With our upcoming “Innovation Leadership – Visions for the Future” event taking place tomorrow at Ericsson in San Jose, the ability to harness the spirit of collaboration has been a focal point in my mind. One of the interviews conducted as part of Ericsson’s “2020 – Shaping Ideas” project resonated with me in particular: that of self-proclaimed “future narrator” Anne Lise Kjaer, who led a research team across the world (yes, the entire world!) to collect opinions about the future of women in business and in the workplace.

Anne Lise Kjaer - 2020 Shaping Ideas

At the onset, Kjaer is quick to remind us that the future is an indeterminate thing. After listening to her interview, I realized that it’s true: I –and perhaps most people—tend to think of the future as a finite thing, as in “the future will be like XYZ,” rather than “the future might be like XYZ.” We forget that the future is not a predetermined place where we will all eventually end up regardless of the choices we make. Corny as it sounds, we have the power to create exactly what that future will be like. The possibilities are endless!

Despite the fact that the future is an intangible and mercurial concept, Kjaer’s job is to make predictions based on current trends and opinions. After her extensive survey, she came to the following conclusion:

“[In the future], women won’t bother to try to get into a male-ruled organization; they will just try to start their own company, because it’s much easier. If you go into an old-fashioned, last-century organization, which was very left-brained, you won’t have a chance in the future…

Daniel Pink supports Kjaer’s premise in his book, A Whole New Mind, reiterates that the era of “left brain” dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which “right brain” qualities-inventiveness, empathy, meaning-predominate.

It remains to be seen whether women will be forced to circumvent established traditions of thought by starting their own companies. However, it highlights an interesting shift specific to the world of entrepreneurship – as women step up to take the reigns, innovate, and build new companies, what changes can we expect to see? How will women build, lead, and foster differently? I, for one, am excited to see what changes (hopefully positive) these shifts will bring to the future.

There are certain terms we hear all the time in the workplace: innovative, cutting-edge, and groundbreaking, to name a few. These terms are frequently used without providing a clear definition of what they mean - you simply know innovation when you see it. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all “holy grail” guide that will provide all the answers when it comes to developing innovative leadership, strategies, or products. Since our lexicon of what constitutes ‘new’ changes by the day (and sometimes by the hour), it is futile to try and put it down in words for fear of sounding outdated tomorrow.

Ericsson has moved beyond the expectations of a big technology company in launching an ambitious project to define the meaning of innovation. “Ericsson 2020- Shaping Ideas,” uses a wonderful starting point: the future. Rather than trying to define what it means to be innovative today, they have attempted to project an image of what innovation will be like tomorrow.

“At Ericsson, we need to collaborate and get inspiration from people outside our business in order to adapt to these changes—people that take a stand, and that want to share and work together.”

In choosing perspectives outside the realm of technology and communication, Ericsson has demonstrated a powerful shift in models of leadership – embracing a model that seeks out diversity to achieve a truly innovative strategy. The ideas featured in the project do not represent the company’s opinion, but rather demonstrates a corporate commitment to innovation through collective wisdom – drawing together the minds of many to develop a much more powerful and complete vision of what the world might become in 2020.

Tapping into the power of innovation is no small feat – it requires commitment at all levels of leadership as well as a comprehensive strategy to execute vision throughout your organization. How do you push the boundaries of traditional work environments to promote innovation in your workplace? Do you invite conversation, dialogue, and thought leadership to shape the vision of your company? If not, what steps can you take to create invigorating methods and ideas through the power of collaboration?

In today’s fast-paced, information-saturated world, the constant influx of information is often overwhelming – to the point of over-saturation. It becomes challenging to identify, absorb, and utilize the relevant (key) pieces of information to augment our strengths as organizational leaders. Often we find ourselves sidetracked putting out “fires”, pushing through to meet deadlines, and consumed by a new projects.

In periodic points throughout my career, I’ve found find myself feeling as if I’m wearing blinders – being too focused on internal corporate issues and struggling to find the resources to bring creativity and innovation into my workspace.

