“I learned the importance of sponsorship along the way,” said Lisa Davis, Director and Global Product Manager at Citi Global Transaction Services. “And I didn’t realize what a sponsor was until I didn’t have one.”

She recalled a year when she didn’t get a promotion she was expecting. “I had the whole package – on paper – but when I asked why I wasn’t promoted, my manager said, ‘well, nobody knows you.’”

Davis was speaking at The Glass Hammer’s recent event for lesbian professionals on “being out at work.” Moderated by Jill Schlesinger, Editor-at-Large of CBSMoneyWatch.com, the panelists included Jennifer Barbetta, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Alternative Investments & Manager Selection, Goldman Sachs; Lisa Davis, Director and Global Product Manager, Citi Global Transaction Services; Lee A. Merkle-Raymond, Strategic Solutions Executive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Marion Regnier, Senior Associate, PwC. They discussed issues like coming out at work, the importance of sponsors and networking, and the value of top-level support for LGBT issues.

Davis, who is co-chair of Citi’s Metro NYC Pride network, said she spent the following year making sure everyone knew who she was.

Sponsorship and Networking

“A sponsor is someone who says, ‘I’m going to vouch for this person,’” Davis explained.

Merkle-Raymond continued, “As a sponsor, you have to put yourself on the line and it comes back to your own credibility.” If the person you vouched for fails, she explained, that makes you look bad too. So, she continued, if you’re seeking a sponsor, make sure you have the skills to follow through on your responsibilities. “It means building up your own credibility so that people want to sponsor you.”

Regnier said she has met sponsors by strengthening relationships with people she has worked with internally and externally. “I’ve found sponsors in different ways – by leveraging the networking relationships that I have outside the firm, and in the firm, leveraging relationships I have with the people I’ve worked with.”

“I’ve never sought out LGBT sponsors specifically,” interjected Barbetta. “But LGBT networking can only be additive to your career development. And as you get more senior, the network of relationships you build becomes increasingly important. Having those relationships enables me to draw upon the expertise of other people in the firm – to know who to call when a new challenge or opportunity arises.”

Merkle-Raymond agreed. “BAML has a significant number of networks. And, for me, they have been critical if I end up with a problem and need to know how to solve it.”

Davis added, “Affinity networks are absolutely important and key for the business. Especially in the financial services industry.”

Coming Out

Schlesinger asked the panelists to discuss how they came out at work. Regnier began, “For me, it was a decision. At my previous firm, I was in the closet for two years, and I kind of felt like I was lying, or just avoiding the truth. When I joined PwC, they had a great event on National Coming Out Day and I was like, ‘Wow – all of these senior people are out. What am I afraid of?’”

She continued, “Counting people who knew and didn’t know and keeping a list takes a lot of energy.”

Barbetta agreed. “Work is stressful enough. To expend any energy or effort on hiding who you are – at some point for me, it just wasn’t worth it.” She said she gradually came out to colleagues. “When I first joined the firm, I never lied about who I was, but I just sort of withheld information about my personal life. It was a process that took time. I think for me it was about becoming more comfortable with myself, becoming more confident and mature.”

Davis said she never had an actual “coming out” event either. “When we had events, I just thought it would be okay if I showed up with my partner. I never had the notion that I needed to be strategic about it. If people found out, they found out.”

Merkle-Raymond said she had been out since starting her career. She was initially warned against it, but, in fact, being out actually provided her a boost. “I came to orientation with a pink triangle pin on my lapel, and my senior manager said, ‘You’re never going to get promoted if you tell people you’re out.’ And I said, ‘What about the five other guys who are out in our group?’”

She decided to come out at work anyway. And in fact, she continued, working on a task force to secure partner benefits at the bank in the ‘90s enabled her to meet senior executives she never would have had access to. “I was even asked to drive our CEO to the airport as a junior person,” she recalled, explaining how she discussed LGBT issues with him in the car.

Working in a Supportive Culture

“Support in the financial services for LGBT is astounding – we have come so far,” said Schlesinger. “A long way since having my bra snapped on the floor of the Commodities Exchange of New York [COMEX],” added the former trader with a laugh.

For an example of meaningful support, Barbetta pointed to the new HRC television ad featuring Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein declaring his support for marriage equality. “It’s fantastic that he’s doing that and putting himself out there on a personal level.”

