I caught an entertaining discussion on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour last week about how Wonder Woman came to be. She was created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston. Since World War Two, women had started to take on a variety of roles outside the home. Marston was on a mission to remodel femininity so that women would resume their traditional roles, and hence Wonder Woman was ‘born’. He gave her the powers of strength and speed reminiscent of Greek gods and goddesses, the ability to talk to animals and a typing speed of 160 words a minute!
Who are your role models?
I meet many women through my work who deserve the ‘Wonder Woman’ title (and I’m not talking about their typing skills). However, I suspect few of us would choose her as a role model in the modern day.
I find it useful to observe my own role models – the way they operate, and the results they get, to help evaluate my strengths and development areas. And I know that many of those attending Kaizen’s leadership programmes do too. If I asked you to choose the leader that most inspires you, who you would choose and how would you make the decision? Are there people you work with, directly or otherwise, that would make the shortlist? Or would you nominate someone from public life who has made a difference? Will you choose people based on them having the kind of lifestyle you would like to have, or are there specific traits they display that you particularly admire?
Popular and not-so popular female role models
A recent poll by Paramount Home Entertainment, timed to coincide with the launch of ‘Made in Dagenham’, announced that over 40% of women credited their Mum as their number one female role model. A quick scan of similar polls reveals that popular ‘top 10’ choices for inspiring women include Margaret Thatcher, Mother Theresa, Florence Nightingale, Michelle Obama, JK Rowling, Angelina Jolie, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II. A rich mix of political figures, those in entertainment, actresses, writers, plus a few very successful entrepreneurs … but a distinct lack of women working in corporate roles.
What do the following UK listed companies have in common?
Burberry, Diageo, Alliance Trust, Pearson, Marks and Spencer, Standard Life, 3i, Capita Group, Imperial Tobacco Group, Tesco, Anglo-American and Cairn Energy.
Answer – they are all 2010 FTSE 100 companies that have female Executive Directors.
Respectively: Angela Ahrendts & Stacey Cartwright, Deirdre Mahlan, Katherine Garrett-Cox, Dame Marjorie Scardino & Rona Fairhead, Kate Bostock, Jackie Hunt, Julia Wilson, Maggi Bell, Alison Cooper, Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Cynthia Carroll and Jann Brown.
In 2010 there were just 15 female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. How many of these can you name? (If you’re struggling, you can check out this list).
Why is it that entrepreneurial women (and men) generally have a higher profile in the media than those working in companies (contrast the list above with Anita Roddick and Karren Brady, for example)? Perhaps it’s because they have more freedom to do interviews and write books. I do wonder if this dynamic contributes to some women deciding not to pursue senior roles in corporates.
So, how can your role models help you progress at work?
Research in the influence / persuasion field by Robert Cialdini cites that ‘social proof’ (that is, validating our own choices by what we see others doing) as one of 6 key drivers for how we choose to act. This would tend to suggest that strong role models will have a high level of influence on work cultures and how things are done. Is this true in your workplace?
How do your role models shape your goals, the way you operate and the results you get? I would love to hear from you…
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I am an Oxbridge-educated, Mandarin speaking, competitive grad scheme-trained young management consultant. Many people tell me I have the perfect foundation for a fabulously successful career, and I have worked hard to achieve things that I thought would contribute to that.
However I have consistently been disappointed when looking for an inspirational role model who may be able to guide me/ advise me on this path.
We have been led to believe that as children of the women’s lib generation, we can have it all. I am trying to be the perfect woman who can fulfil all my familial and traditional female roles, while also being a super-charged CXO who is sexually attractive even after her ovaries have packed up.
As a role model then, I am looking for the perfect woman who does it all….but she doesn’t exist.
LJF, thank you for your comment, which sounds heartfelt. I meet and work with many women in business, at all levels, and I can truly say I don’t know anyone who believes they ‘have it all’. They all have ‘some of it’, but they’ve typically had to make hard choices along the way about what’s truly important to them. And many have compromised in key areas of their lives.
A common theme I encounter when working with women, individually and in groups, is the desire to be ‘perfect’. The truth is that none of us are, and one of the most useful things we can do is to learn strategies to let go of this need. It has such damaging effects – because as long as we strive for perfection we fail to recognise what’s already wonderful in our lives. You’ve already shared some of the things that are wonderful about you – your skills and qualifications, for example. And I hope this doesn’t sound trite, but I imagine there are many other things to add to that list.
I sometimes describe myself as a ‘recovering perfectionist’, because I so recognise that trait in myself. In this context, the role models I am most drawn to are women (and men) who are wholly comfortable in their own skin (blemishes and all).