Red Shoe Movement Hall of Fame 2019

Hall of Fame 2019 Honorees

Red Shoe Movement Hall of Fame 2019

The Red Shoe Movement is once again proud to honor a selected group of executives who boast a life-long dedication to diversity and inclusion. And while they have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, they all come together when it comes to creating workplaces that are inclusive of 100% of the talent.

From the CEO of a startup that is opening doors for female entrepreneurs to receive venture capital to the General Manager of one of the most prestigious media networks. From the CEO of one of America’s most revered institutions to develop girl leaders (one responsible for a large percentage of US’ female governors, representatives and company’s CEOs) to the Head of Region Europe for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies and the CEO of a unique tech company that puts people first.

Their commitment to making their organizations and society at large a more inclusive place has landed these inspiring leaders on the Red Shoe Movement Hall of Fame 2019.

Cynthia Hudson, Senior Vice President & General Manager CNN en Español

If you could suggest one action that organizations can take to accelerate the representation of women at the top, what would it be?

Conscious Inclusion. We need to consciously look at that room and ensure that we are getting the proper representation on all levels. It is an exercise that requires constant re-evaluation of our hiring and promotion practices but it is ultimately the only way to ensure that we are getting the right mix of people and ideas that will best impact our product.

If you could suggest one action that women could take to accelerate their career growth, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to be bold. Don’t be afraid of mistakes, but be sure to take stock of each lesson and learn what you might do differently next time. Sometimes we apologize for things we don’t control, or don’t take responsibility for the areas we could have handled differently. Being self-aware helps you to surround yourself with people who bring different skill sets to the table who can help you be a better leader. You can’t be an expert in everything and knowing that you need the support of others to have a solid team is always going to make you shine and grow.

If you could suggest one action that organizations can take to accelerate the representation of women at the top, what would it be?

One of the best ways is through open communication. We believe businesses thrive on transparency and the mutual exchange of ideas from all individuals within the company, no matter their roles, and that includes women. Your people are your greatest asset. Every person contributes to your overall success, and every employee should be treated with equal respect, trust, and care. Take time to sincerely listen to your people. Remain open to their unique ideas, their skills and talents, and the specialized knowledge and experiences they bring to the team. Ensure you have a well-rounded group of people represented, not only in leadership roles, but throughout your company. Remain focused on inclusion. Have programs in place so your people are comfortable sharing their candid thoughts, ideas, and feedback. Your company, and your people, will be better for it.

If you could suggest one action that women could take to accelerate their career growth, what would it be?

I think for all of us, we should never stop learning. Focus on strengthening your skills and talents, while looking for opportunities to develop new skills (they’re not always in obvious places). Truly take time to listen to those around you, and never stop sharing your ideas and insights with others. Surround yourself with others who believe in the same mission, and who hold similar core values. But remain open to others’ ideas and feedback as you learn and grow. There’s going to be “thunderbolts” throughout your career. Be relentless. Join a winning team. Overcome challenges together. Treat others with equal respect, and always do the right thing.

If you could suggest one action that organizations can take to accelerate the representation of women at the top, what would it be?

I recommend organizations focus on the underlying cause, not the symptom of the “diversity problem.” When organizations focus on symptoms, they’re only focusing on the quotas. The underlying cause that they need to focus on is a lack of an inclusive, collaborative culture. For that you need the right sort of training that starts from the core of the company culture and emanates outward. Everyone, including the senior leadership team needs to be part of that conversation and be committed to investing money into change.

If you could suggest one action that women could take to accelerate their career growth, what would it be?

First thing, write down something that you’d really want to achieve. And then ask the question: ‘What’s stopping me?’ It’s important for women to commit themselves to something that they want to achieve and realize that there’s nobody stopping them except themselves. Anything you want to do you have to commit yourself to it, put it into the universe and let go of the internal self-talk and limitations that are stopping you.

If you could suggest one action that organizations can take to accelerate the representation of women at the top, what would it be?

Start from the beginning – the hiring process. You need to force yourself and supporting functions to have a diverse slate of candidates. However, more importantly, a diverse slate of interviewers. If an organization is more disciplined in this approach then women will, organically, get more opportunities.

If you could suggest one action that women could take to accelerate their career growth, what would it be?

Be clear and ask for what you want, need, deserved and earned. Men are more apt to ask for time, opportunities and network. I invite women to be bolder and demand the time, attention and support they deserve.

I also suggest finding a champion, mentor or sponsor who can help you navigate your organization – and it could be male or female. I have several talented women that I mentor and help at Novartis.

If you could suggest one action that organizations can take to accelerate the representation of women at the top, what would it be?

I was always aware that there were a lot of artificial barriers inhibiting women from advancing. So one thing I always tried to do was to get around these and make sure that there were other women who came with me as well when I advanced. I really believe in giving everyone a fair shot. If I learned something because I got to be one of the first, or I was in a position where I could do work and figure something out, I always wanted to make sure that there was an opportunity for others as well.

If you could suggest one action that women could take to accelerate their career growth, what would it be?

One important thing I’ve learned in my career is that the higher up you go, the more you have to adapt. So the skills that get you to a certain level don’t necessarily get you to the next level. I was a rocket scientist, so that’s one of my areas of expertise, but at a certain point, that doesn’t get you to the next level. So you have to not just have great technical and analytical skills, you also have to be nimble and adaptable. You need to cultivate those people skills, as well as leadership and managerial skills. You need to be able to influence and persuade, to learn about organizational dynamics. If you do that, more opportunities will come to you.