Putting things off until the last minute isn’t uncommon in the workplace. It’s especially easy to fall into when you’re working from home, where rearranging kitchen drawers and bookshelves becomes an everyday possibility. But while some think that procrastinators can be unreliable and lazy, there are those who believe that giving things more time can be a strength when it comes to decision-making and work. So, can procrastination be positive? How does it work?
Procrastination has many negative sides and some positive ones- Photo Credit- Annie Spratt- Unsplash
Yes, procrastination can take a positive turn but it’s important to identify what it is that is making us put that one task off in the name of gardening. It can be caused by boredom, insecurity, anxiety, and even depression, making it impossible for some people to control it until those feelings have been identified and dealt with. If you know how to use it to your advantage, to stay productive and prioritize instead of just putting things off indefinitely, you might just be able to master the art of positive procrastination.
Defined by experts as a “self-defeating behavior pattern marked by short-term benefits and long-term costs,” studies show that 25% of adults believe procrastination is a defining characteristic of their personality. They also show that “chronic procrastination” can have a severe impact on mental health, increasing feelings of guilt and stress over productivity, and affecting our mental and physical well-being.
According to Dr. Tim Pychyl, professor of psychology and member of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University in Ottawa, procrastination is an issue of emotion regulation, not one of time management. Together with Dr. Fuschia Sirois, Dr. Pychyl found that procrastination has to do with our inability to manage negative moods and the immediate relief brought by doing something else – even if that choice works against us.
As a problem that has to do with how we feel, the best way to deal with it is to figure out what is triggering those emotions. Reasons to procrastinate can include boredom or feeling like we’re not being challenged, frustration with the tasks at hand, fears and anxieties about our performance, doubting our abilities, perfectionism and the many, many distractions that surround us, including social media, streaming services or reorganizing the fridge. Accurately identifying these emotions will help manage them.
Discover what triggers your procrastination-Photo Credit- Priscilla du Preez-Unsplash
Positive Procrastination?
Some people have argued in defense of procrastination and talked about “positive procrastination.” This, however, still involves putting things off. Dr. Fuschia Sirois argues that unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying an important task despite knowing that the consequences are harmful is embedded in the definition of procrastination. The stress and anxiety resulting of procrastination is usually worse than whatever feelings initially made us avoid doing something. Sirois, a professor of psychology at Durham, UK, says that by managing the emotions we can’t control externally, we get temporary relief. “But we’ve done it temporarily and we’ve done it externally, so it is going to come back to haunt us.”
Nevertheless, there can be some positive sides to sitting with things a little longer. According to Adam Grant, a professor of management and psychology at the Wharton School, when it comes to the creative process procrastination can be a good thing. Delaying the start or finish of a task can open us up to more original ideas because it gives you time to think in “non-linear” ways.
His advice for procrastinators? Write thoughts and ideas down as soon as a project arrives. Even if we don’t start working on it right away, it’ll be on our minds.
Explore tools to help you overcome prograstination- Photo Credit- Kelly Sikkema-Unsplash
A Few Tips for Procrastinators
1Kindness and self-compassion: Self-compassion can help us look at the tasks we haven’t been able to complete and help motivate us to find new approaches instead of questioning our self-worth and abilities – which will only lead to more procrastination. Meeting challenges with kindness and acceptance can help with the psychological distress and give us the boost we need to manage our emotions better.
2No overthinking zone: The more we sit with an idea and all the ways in which it could maybe go wrong, the more likely we are to abandon it to go rearrange condiments. Whatever it is, the trick is in just getting started. Set realistic goals and get to work. Meeting those goals will make some of the fears subside. Sometimes it’s just about getting started.
3Prioritizing matters: Learning to choose between the tasks that can wait and those that absolutely need to meet specific deadlines is essential. It’s best to leave those important big tasks for the most productive times of day.
4Realistic work periods: Trying to make up for lost productivity setting unreal work schedules isn’t a great idea. Being consistent about the hours we dedicate to the priority projects is important and creating a pattern can make it easier to manage our time.