I’m guessing that many of my colleagues and peers struggle with the same. The constant challenge we all face as leaders is how to stay ahead of the curve; maintain the “big picture” vision that will guide our business strategy, direct our goals, and motivate our teams to high performance. In other words, how can we leverage the vast amount of information around us, to motivate and prosper?

Many of the women I know have discovered synergies between athletic achievement and effective leadership on a personal level. I’m no exception –cycling is my personal passion and something that keeps me grounded and focused during high intensity work periods. Wouldn’t it be great if we could identify (extract) the tools and mindset of high performance athletes and integrate them into our work performance? Marilyn King, the speaker for Your Story of Now,” demonstrates that these two worlds have far more in common than what initially meets the eye. Appearances aside, both worlds require specific qualities to achieve success: commitment, stamina, and above all else, raw drive. Marilyn provides an approach that will examine patterns of success and tailor them to create a leadership strategy that will result in high quality and exceptional performance.

When it comes to seeking out new and innovative ideas, look up and out and beyond your immediate surroundings—it is quite often in unfamiliar territory where the greatest inspiration lies.

Collaboration and collective wisdom are powerful. In January, I had the pleasure of attending a Thought Leader Gathering hosted by Patricia Neal from Heartland Inc. The speaker was Alan Briskin, who has written a book entitled “The Power of Collective Wisdom”. Alan explained that Collective Wisdom refers to knowledge and insight gained through group and community interaction. It is elusive and unpredictable – it can’t be willed into being. We can, however, create the conditions for collective wisdom to be cultivated. Leading a meeting to gather collective wisdom requires the leader to “lead from behind” and allow the creativity of the group to be fostered. It’s not about forcing the decision but more about enabling the discussion to happen.

“Convening is different from facilitation. By definition, facilitation is ‘the process of making things easy or easier.’ Conveners invite participants to co-create the highest possible outcome for a meeting or gathering.” ~ Craig Neal, Heartland Inc.

To be truly successful, Collective Wisdom requires us to open ourselves and our decision-making process to include diverse opinions, varied perspectives, and different experiences. Transitioning from individualistic thinking to a collaborative group mentality can be a dramatic mind shift for some women leaders, but the value speakers for itself – more heads are better than one. In other words, the likelihood of coming up with the best solution increases significantly when we encourage diversity AND foster the conditions for Collective Wisdom to emerge.

My previous blog post discussed the importance of creating authentic connections for professional and personal benefits. Here’s an example of theory to practice. Women with strong networks are much better positioned (and more comfortable) reaching out to bring “new wisdom” to the table. Women who haven’t cultivated these connections have fewer resources to draw from and are more likely to act alone, limiting their impact as a leader.

It’s true that no single woman leader can do it alone. Nor should we try. In fact, leaders who don’t embrace a collaborative style of management will inevitably be less successful. Social networking and the web have created an expectation of collaboration- irrespective of age, title, status, gender, or race. It’s already happening online, the question is are YOU tapping into the power of collaboration to achieve success?

McKinsey’s Centered Leadership points out that people with strong networks enjoy promotions, higher pay and greater career satisfaction. They have a sense of belonging, which is a strong driver of fulfillment.

That being said, relationship building comes more naturally to some than others. For those who don’t gravitate toward the spotlight, there are some valuable skills and tools that can make connecting with people an easier and a more gratifying experience.

1) Networking vs. Connecting: There really is a difference. Over time, the word “networking” has become synonymous with awkward conversation and exchanging business cards. Now take a step back and reflect on your networking efforts. How often have your networking experiences produced long-term relationships or meaningful results? Consider reshaping your perspective and moving away from traditional networking. Redefine your goal with the word “connecting” in mind; find points of engagement with other people who are authentic and fulfilling. The way to accomplish this is reasonably simple – change your frame of reference from “me” to “them” - be open, listen, ask questions and just being OUT THERE.

