Women working in IT has been making headlines as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs and universities angle to encourage young women to enter the field. But with a female state CIO setting an example, female leadership is a big conversation across the California public sector. Six leaders from the public and nonprofit sectors gathered Wednesday during the California CIO Academy in Sacramento to discuss “collaboration instead of competition.”
“We should be proud and confident because of the merit of what we do, not solely because of the gender of what you are,” said Amy Tong, CIO of the state of California. “That level of confidence, be proud of that. You’re here because of what you do, not because of your gender.”
Collaborating to enhance and complement other leaders is the primary goal of leaders, Tong said.
“I think most men and women in their leadership skills are pretty similar,” said Gerri Magers, vice president and project director of enterprise data to revenue project (ET) at CGI. “They’re similar in building high-performance organizations and cultivating clients. I think men have more leadership styles available to them.”
Men have more options, she said, because the people who work for them respond differently. Stephanie McLemore Bray, president and CEO of United Way California Capital Region, said women are subject to implicit bias.
“When women take the implicit bias test, we’re biased against each other. In fact, there’s a statistic that 80 percent of women respondents associate female with family and male with career,” Bray said.
Magers echoed that point.
“Men can pull off command and control, and then they can go into democratic management styles,” Magers said. “I think women can pull off the democratic and participative, but once they go into command and control, you guys get called different names. … Most of them start with B.”
Both Magers and Martin Hoshino, administrative director of the California Judicial Council, said women have better emotional intelligence, allowing them to read the room and build teams better.
“In my personal experience, I have come upon this secret,” Hoshino said. “I find that females generally have better instincts than males. If you believe that to be true, you can find the derivative: that they are more trustworthy because they are more connected and more attached.”
Women apply only for jobs for which they feel 100 percent qualified, while men will apply when they feel about 60 percent qualified, said McLemore Bray, citing a Hewlett-Packard study. She added that 12.5 percent of women will negotiate salary, while closer to 50 percent of men will.
“I think women underestimate themselves more than men do. My advice to you is know that you’re underestimating yourself and work that in as you go forward,” Magers said.
Magers went on to encourage women to network outside of the office and work environment.
Hoshino echoed Magers' advice of hiring “to your weakness.”
“My programs have been pretty successful, but it is a mix that is probably tilting more toward females,” Hoshino said. “It was always the most qualified person, but I was looking to those two qualifications — their ability to provide advice, and trustworthiness.”
Marcie Kahbody, agency chief information officer at Caltrans, encouraged women to avoid creating barriers for themselves.
“Don’t set those barriers for yourself, and find a mentor. Become part of a network; help each other,” Kahbody said.
“If I don’t know you, that 45-minute interview doesn’t tell me very much. If I’ve known you in the community, if I’ve heard of you, that makes a difference,” Kahbody said.
The panel also noted that millennial women are more apt to assist each other instead of competing.
They also suggested setting expectations for life-work balance. That includes quality time over a quantity of time, and sometimes bringing work home.
The group highlighted these takeaways:
— Be mindful of implicit bias
— You are better than you think
— Successful leaders and organizations are emotionally intelligent and trustworthy
— You can achieve work-life balance