5Set the stage: Temptation is a tricky thing for procrastinators to resist so it’s not a bad idea to make those distractions extra unreachable. Finding the right place to work could change everything, especially if that place forces us to focus on the task at hand and makes it difficult to access distractions. Does music help? Do we need silence? Do we need to remove all electronics from our room to get things done? Explore your own triggers that lead you to procrastinate a task so you can figure out what setting will work best for you.
Women Who Build (Mujeres Que Construyen) is an initiative led by Vamos A Zoomar (VAZ), an Argentinean foundation working to create space for women in construction. Their mission and their success are an inspiration for all of us. Find out all about a project that may encourage you to get involved with the construction industry or many others traditionally reserved just for men.
Women who Build is a program by Fundacion Zoomar
The construction industry grants only a limited access to women and other marginalized groups based on cultural biases despite it being one of Argentina’s main economic activities. One that saw considerable growth in the past year.
Through Mujeres que Construyen (Women Who Build), VAZ (aligned with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) provides the necessary tools for women in the country. Giving them an opportunity to prosper economically while becoming part of a community that supports them and helps them to grow. The program is sponsored by Fundación TECHO and Argentine construction giant, Familia Bercomat. With additional support from UN WOMEN and the Netherlands Embassy.
Graduates from Women Who Build program in Argentina
What is Mujeres que Construyen (Women Who Build)?
Aline Verastegui – What is the program Zoomadoras: Mujeres que Construyen (Women Who Build)? Where is the initiative available?
1Vamos a Zoomar – Mujeres que Construyen (Women Who Build) is a Vamos A Zoomar initiative dedicated to reducing the gender gap in the construction industry in Argentina. The program, promoted by TECHO and the Bercomat Family, with the support of UN WOMEN and the Netherlands Embassy, carries out a systemic approach focusing on three lines of work:
2Training: Through free face-to-face and virtual workshop focusing on different trades, which also include a discussion on gender perspective and aims at preparing women for employability. On-site training includes building improvement practices in community spaces. In these two years of work, more than 300 women and other marginalized groups were trained in 12 workshops in the provinces of Misiones, Formosa, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Chaco, and the Province of Buenos Aires.
3Awareness: Through actions that make the existing gender gap in the sector visible. Evidencing the need to break down the physical and symbolic barriers that prevent the inclusion of women and marginalized groups in the field. For example, we made the documentary Mujeres Que Construyen, which tells the story of two women, from Chaco and Misiones, who carved their place in the construction industry.
In 2022, the short received a special mention at the Lapacho de Chaco Festival. It was also selected to be screened during the Rural Film Festival (Corrientes) and received an honorable mention on the CINE.AR platform (where it will be able soon).
4Employability: To facilitate access to formal work and self-employment, we build networks with the different players in construction and provide tools for job placement. Helping women through mujeresqueconstruyen.org (which has been up and running since the start of 2023) by connecting them to their first professional work. The platform is promoted as a tool that lets them perfect what they learned during the workshops while also helping them network.
The protagonists of the documentary were trained in Buenos Aires in alliance with Barbieri to become steel frame instructors in their provinces. An agreement was signed with the construction company CL de Chaco and Lighthouse in the City of Buenos Aires for professional practices.
A group of Women Who Build
Free Training for All
AV –What are the free training sessions of Mujeres que Construyen (Women Who Build) about? Do they get any certifications?
VAZ – The free training consists of a first meeting where the importance of the gender perspective in the field is worked on. Then, one on cost estimation and budget imparted by Familia Bercomat employees, followed by a series of theoretical modules on the specialty of their choosing (masonry, dry construction, ceramic placement, painting). Finally, the practical part of all the workshops consists of the repair or improvement of a community space.
Nine community spaces have been improved by them so far, including the restoration of a locker room to promote women’s soccer, the construction of a commercial space for local and native entrepreneurs, as well as building three medical offices for primary care, among others.
AV – How did your association with TECHO Argentina and Familia Bercomat come about?