2) Set Goals for Connecting: It might seem contrived, but now – more than ever – it’s important to be strategic with your efforts and time. Setting goals for connecting and building relationships expedites the process and produces high-quality results. Before you venture out, spend a few moments answering some basic questions: “What am I trying to achieve?” and “Who can help me get there?” Women are natural relationship-builders, however we tend to build deep connections within smaller groups. Be mindful that the connections you need might not be available within your group, which is why identifying “Who” is equally important as identifying “What.”

3) Build it Before You Need It: It’s easy to let your efforts to build relationships slide when you’re career is going smoothly; however those are times when you should be maximizing your efforts, not scaling them back. It’s much easier to build your connection base when you are coming from a position of giving rather than taking. The more you give, the stronger your relationships will be, which makes them a much more valuable commodity when you are in a time of need. Be sure to maintain consistent and relevant contact with all the connections you make – you never know, the opportunities that arise will astound you.

If you’d like to learn more about creating connections, download to this PBWC webinar: Strategic Networking: Learn How to Build Stronger Connections that Fast-Track Your Career or Business with Wendy Beecham

March is National Women’s History Month. It’s a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements exemplified by thousands of women who understood the power of change and broke barriers to redefine the role of women in society. I’m in awe of these courageous women and humbled to be considered among them as a recipient of the 2010 History Makers Award.

The National Women’s History Project’s theme for 2010 is “Writing Women Back Into History.” This theme is incredibly relevant to me as I explore the impact women have on the world. NWHP says, “The history of women often seems to be written in invisible ink.” Going forward, how can we can we fix that? How can we empower each other to continue the legacy of change handed down by the extraordinary women who came before us and make sure our efforts are recorded? How do we write ourselves back into history as we follow our goals, ambitions, professional careers, and personal relationships?

There’s no simple answer. One way is to build a social and professional community by women for women. Collaboration empowers every woman to become a triumphant leader. Collaboration enables us to break the mold and achieve the unachievable. In our community of FWE&E members, every day I see women enhancing their impact on the world. Their success moves all women forward and underscores the power of change.

President Obama said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

How will you write yourself back into history?

Today marks the 2009 release of the UC Davis Census of Women Leaders where they are reporting that once again, the number of women in the C suite and on Boards of the top 400 public companies in the state of California is a paltry 10.6% which is DOWN from the 10.9% number reported in 2008.

Equally shocking is that 118 (29.5%) of California’s largest 400 public companies have no women board directors or executive officers. Only 15 of the 400 companies have a woman CEO.  The Bay area has the county with the greatet percentage of women directors - San Francisco (15.7%), as well as the county with the least - Santa Clara (8.2%) - the heart of Silicon Valley.

I was really excited to participate in an NPR interview this morning until the first comment from a listener came in with the remark about why are we even talking about this issue since many women want to stay at home to take care of kids while their husbands bring home the paycheck.

When asked to respond to this, I could only comment that it is an example of the gender bias and stereotyping that exists for both women and men that keep things stagnating the way they are.

The reason I don’t understand why we have to talk about this issue is that there is so much data out there supporting that when there is diversity of all kinds in the board room and the C Suite that there is better financial performance, more measured risk taking, and greater creative thinking and problem solving due to the diversity of backgrounds, disciplines, gender, race etc.

Organizations will face a major talent shortage in the near future as qualified, educated women (more women graduating with MBA’s than men for example) will look at those companies who created intention around having diversity of all kinds as a better place to work.  Those who create sponsorships to create opportunities for women, who measure the degree of diversity in hiring and who actually walk the talk will be the ones who win the talent competition.

Women also can influence changing this picture by learning how to network more strategically to break into the power circles where decisions are made; negotiate higher salaries rather than justifying what is offered; and seeking out and accepting roles they might need to stretch into.

Men will take a role if they are 50% qualified and feel they will figure it out when they get there. Women tend to feel they need 100% of the competencies before they can accept the role.

This issue is about choice. Maria Shriver’s recent report on women talks about how roles are changing as many women are the main career bread winner and the husband stays home to take care of things on that front. And, there are many women who are choosing to stay home to relish the valuable time they will have with their children.

