Advice female leaders give most often
Emma Crosby shares the one piece of advice that all female leaders have shared with her
Over the past couple of months I’ve had the privilege of interviewing a whole host of female financial leaders, and asking them the seemingly perennial question for their industry. Why are there still, in 2023, not enough women at the top?
As you can imagine, the answer is a complicated one. But with most corporates now wholeheartedly embracing DEI and ESG, they say change is afoot.
But that’s not what got my attention. Instead it was a simple piece of advice which all of these women offered. And it’s advice which is far more tangible than any corporate objective or boardroom strategy. Something which all of us can relate to wherever we are in our careers. It’s this: Find Your People!
Importance of mentors and peers
Mentorships and peer networks have helped propel these leaders to the very upper echelons of a male dominated environment and guided them in navigating the minefield that is work life balance.
Take Citi’s Kanika Thakur, for example. She told me that some of her biggest career changes have been deeply encouraged by her mentor’s views and that she still relies on them wholeheartedly. Watch my full report on female trailblazers in the banking industry below.
Meanwhile, Liliana Tandinova, CFO of GE Gas Power, says candid feedback from a mentor that she was perceived as being “less assertive” led to reflection, adjustments and an action plan.
“People need good feedback and in my case, a good mentor in order to succeed in their career and to continue to grow.” Watch her full interview below.
So find a mentor. Take that first step. And once you’ve done that, then get your diary out and join a networking group. Some great advice from Amanda Pullinger, CEO of 100 Women in Finance, was the old adage women tend to struggle at promoting themselves but are great at promoting their girlfriends. If you won’t put yourself up for promotion, that peer network will remind you, “You’ve got this.”
Who’s your mentor?
That question got me thinking about my own career. Help can come in many forms: aspiration, advocacy or just super useful introductions.
As a cub reporter for CNBC, I watched with awe the ever slick Maria Bartiromo on the floor of the NYSE, and hoped to follow in her footsteps.
The FT’s indomitable Mrs Moneypenny aka Heather McGregor organised female only shooting trips so we wouldn’t get left out of what’s still a male bastion networking world…though thankfully for the birds I was a terrible shot.
And my first female editor, Cristina Nicolotti Squires, egged me on to secure an exclusive interview with the Governor of the Bank of England and helped me to navigate a general election roadshow whilst in the early days of pregnancy.
I learnt vast amounts from these women and I will always be grateful. Which mentors, advocates or connectors are you grateful for? I’d love to know.
Watch more interviews from Citi’s Diversity Matters series here: https://on.citi/3Bilost