Barbetta also mentioned the importance of straight allies for building a culture of inclusion. “The Ally Program has had a huge impact. We started inviting straight allies to join the network, and now there are gay members and straight members and you don’t know who’s LGBT or who’s an Ally, which is the entire goal of this – that it shouldn’t matter – no one cares who’s straight or who’s gay.”

She added, “From the diversity office, Lloyd himself, and various other senior members at the Firm, the support has been amazing.”

This year on The Glass Hammer, a topic we’ve discussed frequently is passion – why uncovering your true passion about your work can help advance your career and can make you happier. The value of passion really comes down to being “authentic” – when you’re doing what you truly love, it shows, and helps influence others to follow you or pull you forward.

In his new book Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level, Joel A. Garfinkle explains why passion is so important for leaders – it’s a lot easier to get other people to follow you when they believe in you, than when they don’t. He writes:

“Be passionate and excited by your objectives, and share this excitement with others. This kind of enthusiasm propels people toward your point of view and prompts them to connect emotionally with your passion.

“Besides passion, you also need to display confidence. Even if others doubt your ideas, they embrace them because they trust your confidence.

Enthusiasm and confidence are two qualities that stem from passion, but there’s a lot more to it than that. According to a recent study, the wrong kind of passion can stand in your way, while the right kind can propel you forward. How can you manage your own passion and use it to gain more ground in 2012?

Two Kinds of Passion

In a recent Harvard Business Review blog post, NYU cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman explained the findings of a recent University of Quebec study that explored two different kinds of passion: “harmonious” and “obsessive.”

He explained:

“Those with harmonious passion engage in their work because it brings them intrinsic joy. They have a sense of control of their work, and their work is in harmony with their other activities in life. At the same time, they know when to disengage, and are better at turning off the work switch when they wish to enjoy other activities or when further engagement becomes too risky. As a result, their work doesn’t conflict with the other areas of their lives.”

On the other hand, he continued, obsessive passion is detrimental to your career – people with this type of passion have an almost uncontrollable desire to work, and they report feeling emotionally dependent on working. Kauffman explains, “They report higher levels of negative affect during and after activity engagement; they can hardly ever stop thinking about their work, and they get quite frustrated when they are prevented from working.”

The big picture, he continues, is where this passion leads you. “People with harmonious passion come to work refreshed and ready to tackle new problems, whereas those with obsessive passion are at much higher risk of experiencing burnout.”

How to Better Leverage Your Passion

Where are you on the passion continuum? And what are you passionate about? Is your passion climbing to the top of your company? Is it pulling women up the ladder behind you by mentoring or sponsoring them? Is it doing your best every single day? Is it providing for your family? Is it engaging in the effort for gender equality?

Whatever you are passionate about, the University of Quebec study reveals how important it is that your passion comes with flexibility. This enables you to magnetically lead others, even through adversity, and keep coming back for more with a smile on your face.

As Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D. wrote last week in Psychology Today:

“Pursuing a passion requires that you adopt a ‘journey’ mentality, not a ‘straight line to a destination or bust’ mentality. Simply embrace what you enjoy and create opportunities to explore these parts of yourself. Some may fit you well; others may not. That’s okay. Also, it’s important to be flexible in the sense that what excites and inspires you now may not necessarily be what excites and inspires you in years to come.”

Passionate leadership means being prepared for the long haul, despite the challenges you may come across. As we each pause at the end of the year to look back on our achievements (and reflect on the things we can do better), it would serve us well to consider where our passion comes from – and ensure us that it is leading us forward to a place of joy.

The Glass Hammer team is taking a week off to celebrate the holidays and renew our own passion for building this community of women leaders. In 2012, you can expect some energetic events, fantastic new research, profiles of women breaking the glass ceiling, career advice, and more. See you in January!

The Glass Hammer is pleased to announce the publication of our first ever research paper, “Women in IT: Ambition and Advancement,” produced in conjunction with our sister site Evolved Employer. We polled readers who work on technology teams to find out how they feel about the next level. And not surprisingly, the vast majority of our respondents were actively planning to move to the next phase of their careers.

In fact, four out of five respondents (80.23%) agreed or strongly agreed that promotion is a top priority for them.

But what may surprise you is how fast they plan on moving ahead. Almost half (41.86%) said they intend to change jobs in the next year!

The study also revealed that while these women had big plans for advancement, many of seemed uncertain about the nuts and bolts on how to get there.

Nicki Gilmour, Founder and CEO of The Glass Hammer, explained, “There are many moving parts when it comes to advancement, and it would be prudent for companies who want to best manage female talent in technology to ensure that programs are visible and appropriate to truly serve the purpose of creating opportunities for under-represented groups.”