The point is, there is not one right answer here. But corporate America seems to be stuck in a model of one way of doing things that does not support the aspirations, life challenges, or goals that many women have.

We’re having a dialogue about this issue tonight with Dean Currall of UC Davis Graduate School of Business, Maureen Connors, Board Member of Decker Outdoor Corporation (in the Top 25 companies in CA on the UC Davis list); Karen Rohde, SVP of Sun Microsystems (being acquired by Oracle), Bethany Mayer, Chief Marketing Officer of BlueCoat, and Deborah Campbell, Director of Membership from Catalyst.  Come join us at 6pm at DLA to continue this discussion or comment here on what you have to say about this very important issue.

In my previous blog, I reported on the highlights of the W.I.N. Global Leadership conference held in Prague, Czech Republic on October 8-10.

In addition to those highlights, during the conference two business school professors from London and Switzerland  delivered presentations that I found quite thought provoking. Both discussed the different characteristics that make women leaders thrive, but also pointed out ways they shoot themselves in the foot.

Do you agree with these competences and assertions from Nigel and George or do you have a different list?  Do any of these competencies strike an idea for a new development area for yourself?

Nigel Nicholson, Professor at the London Business School, began by stating that we have a fundamentally wrong model of leadership being practiced today that is based on meritocracy where decisions are made on a linear hierarchy.  It creates a purely random universe where people “get there” by luck.

What you are supposed to be doing as a leader is getting the best out of those around you.  There is a unique set of characteristics that women have used to help drive the future that are actually more positive than the male dominant hierarchy model.  However, women often don’t jump into the water if it doesn’t look good.Meaning they don’t move between enough different environments - which lessens their opportunities for leadership roles.

Nigel also talked about the strategy of the future being based on vision and outlined some key skills that women have and should develop in order to prepare themselves for future leadership roles.  These key skills include:  asking questions; de-centering (seeing what something looks like from another perspective); managing like a partner and not a boss; storytelling - connecting people with the past, present, and the future in a way that is emotionally compelling.

A leader answers the following questions:

1. Who am I and why am I here?
2. Who are we and what do we stand for? - Our core competence and real purpose
3. Where are we going?
4. Why are we going there? - Stated with conviction!
5. Why must we change? - A crisis is a terribly opportunity to waste

On the last day of the conference, George Kohlrieser, Professor at IMD in Switzerland listed out his view of the critical competencies for women leaders.  His background is very interesting as he began his career in law enforcement and grew to become a hostage negotiator.  Much of his work is about resolving conflict and many of the ideas presented below are covered in his new book “Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Resolve Conflict, Influence Others, and Raise Performance.”

The core competencies for women leaders he highlighted in his presentation were:

1. Being assertive
2. Being decisive
3. Social bonding to raise performance (otherwise known as connectedness or networking)
4. Managing conflict for a win-win outcome
5. Being a secure base and having secure bases
6. Mastering the mind’s eye to focus on positive goals (versus being sucked into the negative outlook on life)
7. Developing resilience
8. Understanding business

One of the most compelling statements he made was how we get to the highest level of performance through failure and how we live in a world where there is a high expectation for entitlement.

On October 8-10, 2009, I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the W.I.N. Global Leadership conference in Prague, Czech Republic. This was my third time attending this conference and I was again impressed with the integration of creativity through music performed at the start of each plenary session and the bevy of global thought-provoking speakers.

The W.I.N. audience is very similar to that of FWE&E in its composition of entrepreneurs, executives, consultants, thought leaders who are forward-looking people and influential decision makers. They state that the W.I.N. woman is typically culturally aware, wants to be part of a community and has an international and open mindset. She is well educated, keen to learn, to grow and to contribute, receptive to new technology, embraces change and listens to her intuition.

The theme of this year’s conference was Wisdom in Action - divided into three main segments with the first day providing a global overview of topics of interest to women leaders, followed by a day of work and career issues, concluding with a day focusing on leadership and personal growth topics.