VAZ – The most powerful way to incubate and create solid social investment projects is through the union, strength, and involvement of all sectors. In this case, that of two organizations that could complement each other to transform reality. One private company and another from the third sector that already had knowledge in the industry. Thus, with the same commitment and objective incubated and promoted by these two organizations, VAZ was born.
A Roof by Women Who Build
AV – Can you tell us a little about the recent housing project that Zoomadoras trained by Mujeres que Construyen (Women Who Build) joined?
VAZ – Before closing the year, we added a group of nine women who participated in the painting training that we gave in Posadas, Misiones, to collaborate with TECHO in the construction of emergency housing in a town in that province. It was the first time that TECHO had a crew made up entirely of women. There, a group of 8 women was summoned to participate in the construction of an emergency house that took place the last weekend of November. After hard days of work, the house was ready and delivered to the beneficiary family. The action generated a strong impact in the community, which reacted very positively to the fact that it had been led by women.
The result revealed not only that the women were up to the job, but also that they were able to exceed all expectations and standards. The delivery of the house was also a moment full of emotion and recognition, which highlights the importance of empowering women so that they are involved positively in their communities. The reaction obtained strengthened these women’s desire to become a work crew and to join the industry.
Want to see some of their work? Follow them on Instagram.
Understanding the meaning of global citizenship and how to be a global citizen is becoming increasingly important. Not just in the world of business, where some companies have become more aware of their social responsibilities, but in the way new generations are taught to understand the world, how they interact with it, and how they impact it. Economic, cultural, technological, and environmental global trends mean that we must understand how interconnected we are and find ways to engage in effective global citizenship and problem solving.
But what is global citizenship? How to be a global citizen? And why is it important?
Global competence requires a real and ongoing awareness of the world we live in. A willingness to step out of our own experiences to learn about and respectfully connect with different cultures. To educate ourselves on global issues, making it a long-term commitment, and seeking out educators and environmentalists from other countries, cultures, and backgrounds on social media and other platforms.
Global Citizenship means we work together for a common future- Photo Credit- Nathan Dumlao-Unsplash
What is global citizenship and what does it mean to be a global citizen?
According to the United Nations, global citizenship is an “umbrella term for social, political, environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals and communities on a worldwide scale. The term can refer to the belief that individuals are members of multiple, diverse, local, and non-local networks rather than single actors affecting isolated societies.”
Oxfam defines Global Citizens as people who are: aware of world issues and have a sense of their own role in this world; respect and value diversity; understand how the world works; are passionately committed to social justice; participate in the community locally and globally; work with others to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place; and take responsibility for their actions.
Definitions may differ, but the general idea seems to be that people have a civic responsibility to be aware of challenges being faced globally and to build a more sustainable and equitable planet. Choosing “not to engage” or unplugging completely from issues that don’t directly affect us might seem like the easiest road, but that doesn’t make it the right one. An awareness of the very real impact of climate change can, for example, help people understand that entire communities are being already affected by something far more urgent than people who still see it as a future problem can imagine.
Global citizenship and global competence are so important moving forward that they have become a vital part of how young people are prepared to deal with the growing and changing demands of a globally connected and disconnected world. Through programs like UNESCO’S Global Citizen Education (GCED)and initiatives like Global Citizen Year and Global Citizenship Foundation – which focuses on achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 (Education for global citizenship and sustainable development).
Global Citizenship means being involved in issues that not only affect you locally- Photo Credit- Jon Tyson-Unsplash
What Does Global Competence Mean?
Global citizenship and being a global citizen require a certain global competence. Veronica Boix Mansilla and Anthony Jackson on Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage the World define it as: “the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.” They add that globally competent individuals are “aware, curious, and interested in learning about the world and how it works.”
But it’s not just about knowing, global competence will require people to act. A globally competent citizen is a critical thinker with a real awareness of the influences of culture on individual behavior and world events. They take knowledge and engage in these challenges with empathy, critical thinking, and a nuanced understanding of the diverse and culturally relevant views regarding each individual global challenge faced.
On the matter of education, the Center of Global Education (CGE) at Asia Society says that “success in career and life will depend on global competence, because career and life will play out on the global stage.” With a call for government, business, and cultural institutions to cooperate in solving the world’s problems by acting and making a difference in matters such as environmental issues, economic shifts, global poverty, hunger, population growth, violation of human rights, and political conflict.