To download a copy today, click here.

Today The Glass Hammer is taking time to celebrate the things we’re thankful for. Our new office, a packed slate of fab events in the next few months (more info coming soon…), and even the slightly unseasonably warm weather here in New York (cheers for sweater weather!) are some of our reasons for giving thanks.

Another thing we’re grateful for is you, our audience – a bold group of women (and a few men) working diligently to help break the glass ceiling. If you’ve got some extra time this week, take a look at a few of our recent profiles on women we’d like to emulate.

• Kelly Mathieson, Managing Director, Global Custody and Clearance Business Executive, J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services
• Lucy MacDonald, Managing Director, London and CIO, Global Equities, RCM
• Yesenia Scheker-Izquierdo, Partner, Financial Services Practice, KPMG LLP, and Co-President and Co-Founder, Women’s Executive Circle of New York
• Marilyn Foglia, Managing Director and Head of Latin America, UBS Global Asset Management

We also decided to designate November as a month to discuss why and how women can be better negotiators. Are you ready to ask for a raise or promotion, time off, or a new budget for your team? Read through our guide and prepare yourself today.

• Negotiation November: Five Tips to Remember Next Time You Negotiate a Raise
• Negotiation November: Negotiate – For Yourself, Your Family, Your Teammates
• Negotiation November: Why Women Must Learn to Negotiate Early – You’re Worth It
• Negotiation November: Why You Need to Tell Before You Ask

Finally, we’re always looking for inspiring, effective, dynamic women to profile on The Glass Hammer – if you know someone you’d like to nominate as a Voice of Experience, a Mover and Shaker, or a Rising Star, email melissa@theglasshammer.com. And if you’ve got a great story to share about how you managed to test your own physical or emotional limits, you might be perfect for our Intrepid Woman series.

Last Thanksgiving, we encouraged you to give thanks to those mentors who have helped you get ahead in your career. This year, in addition to those individuals who have been your shoulder to lean on, your sounding board, or your sponsor, don’t forget to thank those direct reports and assistants who’ve helped support you as well.

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) welcomed over 2,000 attendees to its 2011 Awards Dinner. The event featured President Obama as the keynote speaker, paid special tribute to the women Freedom Riders, and raised over a million and a half dollars to continue the National Women’s Law Center’s mission to “advance and protect women’s equality and opportunity.”

The events of the evening spanned the past and the present. What has been accomplished, and what’s still left to do. Many remarked upon a renewed sense of optimism after hearing President Obama’s words: “That next generation of smart, powerful women? They’re already knocking on the door. They’re coming, and we need to get ready.”

President Obama’s Keynote

Throughout the evening, the NWLC highlighted President Obama’s commitment to women during his time in office. For example, it was noted that he demonstrated his support for equal pay for women by making the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act the first bill he signed into law as president. He has also nominated and appointed two women to the Supreme Court (Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan), created the White House Council on Women and Girls (“to make sure that every agency in the federal government considers the needs of women and girls in every decision they make”), and worked on legislation for a range of issues, from health care to jobs, that impact women’s lives.

President Obama began his talk by saying, “It is great to be back at the National Women’s Law Center, surrounded by so many powerful and accomplished women,” a statement that earned him much applause. He continued, “This is not a new experience for me. As some of you know, my household is filled with powerful, accomplished women.”

This is the second time President Obama has attended the NWLC awards dinner as its keynote. He first spoke at the dinner back in 2005, when he was still a senator. That evening he spoke about his hopes for his daughters, and at this year’s event he reflected back on his past remarks: “my wish for my daughters and for yours remains the same. I want them to go out into a world where there is no limit to how big they can dream, how high they can reach.”

He went on, “being here with all of you gives me hope and makes me determined, because although this journey is far from over, today our daughters live in a world that is fairer and more equal than it was six years ago – a world where more doors are open to them than ever before.”

But even though much has been accomplished, both in the past 50 years and in the time President Obama has been in the White House, he said, “there is always more work to do. There are always more challenges to meet.”

Jobs and the Economy

Challenges like the current economic crisis, the job market, and how it all has been affecting women. He explained, “In the early days of this crisis, women weren’t hit quite as hard as men. Many of the jobs that we’ve lost over the last decade have been in construction and manufacturing… But over the last couple of years, women have continued to lose jobs, especially in the public sector.” He continued, “It doesn’t help that mothers are the primary or co-breadwinners in 63 percent of households – even as women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man does.”