Some of the highlights for me included Axel Olsen from the Institute for Future Studies in Copenhagen who stated that the future is going to be created by women in new and different ways than we’ve seen in the past. This is the best time in life to create our own future where the opportunities are as big as the risks. The Institute offers 15 megatrends that they feel will shape the future with the top five being knowledge, new technology, acceleration, hyper-complexity and globalization. Other trends that interested me were immaterialization, individualization, networks, environment and aging. He ended by stressing that existing competition means nothing and that surprises will come from new and different angles.

Other sessions that I found quite compelling included hearing from Lorella Zanardo, Founder and General Manager of Sportgate who has taken on the challenge of highlighting sexism against women in Italy by creating a documentary entitled The Body of Women after being shocked by the images of women in the media in Italy on public television during early hours of the day.

The story of Unilver’s re-energizing of the Dove Brand as told by Angela Nelissen, Sales Director HPC of Uniliver was such an interesting story. The idea of the body self esteem campaign came from a brainstorming session held at a corporate offsite where the women were sharing the issues that meant the most to them and many of them related to self esteem. It was interesting to hear the stories of the internal communication created to “sell” the new campaign and the resistance shown by countries such as France and Italy where beauty was not viewed in the same manner. The new Dove self esteem fund for girls has been a very generous and creative offshoot of the campaign.

We heard the story of career development from Alison Smale, Executive Editor of the International Herald Tribune who, after spending many years in Eastern Europe and Russia and actually being present when the Berlin Wall came down, now lives once again in the UK. Her story of her education, opportunities that opened, and risks that she took were very compelling. What was most interesting was to learn that the International Herald Tribune is about to begin a new series on global women entitled “Turning Point” where they will cover information about women in all walks of life in all countries.

I was moved to tears by the story from Marguerite “Maggy” Barankitse from Burundi who has founded the Maison Shalom (House of Peace) and has supported up to 10,000 children orphaned by the strife in her country. Her native language is French and hearing her wonderfully accented voice tell the story of seeing her family killed in front of her, pleading with the killers to let her save the children, starting to care for them with nothing and ending with the successful story of building a wonderful school, hospital and many other services was beyond amazing. Her focus on it all being driven by love, her compassion and her belief that it could all be done was humbling.

The conference concluded with a drumming session lead by Doug Manuel and Sewa Beats where, through the practice of drumming, we learned how to follow and how to lead. An incredibly fun and motivating experience if you’ve never done it.

I look forward to hearing more stories from the other participants and will continue to post updates on the learning from this amazing group of women who come together as W.I.N.

FWE&E is in the final two weeks of planning for our major annual event – The annual Achievement Award Dinner. This year we are honoring Padmasree Warrior, the CTO of Cisco. The event will take place at the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City on September 30, 2009.

The theme of this year’s event is “Pearls of Wisdom” and was chosen specifically because it enables us to illustrate the qualities and diversity of the women leaders in our audience who inspire us on a daily basis.

Padmasree’s story itself is very inspiring. Moving to the U.S. from India with a one-way ticket and an attitude that failure was not an option, Padmasree rose to become the CTO of Motorola in an impressive 23-year career with the organization. Under her tenure, Motorola was awarded the 2004 National Medal of Technology by President George W. Bush, the first time a company had received such a prestigious honor.

Now in her role as CTO of Cisco reporting to Chairman and CEO John Chambers, Padmasree holds a position of tremendous authority and influence over the future of an increasingly connected world, one where advances in technology are re-shaping how billions around the world live, work and play.

I have been personally honored to interact with Padmasree as we have been organizing this amazing event. What strikes me most about her is her incredible warmth and approachability, her quick wit, and her inclusiveness of others to help make a difference.

She is a strong supporter and actively works to engage more women in the fields of science and technology and hopes that her story will be an inspiration to the many women who see her and then feel “I could do that too”.

So today we launch the Pearls of Wisdom and begin our collection of other Pearls similar to Padmasree’s that we can share with our audience and the rest of the world.  I can’t wait to begin to collect the “Pearls” from the other experienced women leaders in our wonderful community.