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In 2010, women comprised 8.8% of board and leadership positions in the top 100 publicly traded companies in Florida. Laura Marks, executive director of Women Executive Leadership, hopes to double that number during the next decade through events showcasing strategies used by women in that statistic.
WEL, a Fort Lauderdale-based non-profit organization, pumped up Tampa Bay business leaders lacking Y chromosomes this week with its presentation titled “Perspectives from the C-suite: Lessons from Extraordinary Leaders.”
The panel discussion took a turn toward advice for corporate leaders regardless of gender. Mindy Grossman, chief executive officer of HSN Inc., explains that with the transparency of today's corporations, a mixed gender boardroom attracts consumers and investors. “We don't want diversity for diversity's sake,” Grossman says. “People know what women bring to the table.”
On how women can put themselves in favorable position in the diversity demand, Grossman opines that women need to take more risks in the corporate world. Even in an economy where job security is not certain, she says women are often passed over for positions on leadership teams and board positions because they are afraid of the consequences of pitching a big idea. “What's the worst that can happen?” she says.
In attendance was Alex Sink, the former chief financial officer of Florida who was unsuccessful in the 2010 gubernatorial race, which displayed the less favorable outcome of risk-taking. Says Sink: “I tried for the big job and didn't quite make it.”
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