Those statistics clearly illustrated his next point, that “When we talk about these issues that primarily affect women, these are not just women’s issues.” These issues affect families, business, and America as a whole. “When women make less than men for the same work, that hurts the entire family who has to get by with less. It hurts businesses who have fewer customers with money to spend.”

Remembering the Freedom Riders

President Obama also honored the women Freedom Riders at the event. He credited their courage and efforts for helping to create a more equal world today. He remarked, “The Freedom Riders had faith that America could still be perfected. And as has been noted, it is only because they did that I am able to stand here as President of the United States of America.”

Six women involved in the 1961 Freedom Rides took the stage for the event: Catherine Burks-Brooks, Pauline Knight-Ofosu, Joan Mulholland, Diane Nash, and Helen Singleton. They were introduced by Jill Morrison, senior council at NWLC, who explained, “The women of the Freedom Rides didn’t just ride, they led.” She continued, it is these women “whose work the Center carries on.”

After Morrison’s introduction, Michel Martin, host of NPR’s Tell Me More, continued the evening’s discussion with the women Freedom Riders. She spoke with them about what their families thought about them getting involved. Helen Singleton’s mother asked why it had to be Helen who went. To which Singleton bluntly replied, “Mom, if you had done something, I wouldn’t have to.” A harsh statement, and one Singleton later regretted when reflecting on all that her mother had done for her family.

The women Freedom Riders took turns sharing their insights on what they accomplished and were a part of. Diane Nash emphasized the importance of non-violence, explaining that “every human life is valuable and important.”

The conversation moved on to consider the “buses of today,” the injustices and wrongs that need righting. Helen Singleton explained it simply: “each of us has something that pisses us off, and that’s your issue. That’s what you do something about.” She encouraged everyone in attendance to “get pissed off about something and do something about it.”

These remarkable women were inspirational in the fact that they were just individuals who saw that change needed to happen and that they could be a part of it. President Obama recognized this when he said, “Being here tonight reminds us that history is not always made – in fact, often is not made – by generals or presidents or politicians. Change doesn’t always happen quickly or easily. Change happens when a group of students and activists decide to ride a bus down South, knowing full well the dangers that lie ahead.”

NWLC Representatives

A number of National Women’s Law Center representatives also took the stage throughout the evening. Brooksley Born, chair of the NWLC board of directors, began the evening noting the NWLC’s 40 years of work for equality and justice. She celebrated the fact that this awards dinner was their most successful to date, raising over 1.6 million dollars. She also thanked the NWLC’s corporate partners: American Express and J.P. Morgan Chase, and the other notable companies that make up the organization’s leadership circle and are underwriters.

Stephen M. Cutler, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Louise M. Parent, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for American Express, are on the NWLC board of directors, and were the co-chairs of event. They spoke together and explained how both of their companies are committed to hiring, promoting, and seeing women succeed at their companies.

Co-presidents of the NWLC Nancy Duff Campbell and Marcia D. Greenberger introduced President Obama before his keynote. They reiterated how committed the NWLC is to getting women jobs. “America deserves a country where every woman and man who wants to work can work.”

In her book The See-saw: 100 Ideas for Work-Life Balance, Julia Hobsbawn speaks from experience. As a working mother with five young children and a young business, Hobsbawn had spent had spent a long time working extremely hard on finding her priorities and her own work-life balance. “I realized that the metaphor I came back to in my mind was one of a see-saw, constantly having ups and downs,” she recalls. “And I couldn’t find a book which expressed in the words of women like me but also some men, what this time feels like, in which we have everything but are also so overloaded we often feel empty of power or opportunity,” she adds.

The result is a practical, upbeat book that addresses a critical issue in today’s society. While some people still refer to it as “work-life balance,” others have begun using phrases like “work-life effectiveness” and “work life fit.” New York University sociologist Dalton Conley has coined a further term called the “weisure” principle, which underlines the blurring of the line between work and leisure. According to Conley, the 24-7 life of “weisure” is the next step in the evolving work-life culture.

Regardless of the terminology, however, what remains true is that work-life issues are a challenge for many people, men and women alike. As Hobsbawn notes, “what matters in the end is not the language – it is the meaning of our actions.” She herself prefers words like “efficiency” and “fitness” because they describe a positive work-life balance. But how exactly do we achieve a successful work-life balance?