The Global Citizen Initiative states that living in a hyper-connected and interdependent world means that global citizens have an added layer of responsibility. These responsibilities include:
Understanding the peoples and countries of the world are inter-connected and interdependent.
Understanding global issues like the distribution of wealth and human rights violations in ours and other countries.
Understanding the different perspectives on global issues, both when it comes to other peoples’ and our own.
The responsibility to advocate for having our countries sign outstanding global agreements.
The responsibility to promote and advocate for greater international cooperation between our countries.
The responsibility to adopt lifestyles reflecting a commitment to build a sustainable planet and respect the world’s cultural diversity.
Global citizens must keep an open mind, making a real effort to understand where others are coming from and reading up to make sure that their own opinions on the matter have considered important and specific cultural standpoints and approach them with compassion and respect. They are respectful of cultural diversity and human rights and feel responsible for their impact in a world where they work to make a change.
In fact, global citizenship and being a global citizen is an ongoing process and requires some commitment as the world and its immediate needs continue to shift. Try to make greener choices, stay informed, volunteer your time locally, learn a new language, meet, and talk to people with different experiences. Keep learning about global issues like food waste and global hunger, and find out what you can do to support, create awareness, and educate.
As someone who has traveled the world, Dr. Iris Zemzoum has learned how culture impacts business in a massively diverse world. As President of Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMA) for Novartis, Iris is responsible for leading the Innovative Medicines business in the region to support the organization’s innovation, growth, and productivity ambitions as a focused medicines company.
Iris Zemzoum, President, APMA, Novartis, is honored with the 2022 Red Shoe Movement Hall of Fame
Passionate about accelerating and broadening access to innovative medicines and placing the patients at the center of her vision, Dr. Zemzoum is a strong commercial leader with an outstanding track record of building and mobilizing high performing teams and fostering a purpose-driven culture.
Iris first joined the industry in 2003 with Bristol-Myers Squibb where she held a variety of leadership positions within Commercial and Medical Affairs in Germany, Belgium, France, and Switzerland. Before that, she was a physician consultant at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University Hospital TUM Munich, where she also acted as co-investigator in breast and ovarian cancer therapy trials. She joined Novartis in October of 2020 and lives in Singapore with her family.
For using her voice to share her experiences, championing equity and diversity while addressing how culture impacts business in a diverse world, the Red Shoe Movement honors Dr. Iris Zemzoum with the 2022 Hall of Fame.
RED SHOE MOVEMENT – You have an M.D. and a PhD in Medicine as well as an MBA; tell us about these degrees and how they’ve shaped the way you see the world?
IRIS ZEMZOUM – I decided at a very young age that I wanted to be a doctor – I asked for a doctor’s bag when I was 9 years old and never looked back! I studied for a M.D (Doctor of Medicine) because I was passionate about science and built on that with a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Medicine.
After more than a decade as a physician, I joined the pharmaceutical industry, where I decided to pursue an MBA to expand and strengthen my knowledge of business topics that had not been part of my medical career. Not only did the MBA serve as a foundation for my role as a leader in a global organization, but the people I met at INSEAD came from diverse backgrounds with different nationalities, careers, and industries. The network I built there has shaped my understanding of global citizenship.
RSM – What was your specialty as an M.D.? What made you go into in the pharmaceutical industry?
IZ – As a doctor, I worked in gynecological oncology and often saw patients at very tough times in their lives. My focus was always the patient in front of me: their diagnosis, treatment, and wellbeing.
It was my ambition to serve patients on a larger scale that attracted me to join the pharmaceutical industry, but I am still the same doctor at heart. My objective remains the same: to deliver the best possible treatment to patients. However, the challenges look very different, with a broader view across many countries and stakeholders. I currently lead Novartis’ Innovative Medicines business in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (APMA) which covers 31 countries and is home to half of the world’s population.
