Women In Licensing (WIL): Breaking Through Bias To Be Successful

By Renee McMullen
We all share something in common, something we carry with us and have since we were small children…the stereotypes and biases toward others. The Women In Licensing (WIL) Committee explored this issue during their breakfast networking session at the 2017 LES Annual Meeting. Given the current climate of seemingly daily charges of sexual harassment and misconduct against celebrities, professional athletes and high-ranking political and corporate officers, the topic of workplace dynamics is timely and warrants attention and conversation, both inside and outside of the boardroom. The biases men and women carry can not only lead to misunderstandings and assumptions but have also hindered the advancement of women in the workplace, hence the basis for a discussion on how aspiring executives and business leaders can move past the barriers to achieve their objectives.

Authors Ann Kramer and Al Harris facilitate the Women In Licensing session at the LES Annual Meeting.

Sponsored by Uber, the session was facilitated by authors Ann Kramer and Al Harris. They have penned "Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work." This married duo of attorneys shared both personal stories and research on the topic of how women can adjust, and react, to help themselves and others climb the corporate ladder.

All organizations could benefit from a frank inventory and discussion of the stereotypes and biases that exist within their ranks. Kramer stated, "Even the most well-intentioned organizations are going to have bias around the stereotypes we all have about each other." All is not lost, however, as women can succeed even in a gender-biased workplace if she is aware of the kind of stereotypes people are operating under. The facilitators iterated that it's not about the elimination of bias, but how one functions with the knowledge that biases do exist and for their own perspective, striving to deal with the world as it is. 

There are statistics, according to Kramer, that say, "women are not advancing in their careers as fast or as far as their male counterparts." While the numbers are equal upon graduation from law school, once one examines the new attorneys after their entrance into practice, the disparity is quite evident with only 17 percent 18 percent of women continuing to the high ranks of equity partner or general counsel. What is the main factor to cause this drop-off in leadership attainment? Harris believes it's the stereotypes around women and leadership that are toxic to both the advancement of women in the workplace but also to the overall organization. There is a "Goldilocks Syndrome" wherein women must be "just right" in their behavior; not too "soft" or too "hard," to be successful. The truth of the matter is, most women have not been taught both ends of the spectrum, and certainly not how to balance the two. Research does show, however, that women who can effectively balance communal traits (accommodating, emotional, concerned about other people's needs) and agentic traits (ambitious, independent, willing to take a risk) tend to make more money in their careers and progress faster. Being able to "dial it up" or "dial it down" can make all the difference in the world.

Participants at the meeting do a practice exercise on the "Wonder Woman" pose.

There was also a message for the men in the room, mainly the need for them to work together with women. To not limit their talent searches to "only 50 percent of the population," and to embrace opportunities to champion, mentor and train women candidates. The barrier to this happening, fear of sexual harassment on both sides, must be addressed in the workplace. Harris' suggestion: mandatory cross-gender mentoring.

The session also allowed members of the audience to lend their voice to current scenarios affecting their daily work life. The comments and questions shared underscored the need for Women in Licensing (WIL) and its place in the Licensing Executives Society. As Committee Chair, Soody Tronson, pointed out, "WIL was revamped based on the clear need voiced by its professional women members in order to help aid in the balancing of the playing field." 

In addition to the breakfast, Women in Licensing held their first guided networking event, which clearly illustrated "the need for certain resources is not limited to women and minority members but also our male colleagues," said Tronson. 

Moving forward Soody Tronson shared WIL has a definitive direction for its role in the organization. "LES-WIL has decided to focus on certain skill-building programs. To what extent it can help bring about an impact, of course, depends on the will and engagement of its members."