The Importance of Positivity

In our modern society, it is all too common to regard work-life balance as a problem. However, instead of seeing it as an impediment to success and happiness, Hobsbawn tells us that the “first thing is to regard it as a positive set of options which need very careful planning and managing is key. Having an abundance of opportunities is to be celebrated,” she stresses.

Saying No

With work taking over what would normally have been leisure time, it is common for both men and women to feel overwhelmed. According to Hobsbawm, “one of the ways of managing is to identify clearly when to stop, when to say no, when to put oneself as an individual at the heart of our decision making even if that feels selfish.”

But learning how to say no may take time. Many people are afraid of that two-letter word, explains William Ury, author of The Power of a Positive No. “We’re afraid of not being liked, not being accepted,” he says. “We’re afraid of hurting a relationship or losing a deal.” Business owners and independent consultants may find it especially difficult to turn down new projects or clients. Start by identifying why you always say yes, advises Hannah Clark in her recent Forbes article “Getting To No.” Once you have overcome your initial automatic response to say “yes,” the key to saying “no” is to be polite but direct, according to Clark.

Focusing on Yourself

In conjunction with saying no, another key is to focus on yourself. “Finding time and the courage to focus on yourself amidst the maelstrom of everything else is a strength, not a weakness,” explains Hobsbawn. Her words call to mind a recent article in the New York Times titled “Who’s Your Boss, You or Your Gadget?” With this question, author Mickey Meece addresses the core of today’s technologically dominated society. By turning off your BlackBerry, you can focus on yourself. Laurie Lopez, a manager at Winter, Wyman HR Contract Solutions in Boston, even advises fellow employees on how to make a successful pitch for a non-traditional workweek: (1) determine how your proposed schedule will improve your life at home and at work, (2) research your company to determine what’s been done for others and what might be possible for you, (3) develop a detailed plan and put it in writing.

The Role of the Employer

Last but not least, your employer can help, too. Both companies and unions can further the debate and practice of work-life balance. Deloitte, for example, just started a corporate blog 18 months ago to help publicize the ways some executives successfully integrate their personal and professional lives.

Ultimately, both your employer and you will profit. “If you are focused and fresh you will do a better job,” says Hobsbawn. “You will live better.”

Yesterday, the Foundation for Social Change and the UN Office for Partnerships kicked off the second annual Global Conference for Social Change with a Women and Girls Education Summit. The Summit featured several programs across the world for educating and empowering females.

Louise Guide, Founder and CEO of the Foundation for Social Change, explained, “The idea is about driving social progress through education for women and girls.”

Guido explained that by educating disadvantaged girls and women, organizations can empower entire communities – that when you educate women, you create a multiplier effect, whereby knowledge and skills are reinvested in families and neighborhoods.

The Foundation recently launched its own initiative, eLife, an education program for girls in Columbia. It is also partnering with Nokia to launch three new mobile applications for women in developing regions: Smart Women (for business owners), Parenting Skills, and Job Training.

Amir Dossal, Founder and Chairman of the UN Global Partnerships Forum said, “Innovation only comes when you work together. You can have great ideas but you can’t implement them unless you partner with someone.”

The conference highlighted the partnerships between nonprofit organizations and corporations to empower communities by investing in girls and women.

Investing in Girls and Women

Patricia Velasquez, Founder of the Wayuu Taya Foundation, a group that provides schools for indigenous Wayuu children in Venezuela and Colombia, explained that the group’s goal is to empower women and sustain the group’s indigenous culture.

In order to sustain its community, the organization sells hand-woven bags by the women in the culture through high-end retailers in the US. In order to get paid for the bags (which take 20 eight-hour days to complete) the women must enroll in courses in the school as well.

Velasquez explained, “The idea is that if you can empower the self esteem of a woman ever since she can walk, it is what will drive a community.”

She explained that ensuring the program is sustainable is key to its success. “Charity – giving money – doesn’t work anymore. It has to be – and it can be… sustainability. It is the true form of charity. It is what empowers people and makes them proud of who they are.”

If people are proud of themselves and of their achievements, they will invest their skills and energy in sustaining their community. She added, “It all boils down to happiness. It’s the most basic thing.”

Empowering Women Externally and Internally?

Next Nicolette van Exel, Director of Global Social Innovation Partnerships at SAP discussed why the company has partnered with the Foundation for Social Change on the eLife program. She said that the company partnered with the Foundation because it wanted to find a way to invest in girls, rather than just giving money to a cause, but as a strategic program.