I feel very privileged to lead teams that strive to bring much needed and highly innovative treatments to patients who suffer from a wide range of diseases and conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer. In addition, we deliver long-term, large-scale impact through strategic partnerships, patient programs, and policy-shaping efforts.
RSM – You have lived all over the world, what are some of the key skills you have developed through your experiences in different countries?
IZ – The world we live in is very diverse, particularly in the region I lead. There is a myriad of cultures, religions, languages, and healthcare systems. It has been a huge learning experience and the richness I have gained from it is invaluable.
Having lived in Europe and now APMA, some of the key skills that I have developed are flexibility, adaptability, and open-mindedness. I appreciate how culture impacts the way business operates in different countries. I am thrilled that my kids are experiencing this too – moving to Singapore was their first big adventure and they are embracing diversity early in life.
RSM – How does your global experience influence views that are specific to your region? Could you share your vision with us?
IZ – Business and ways of working can differ greatly between regions as well as within them. These differences can be challenging to navigate, but they can also be exciting and present opportunities.
While the APMA region is home to half of the world’s population, it has one of the lowest levels of healthcare access. My vision is clear: I want to turn yesterday’s impossible into tomorrow’s reality for patients in the region by partnering to transform the standard of healthcare and access to innovative medicines.
There are lessons to bring to APMA but let’s not forget that the rest of the world also has much to learn from this region, such as the way that data is used intelligently and applied to business in the UAE, Korea, and Singapore. I also hope that these advances in digital innovation will allow us to broaden access to medicines at a wider scale and faster pace in the region.
Iris Zemzoum with colleagues from the APMA region as well as the global Innovative Medicines International Leadership team.
Leading By Example
RSM – What are some of the toughest challenges women in your region face?
IZ – Women across the world often face similar challenges in the workplace. Where challenges differ, they are likely to be deeply rooted in local culture and society. In countries where traditional gender roles are dominant, women are expected to take on the role of a homemaker, and it’s harder to ensure the right levels of female leadership.
Companies should recognize these contextual challenges and play a proactive role in supporting their female employees to navigate these circumstances through policies that are flexible and innovative in how women can contribute to the workplace. In these situations, it is also beneficial to open the minds of our male colleagues and leverage them as allies to engender societal change.
RSM – You have been a champion for other women in the workplace for a very long time, what are some of the ways in which you choose to lead by example?
IZ – By sharing my own personal experiences, whether good or bad, I aim to create genuine connections and a safe space where others can feel comfortable to be vulnerable themselves. In reality, many of us have shared experiences at work. However, I see women hesitate to push back or request flexibility when work commitments clash with existing family commitments for fear of being judged as a poor employee or team-mate.
I am not afraid of telling co-workers how I organize my work schedule to allow me to be present for my kids’ dinnertime or to take them to their first day of school. My hope is that if other women hear this, they will feel emboldened to raise their voices, louder and stronger. As a female leader of a global organization, I feel a sense of responsibility and pride in leading by example and enabling my colleagues to reach their full potential through a rewarding life at home and the workplace.
Iris Zemzoum speaking at a recent Town Hall. Always interested in how culture impacts business.
Know What you Want and Be Bold
RSM – If you could suggest one action that organizations can take to accelerate the representation of women at the top, what would it be?
IZ – Many biases exist around the hiring, promotion, and retention of women in the workplace. These range from the perceived availability and time commitment of women to their levels of engagement with work. Some of these are unconscious biases that are deeply ingrained in people as well as society, and unintentionally influence behaviors. We need to make sure that organizations acknowledge and break down these biases as they can hinder the representation of women in the workplace and in leadership. That they’re adopting policies that are flexible and innovative in how women can contribute to the workplace.
As a business, Novartis is championing solutions in the workplace. The company has pledged to achieve gender balance in management and further improve our pay equity and transparency processes. We’ve made progress on this front, with women making up 51% of our overall workforce, 46% in management, and 31% of our Board of Directors.
RSM – If you could suggest one action that women could take to accelerate their career growth, what would it be?
IZ – Have confidence and belief in yourself! It is important to be explicit about your vision and ambition, and to be active in progressing your career. Know what you want and be bold in pursuing it.
