike. Now, in her role at Block, Ms. Mayo’s been tasked with finding top-notch employees for the company’s multiple divisions, including Square, Cash App, Spiral, Tidal and TBD.
Read more of Ms. Mayo’s thoughts about diverse hiring pipelines, risk-taking and navigating bias and sexism in the workplace.
Struggling to meet your DEI&B goals? Start with inclusion, not diversity
Over the past couple of decades, organizations’ Diversity agenda has evolved from D&I (plus inclusion) to DE&I (plus equity) to DEI&B (plus belonging).
When columnist Naomi Titleman Colla first started in the workforce, the conversation was mostly around talent acquisition: “How do we get more diverse representation within our organizations,” which focuses primarily on how to source and attract a more diverse slate of candidates, mandated by boards and regulators, when jobs become available.
The conversation then evolved to education: “How do we mitigate bias when working with and leading diverse teams,” which focuses primarily on unconscious bias training. Over the past few years amid social unrest and other tragic events, such as the murder of George Floyd in 2020, DEI&B has gained the attention of CEOs and boards, beyond quotas and training.
Progressive companies now recognize that DEI&B is a key component of organizational well-being, and is much broader than candidate slates, programs and employee resource groups. But have we been putting the cart before the horse by focusing on diversity first and inclusion second?
Read more about how inclusion can be derailed in the workplace.
Climbing the career ladder is popular, but those on squiggly paths have the advantage, experts say
Professionals who build skills, competencies and experiences in a non-linear career path will always have a competitive edge when it comes to meeting the demands of an evolving labour market, say experts.
How does a non-linear career look? It’s fluid. And may involve switching roles within the company or changing organizations and roles simultaneously, exploring different interests, working in other industries, working part-time or dipping a toe in entrepreneurship.
In their viral TEDx talk, Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, co-founders of U.K.-based career consultancy Amazing If, say the era of earning a degree in one field and then purposely building an entire linear career off that with the goal of scaling a career ladder may be behind us.
Instead, they extol the virtues of a squiggly career. This route has unlimited opportunities and possibilities because, “success isn’t one-size-fits-all,” they say.
Read why people who pursue non-linear career paths may be better equipped to tackle complex issues in their organizations.
In case you missed it
Taking the farm to Instagram: How four women farmers are connecting through social media
Scrolling through @thetulepps Instagram account, the two women artfully posed in elegant outfits probably don’t look anything like the picture that pops into your head when you hear the word “farmer.”
That’s exactly why sisters Cassandra and Stephanie Lepp, fourth-generation grain farmers near Rivers, Man., launched @thetulepps, where the pair can be seen looking equally at home running heavy farm machinery, modelling Canadian-made clothing and goofing around with their dogs.
“When we worked for our dad’s manufacturing company, which makes grain-handling equipment, we were the sales team, and when we’d go to trade shows, some people wouldn’t talk to us,” says Cassandra. “They wanted to talk to our dad, or another man in the booth.”
“We started [@thetulepps] not only to share that women can farm and sell farm equipment, but we wanted to talk to a broader audience, too, not just farmers,” Stephanie adds. “That’s why we incorporated fashion. Because there’s a lot of misconceptions about farming in the media.”
Read the full article.
Mindfulness can help alleviate your work stress – if your manager practises it
It’s clear that workplace stress and burnout have been exacerbated by the pandemic. As workers and employers look for ways to alleviate the mental health toll of the past couple of years, some experts are suggesting that mindfulness and meditation could provide some welcome relief.
And it’s not just something for employees to try – workplace leaders can better support the mental health of their teams by becoming more mindful themselves.
Mindfulness is an ancient practice and a type of meditation that uses techniques to help individuals focus and become aware of what they’re feeling in the moment without explanation or judgment.
The practice has several benefits, says Kerri Twigg, a Winnipeg-based career content coach and best-selling author of The Career Stories Method. It can, among other things, alleviate stress, improve focus, enhance sensory clarity by re-directing awareness to the body and help people experience equanimity.
Read the full article.
Ask Women and Work
Question: I have been managing a high-performance employee for three years. She has been a fantastic worker and has a great deal of potential to advance in our organization. However, I am lately sensing a change in mood and focus and I think she may be suffering from burnout. How do I approach this with her and remedy the situation? I don’t want to lose her as an employee.
We asked Rann Sharma, director, people and culture at the Canadian Mental Health Association, to tackle this one:
It is great that as a manager you have recognized that your team member may be struggling with burnout. Recognizing the signs is very important. High performers can be prone to taking on more, so it’s important to regularly check in on how they are doing.
Here are a few proactive steps you can take to support your high performing employee right away:
Create a safe and supportive environment: During one-on-one check-ins with employees, encourage open and honest conversations about stress levels, workload and potential burnout triggers. This will help employees feel comfortable discussing their concerns and struggles. Use your regular check-ins to see if the strategies you are supporting (as recommended below) have been working.
Review and adjust workload: Assess the workload of the team member you are concerned about and consider redistributing tasks or reallocating resources to help manage stress. Avoid overloading your high performing team member with additional responsibilities during this period.
Offer resources: Provide resources on stress management, resilience, self-care and work-life balance. Encourage the team member to understand their health benefits such as massage and acupuncture. Encourage them to use their paid time off for breaks. This can help team members develop skills and build resilience to prevent burnout in the future.
Foster a supportive team culture: Encourage a supportive and collaborative team environment where colleagues can help each other during challenging times. Promote empathy, teamwork and a culture of looking out for one another.
Provide flexibility and work-life balance: Help your team member achieve a healthier work-life balance by offering flexible working hours, remote work options or additional time off. Encourage them to take breaks, vacations and disconnect from work during non-working hours.
Partner with your HR team to evaluate and adjust organizational policies: HR can work to evaluate your organization’s policies, practices and culture to identify any factors contributing to burnout.
Lead by example: Managers and leaders should lead by example in maintaining a healthy work-life balance and setting boundaries. If you absolutely must do emails as a leader during off hours, use the delivery delay function for emails to be delivered when the employee starts their work for the day.
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
Stacie Campbell/The Globe and Mail
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