First of all, she said, it was a good pilot location. Colombia, where the project has been rolled out initially is not currently a hot market for SAP, she said – and actually, that’s one thing that drew the company to the project. The company wanted to see how a program like this would work before rolling it out in areas that SAP is eying for growth, like Brazil.

Second of all, she continued, just because Colombia is not currently a hot market for SAP, it could be. “I do think it makes business sense. We are providing entrepreneurial education. We are investing in future talent, future leaders of companies in areas where we will operate.”

As a business to business technology provider, this is exactly the kind of outreach that will help the company in the long run, she added. “As a B2B technology company, our biggest impact is providing technology to people in a very scalable way.”

Next, van Exel talked about how the program is helping drive change within the organization itself – by instilling the value of empowering women within the organization’s culture.

Discussion moderator Diane Brady from Bloomberg Businessweek pointed out that despite these intentions, only 16% of SAP’s senior management is female.

“It’s an ongoing process,” responded van Exel. “But by investing in these initiatives, it’s fueling a conversation.”

Last week, the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) and Flex-Time Lawyers honored the fifty best law firms for female lawyers. And while the competition was fierce, according to Deborah Epstein Henry, Founder and President, Flex-Time Lawyers and author of Law & Reorder, the legal profession still has a lot more work to do.

She said, “Our data has shown that the partnership structure has an impact on women’s success in terms of how senior they get in law firms. In firms with a one-tier structure – with just an equity partnership track – women were promoted at higher rates. The trend is moving away from the one-tier structure, and this is negatively impacting women.”

But it’s not all bad news, Henry continued. Firms are recognizing the value of flex and technology. “There is an increased recognition of the ability to work differently and use technology without negatively impacting the bottom line.”

Yet, she continued, while the policies are in place, the firm-wide culture may not fully support flex. “When you look at the usage rates, the proof is in the pudding about whether the policy is viable. A tremendous stigma still surrounds working flexibly or on a reduced hours schedule. The policies have to be gender neutral and reason-neutral, and not just about child-care.”

With a mixed environment for women in the legal profession, women need to be sure they are performing their best to get to the top, she said, and one way to do that is to bring in new clients. Henry continued, “Rainmaking is so important. It is your measure of how you will be compensated and how powerful you will be.”

Why Rainmaking is So Important

Henry said, “Without the ability to generate clients and build your book of business you will not be compensated as much, and you will not have the same influence. It provides you with the flexibility to walk away if you need to.”

She continued, “Part of the reason for that is the law firm structure and the way business is awarded and work is credited.” Because origination is not always clear, she said, “Women need to take the initiative. Women need to be effectively trained on how to self advocate and how to self-promote.”

According to Henry, women should get more comfortable in traditionally male venues where deals are made, but equally important, women should work on creating their own niches. While the demands of family responsibilities may make networking and marketing more challenging for women, she said, it should not deter women from seizing opportunities as they arise. “Be effective at maximizing your time and multitasking,” she said. “That means overcoming awkwardness in translating your personal network into professional opportunities and figuring out ways to gain access to power brokers.”

One way to do that, she explained, is “becoming a point person and using that to leverage access to networks of power.”

She recalled how, as a junior lawyer and coach of her son’s soccer team, she was approached by one of the team dads for a recommendation on a good lawyer. “I could have been upset that he didn’t see me for that role, but instead I recommended a colleague,” she said. “At the firm where I worked, as an associate, if you brought in a client, you got a percentage of the revenues. The soccer dad ended up hiring the firm, and I got credit for that origination.”

“Even though I did not have the seniority to bring in the client on my own, I was able to be the point person to direct that action and reap the benefit for it while helping the client obtain the services he needed.”

Five Rainmaking Tips from Top Clients

Last week, NAFE and Flex-Time Lawyers hosted a roundtable discussion on the topic, asking five high-profile general counsels, “How should lawyers build their book of business?” Here are their top five pieces of advice.

1. Know Your Firm’s Diversity Metrics. As companies around the world are growing more diverse, operating in new geographies, and identifying new sources for clients, diversity is becoming an even more important aspect of the process of awarding business. Randal S. Milch, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, said that his company has a stringent diversity policy internally, and while relationships account for a big part of why firms win his business, he is beginning to look more seriously at the diversity rankings of the firms on his list.

He has expressed this to his outside counsel, and he is beginning to “move work toward firms doing better than other firms.”