It came and went in a nanosecond, yet, this was our best experiential leadership event of the last ten years.
If you had told me ten years ago when my book Find your Inner Red Shoes (Penguin) was published that the idea seeded in the book would become the vision of a company and a movement, I would’ve thought you were dreaming. The truth is, I was dreaming. And the Red Shoe Movement’s experiential leadership event we host every year is part of that dream.
A brief rewind
The book is focused on helping women understand that we mostly live up to an idea of success that we had no part in conceiving. We inherited predetermined notions generated in the countries, societies, and families we grew up in. So if we want to reach our ambitions, we need to first align our idea of success to what works for each one of us.
The symbol we used on the book’s cover was a pair of red stilettos because to me they meant “power with femininity” and that was the kind of success I wished we could embrace. To find our inner red shoes, our own power, and to pursue our goals without compromising our feminine side. Without imitating anyone else’s style. The book also promoted the idea of women supporting women, mutual mentoring, and self-agency.
RSM Signature Event Program designed by Liliana Pulido Chalita
As I was presenting the book in various corporate settings, a group of Ambassadors interested in fostering a mutual mentoring community, started getting together monthly. From that initial group came the idea to organize an event. We agreed that the world didn’t need any more traditional conferences where speakers and attendees seemed to be separated by several degrees of competency and expertise. We wanted an experiential leadership event where everyone felt they had something to teach and something to learn. Where everyone felt equally entitled to offer knowledge and ask questions.
That first event took place in March 2012 at the New York Times. And even though it looked very different than what we just experienced a few days ago at our 10th Anniversary Event, it had all the seeds for what became our annual Red Shoe Movement Signature Event.
The co-directors and EMCEEs of the event. From Left to Right: Neus Tosi, Annerys Rodriguez, Mariela Dabbah and Teresa Geovanna Pavlat.
Including the brilliant Co-Directors of the event, Annerys Rodriguez and Teresa Geovanna Pavlat, who this year welcomed a fantastic third teammate, Neus Tosi, and a unique team of volunteer Ambassadors who are always the backbone of this ocassion. A group of professional women and men who make sure everything runs smoothly while they have a chance to network for their own careers.
Ten-Year Anniversary Celebration
More than a conference or an event, it was truly a celebration. If there is something positive about the post-COVID world is that it has given all of us permission to be more real and honest with each other. It has made it clear that corporations can’t stand on the sidelines of social change and ignore the issues that matter to their employees, customers, suppliers and partners. That, on the contrary, they have a very relevant role to play to get us to a new era of sustainable life as the planet’s keepers. And that’s why I call it a celebration, because we celebrated life by talking both about our personal stories, and about the larger ones that bind us together regardless of where we live and operate.
Men inclusion champions always show up with red shoes and ties. We love them!
#WingsOfCourage
#WingsOfCourage, our latest initiative to inspire women of courage to take a leap and reach for their career’s ambitions couldn’t be absent from our first Signature Event in 3 years. The inspiring wings designed for the Red Shoe Movement by visual artist Colette Miller, founder of the Global Angel Wings Project, were prominently featured so everyone could engage with the larger conversation we’ve been having since the initiative’s launch in March.
Jorge Quezada, VP, People & Culture, Granite Construction is one of our Inclusion Champions and a sponsor of the event. Follow him on Instagram: @qman001
Two unique women share the morning spotlight
Part of the secret sauce of our experiential leadership event is that everyone who takes the stage interacts in a leveled playing field with the audience. Not only by answering questions, which is the traditional format you’d expect, but also by asking questions of the audience, and of other people sharing the stage.
After Susan Podlogar, EVP, Chief HR Officer, MetLife, kicked off the morning with an inspiring welcome, asking us to open our aperture and feel grateful for the chance to learn, the program got fully started.
We couldn’t have asked for a more intriguing pair for the morning Q&A. Zainab Salbi, Co-founder of Daughters for Earth, and a legendary activist bringing attention to women survivors of war, and now to the role of women in climate change solutions, and Samantha Skey, CEO, SHE Media. The focus of the interview was Subconscious ways that media and tech influence how we see each other. Zainab shared riveting details that dispelled stereotypes many of us have of women in areas such as Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan. With vivid storytelling and details such as women asking for red lipstick and fancy underwear as the simplest act of resistance, she introduced us to a world most of the audience had only seen through the eyes of mainstream media. Sam, on the other hand, anchored us on the commercial reality of how media works. How certain words (such as “uterus” or “Afghanistan”) are explicitly on a list to be avoided when placing advertising as companies don’t want to be associated with them. Therefore, certain stories never become visible enough for us to see the whole picture of the world we live in.
Zainab Salbi (Right), Co-Founder, Daughters for Earth and Samantha Skey, CEO, SHE Media shared the morning Q&A
Mutual Mentoring Circles at the Core of our Experiential Leadership Event
The Mutual Mentoring Circles were once again at the center of our 10-year anniversary Signature Event. They’ve been at the core of our methodology and everything we do, from the Step Up Plus, our year-long leadership development program for women to our online and in-person events. This year we had two rounds of seven important conversations in the post-COVID era, where participants had a chance to alternate playing our two iconic roles: Expert and Explorer. Topics included: What’s driving your desire to change jobs?; The value of relationships at work; Your wellbeing as a key aspect of your ability to perform; and Being a global citizen to make an impact inside and outside your organization.
The Circles are facilitated by a group of specially trained Senior Executives who year in and year out have been an integral part of this experiential leadership event.
Robert Abreu, VP, Global Head, Tech Risk for Corporate Solutions, Goldman Sachs
Ali Curi, President, HPNG & Podcaster Producer/ Host, ION, a FinTech company
Lauren Díaz, Director – Program Management Office, Sustainability & Special Projects, Goodwin
Roxanna Flores, SVP, Human Capital Operations, UnivisionTelevisa
Cosette Gutierrez, Executive Director, LUCA (Latino U College Access)
Annalisa Paliyenko, Global Learning Partner- Americas: Global Program Manager – Interrupting Unconscious Bias, Hitachi Energy
Cheyenne Van Cooten, Global AWS DEI Leader, Worldwide Commercial Sales/Global Startups, Amazon
Over the years we’ve built a community of veteran Facilitators who have accompanied us at the different events. This year we missed: Lily Benjamin, Johanna Torres, Lucía Ballas Traynor, Stephen Palacios, Jola Kordowski, Zuania Capo, and Joseph Di Giovanni.
It was hard to miss the fact that throughout the day we had many, many small and big conversations that were much deeper than what we had in the past. And this, at an event known for honest conversation, is saying something.
Mutual Mentoring Circle with Cheyenne Van Cooten
Vulnerable like never before
Many of these stories played out on stage as people spontaneously burst into tears as they shared very personal challenges. From Annalisa Paliyenko, who talked about the human chain of Ukranian people standing for Iranian women in the U.S. to Carla Dodds, who revealed her childhood struggles with bullying because of her two different sized feet (due to medical malpractice). In a perfect example of what our community has come to symbolize, Samantha Dong, Co-Founder and CEO, ALLY Shoes,our event shoe sponsor, custom made a pair of red stilettos for Carla who will never have to buy two pairs of the same shoes ever again.
Circle of many women wearing ALLY Shoes at the experiential leadership event 2022
Lots of Surprises Throughout the Experiential Leadership Event
There were surprises sprinkled through the day. People who had received red shoes during early registration picked them up at MetLife in the morning. And every guest received a copy of the book that started it all, our 7 RSM Principles and a charm, and the men got one of our RSM Signature Ties designed by Cyberoptix. They feature the ampersand, the most inclusive sign in our language.
Angelina Paris gave us a touch of France with their delicious hot chocolate and surprised us after lunch walking into the main room with a huge red Meringue Pyramid, and red-hearted balloons to the beat of Happy Birthday. And who can forget the unbelievably realistic chocolate shoesandbears with red ties that Cacao by Cipriani made for the executives who took part of our program?