Terri Minatra, Acting Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at National Public Radio, agreed. She said, “It’s a value of our company, part of our culture, and I want you as outside counsel to understand it’s important to me.”

2. Be Confident. Robin Smith, General Counsel and Secretary at LEGO Systems, Inc., said that confidence is key – women shouldn’t be afraid to make the ask. She said, “What I have noticed and heard is that some of the younger women are not confident enough to throw the pitch in at the end or they haven’t had the training.”

She explained how, when she was first starting out, she could “talk a good game,” and was taken to big meetings and encouraged to speak up. She had the social skills to rise to the top, she said. But women who are a bit more reserved should seek out training.

3. Be Strategic in Your References. Jeffrey Gewirtz, Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, NETS Basketball and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, said, that making sure your references are in order is key to winning business. Do some research, and choose references that that make sense. “To me, the follow-up is the most important part. If I get a golden recommendation from someone I know, that’s important.”

4. Build on Your Natural Relationship Skills. Peter Fontaine, General Counsel, RSM McGladrey, Inc., said that in his experience, women tend to be more relationship oriented and client focused – which usually means they get things done. He joked, “While men are snoozing, women should be schmoozing and cruising.” Minatra agreed. “We’re very good at relationships,” she said. “I think women can build on that. Build relationships with people you want to be your client.” And she added, don’t let two or three years go by without speaking – make sure to maintain relationships you hope to leverage.

5. Make Sure to Pitch the Right Person. Finally, Milch pointed out, even though he’s the leader of his team, he’s rarely the one who evaluates pitches. “The best people who pitch Verizon really never talk to me,” he explained. He might give the O.K. in the end, but trusts his deputies to listen to the pitch and make the right decision. If you are pitching a company, do some research and make sure you’re talking to the right person.

Last week the World Bank released its latest research on women in developing countries. The report “The World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development,” revealed that while gender equality is making progress across the globe, there are still many gaps.

And while gender equality in itself is a core objective of the organization, it is also important because of the economic growth and stability that gender equality facilitates. In his forward to the report, World Bank President Robert Zoellick explains, “But greater gender equality is also smart economics, enhancing productivity and improving other development outcomes, including prospects for the next generation and for the quality of societal policies and institutions.”

The study raises important questions about the world’s women – like “why are there 3.9 million excess female deaths each year?” and it points out that women earn less than men everywhere. But it is important to remember that all women in developing areas are not victims.

Research by the Center for Work-Life Policy on women in emerging markets points out that while many women in developing countries must contend with tremendous challenges, there are also many women in these regions who are powerful and ambitious – even more ambitious, the organization says, than their western counterparts.

CWLP Founder and President Sylvia Ann Hewlett remarked last week at an event at the New York Stock Exchange, “The dominant narrative for many years has been a narrative of victimhood. But it is not the only narrative. There is also a tremendous narrative of empowerment and success.”

These women are not victims of poverty or exploitation – and in fact, they may be one part of the solution to the abuses that many women in these areas face. When women are viewed as key economic drivers, explain both the World Bank and the CWLP, they get more rights and have a better standard of living. The countries in which they live and work get an economic boost as well.  After all, more high performing talent means more productivity.

Attracting and Retaining High Performing Women

According to the CWLP’s research – as set out in “Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women are the Solution,” the new book by Hewlett and Ripa Rashid, Executive Vice President at the CWLP – talented women are key to unlocking the economic potential of emerging markets.

These college-educated women are increasingly ambitious and career-minded. Hewlett said, “Women in emerging markets are not behind the curve. In some ways they are out in front.”

She continued, “Huge numbers of women in these markets are immensely educated. Not just a tiny elite.” For example, she said, 65% of the top business schools in Beijing are female. Yet, these markets are facing a talent shortage when it comes to high performers.

And when it comes to highly educated women in particular, companies need to try harder to make it work for this valuable segment of the workforce.

Closing the Gap

The World Bank report highlights many ways in which women travel up the pathway to empowerment. And the organization is careful to point out that there is no magic bullet when it comes to gender parity – many factors come into play. But, economic opportunities rank high on the list.

For example, on a list of eleven factors in “moving up the ladder,” the top three are “occupational and economic change,” “financial management,” and “education and training.” Jobs, money, and education are the top rungs of the ladder to gender parity.

But many other factors have to line up as well. The study explains, “Indeed, where gender gaps have closed quickly, it is because of how markets and institutions – formal and informal – have functioned and evolved, how growth has played out, and how all these factors have interacted through household decisions.”