We also gave away a lot of extra pairs of shoes by ALLY Shoes at the event, and a very complete haircare products kit by Erenzia as a giveaway! We even featured a powerfully inspiring video by Project SAM — a project that uses the love of soccer to teach young teenagers about different cultures, and how we people have more in common than different.
Angelina Paris red meringue cake contributed enormously to our 10th Anniversary celebration
Susan Podlogar (Right) EVP, Chief HR Officer, MetLife, Samantha Skey, CEO, SHE Media and Zainab Salbi, Co-Founder Daughters for Earth unbox their chocolate shoes created by Cacao by Cipriani
Robert Abreu and chocolate bear by Cacao by Cipriani
Red Meringue cake by Angelina Paris
The Icing on the Cake: Special Citation by New York State
The room hadn’t quite recovered from the joyful moment when Julissa Gutierrez, Chief Diversity Officer, New York State, presented the Red Shoe Movement with a Special Citation by Governor Kathy Hochul, highlighting the power of the #RedShoeTuesday campaign and “in recognition for their efforts to uplift women in positions of power, putting them front and center in workforce development, and building upon their strong legacy of trailblazing women throughout New York State History.”
Julissa Gutierrez, Chief Diversity Officer, New York State brought a Special Citation conferred to the Red Shoe Movement by Governor Kathy Hochul.
New York State Citation
Executive Circle: A Unique Multi-Way Conversation
This year, the topic of the Executive Circle was Let’s reimagine the workplace, and we had a stellar group of executives asking each other questions and sharing insights. They asked questions of the audience and they responded the audience’ questions. This dynamic —always surprising to attendees— fuels the self-empowerment each person feels as they walk away from a day full of these kinds of interactions.
We were joined by:
Carla Dodds, VP, Head of Industry, Financial Services, Penske Media
Julissa Gutiérrez, Chief Diversity Officer, New York State
Nancy Hom, VP, Chief of Staff of Internal Audit, MetLife
Eugene Kelly, VP, Global Head DEI, Colgate Palmolive
Jorge Quezada, VP, People and Culture, Granite Construction
Facilitator— Ali Curi, President, HPNG & Podcaster Producer/ Host, ION
Senior Executives joined our Executive Circle to discuss: Let’s Reimagine the Workplace.
Nothing Is Possible Without Our Partners & Sponsors
Finding the right partners who are really committed to gender equity, diversity and inclusion is key. We appreciate the long term investment it takes to move the needle. We are extremely grateful for MetLife‘s role as a host and lead of our experiential leadership event for 8 of the past 10 years. Their state of the art location, their dedicated and passionate team who have championed us for a long time make a huge difference. Thank youDr.Cindy Pace, VP, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Annerys Rodriguez, Ellen Mullan, Bonita Haskins and the many others who are an invaluable part of our community. We are enormously thankful for Colgate-Palmolive, Spotify, Bristol Myers Squibb, ALLY Shoes, Morgan Stanley,Granite Construction, Angelina Paris and Cacao by Cipriani for being part of this year’s celebration and for the many years of support. Thanks to our media partners who helped us promote the event: HPNG, Asians in Advertising, Association for Talent Development and BizNet Latina.
The stellar sponsors of our Red Shoe Movement Signature Event 2022
Here’s to You
I have to say it was one of the most moving moments of my career. Like many people in our professional community, particularly, women entrepreneurs, it hasn’t always been a bed of roses. There have been times when I doubted whether we could continue pushing forward when female advances in leadership seemed to take one step forward and two steps back. Not too different from women’s rights and human rights in the U.S. and the rest of the world. There have been times —there still are times— when it was an uphill battle for people to understand DEI is not a nice to have but a moral and business imperative. And yet, my network, this global community has repeatedly lifted me up, and has had my back. They had helped me get up every time I fell, and they have helped me stay strong whenever I wavered. There’s no better feeling than that.
So here’s to you. For your enthusiasm and persistence; for the many ways you support women’s ambitions; for helping amplify their voices. Most of all, here’s to your commitment to continuing fighting the good fight together.
A snapshot of the great moments we shared at our 10th anniversary experiential leadership event
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