Similarly, as the CWLP research has shown, the companies that have been the most successful in attracting and retaining professional women have evolved to meet the professional and personal needs of women in these areas (rather than employing a one-size-fits-all approach) to gender diversity.

Rashid said, is that, “Employers that will win in these markets are not the ones who will employ a one-size-fits-all solution.”

For example, some of these programs have involved inviting extended family to tour facilities, providing safe travel to work, and implementing flexible work schedules that enable women to work from home if necessary – particularly when their jobs involve communication with markets across the world that run on opposite hours.

The challenges that high performing women in emerging markets face are markedly different than the ones faced by professional women in developed countries. But by catering to the needs of this highly educated and ambitious segment of the population, companies can help attract and retain a valuable source of talent. And when women in these areas are seen as leaders and role models by the entire population, they can help pull up women everywhere.

A recent report out of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission has revealed that at the current rate of advancement, it will take 70 years before gender parity is reached in the boardrooms of the FTSE 100 – and that’s just parity by numbers. It doesn’t even measure the rate of advancement when it comes to pay, power, or responsibilities.

The report, Sex and Power 2011, analyzed the UK’s top 26,000 positions across business, government, media, the arts, and the public sector. According to the Commission, there are about 5,400 ‘missing’ women from influential positions in Britain.

This amounts to “the squandering of talent,” says the report. It continues, “We are losing out on what women can contribute, with the Women and Work Commission estimating that unlocking women’s talent in the workplace could be worth £15 billion or more.”

This glass ceiling is an expensive one – and the report provides a few key reasons it’s still in place. Here’s why.

Work/Life Challenges

According to Sex and Power 2011, while every sector in the UK has a long way to go before gender parity is reached in the top ranks, some sectors are doing better than others, namely the public and voluntary sectors. In fact, in the voluntary field, the proportion of chief executives is almost balanced.

The reason that so many more women inhabit decision making roles in these fields, according to the Commission, is that these sectors provide a significantly better opportunity for work/life fit. The study explains:

“Women in the public sector are more likely than those in the private sector to consider having or enlarging a family because of the relative job security, more flexible working hours and more generous family-friendly policies that tend to be available there, making it increasingly attractive to women who want a balance between their work and home lives.”

Additionally, the report points out, women’s participation on boards of directors in the UK lags behind much of Western Europe, as well as the US. It says one main reason for this is corporate cultures in the UK which prize long hours, and because domestic responsibilities tend to be unequally divided between genders, “women’s potential to find the time and energy these top posts demand” is limited.

As a result, the culture is particularly tough on working mothers, and, in fact, many women at the top either don’t have children or they are the primary breadwinners for their family.

The study says, “Research with some of the female managing directors of London’s top investment banks has found that nearly half were childless, and of those who did have children, a quarter had a partner who assumed the role of primary carer.”

The report also points out that the British government “pours a fortune into educating girls.”

These girls turn into ambitious young women, it continues.

“In their twenties they level peg with men and we would expect them to enter the management ranks at the same rate as men. However, several years down the track a different picture emerges – one where many have disappeared from the paid workforce or remain trapped in the ‘marzipan layer’ below senior management, leaving the higher ranks to be dominated by men.”

But then: tragedy. Disillusionment sets in – and that, according to the Commission, is what’s really keeping women from the top.

Ignoring Key Problems?

But that disillusionment has to come from somewhere, and likely work/life issues aren’t the only things keeping women down.

The report identifies inflexible workplace cultures and an unequal division of labor as primary reasons for a lack of women in leadership. But it does little to call out other issues that keep women out of the top segment of leadership – like societal biases toward male leaders. Recognizing you have a problem is the first step toward fixing it, and a cultural preference for men in leadership roles is one that shouldn’t go ignored.

The report does a service to the UK in providing hard numbers to point out the slow progress of women in leadership, and its cost – but it skirts the issues when it comes to bias and discrimination.

It does suggest that one key way to get more women into decision making roles is to highlight female role models who are already there. It says:

“As a nation, we cannot afford to waste the talent available to run our national institutions. As well as the moral argument for gender equality in positions of power and influence, women’s equal participation in public, political and cultural institutions can play a pivotal role in the advancement of women.”

Presenting women as role models for the next generation of leaders is indeed a key way to get more women to the top and women certainly have a role to play in getting there. But without recognizing that men have to do their part, and that society must change as well, the UK’s pricey glass ceiling isn’t going anywhere.