
Making it possible for women to dream bigger
00:00
As Vice President for Partnerships and Cooperation with Philip Morris,
00:04
I am really proud that our company has recently been awarded the global EQUAL-SALARY Certification.
00:11
But I’m also very well aware that most women around the world do not make the same as their male counterparts
00:20
and they still need to get to the corner offices.
00:30
I’d like to invite you as top leaders, first of all to embrace your triumphs.
00:37
And I would like to hear some personal stories on how you specifically contributed to your company’s success.
00:45
So, maybe we can start with you, Diane.
00:46
I’ve been with the NBA now for six years.
00:50
I was in investment banking before.
00:51
And so, I’ve been focused on strategic partnerships primarily within our international business.
00:58
Our Africa League is the first time we’re doing something outside the United States.
01:01
And leading that cross-functional team is something that I’m extremely proud of.
01:05
I’m not sure that there’s that much difference between being a female leader and being a male leader,
01:08
in terms of you want everyone to be the best performer they could be.
01:14
You also want them to find peace of mind.
01:16
I mean, I think it’s really important that people are in jobs where they feel satisfied
01:22
and they feel appreciated, and they feel challenged.
01:27
You need to have gender diversity in the management ranks,
01:30
but you’ve got to have gender diversity in the boardroom, too.
01:34
When there are multiple women on a corporate board,
01:35
a company does not rush helter-skelter into doing a risky takeover
01:42
because the women say, wait a minute,
01:43
we need to think about what the consequences are here
01:46
and weigh the pros and cons.
01:48
Some of the impact can really be felt through accountability
01:52
and women who go back into their organizations
01:55
and say, you know, I have this greater awareness.
01:57
I’m now empowered to look at reverse mentoring
01:59
and what can I learn from more junior generations that will help me as a leader
02:03
and help me help them.
02:05
You know, they are the talent of tomorrow.
02:06
Joann, maybe you can share some of your insights on what a large organization can actually do to redress this gap.
02:12
If the CEO, in particular, is not making the compensation packages for his or her direct reports
02:20
linked to how well they’re doing on diversity,
02:23
nothing is going to change.
02:24
There’s institutional sexism in large organizations
00:28
that just have to do with how the pyramid works.
02:31
And I think the only way to change that is to do a better job at the recruitment, hiring, training, retaining,
02:37
but also giving women dreams.
02:39
And we need to make it possible for them to dream bigger.
02:41
It is often said that it’s lonely at the top,
02:44
but it seems that it’s lonelier if you’re a woman.
02:46
For many of these women that I interviewed for the book,
02:48
it was a lack of role models.
02:50
There wasn’t anyone who they could look to, to say, how did you get here?
02:55
How did you do it?
02:56
But they did then try to make it easier for the women who are younger and less senior than they were,
03:03
to educate them, to make it clear that, you know, there is solidarity in numbers
03:08
and there is some benefit to sharing experiences,
03:11
which, at the end of the day, I think women are really good at.
03:14
I cannot tell you how many women leaders will say to me,
03:18
you know, I’m just a this point in my career where I just feel really lucky,
03:21
I’ve had success, I like my colleagues,
03:24
and now I just want to give back.
00:35
What an incredible sentiment, right?
03:27
And I truly believe that’s something that women lean more towards, too.
03:30
I’d like to ask each of you to share the very best piece of advice that you’ve ever received.
03:36
Don’t ever get too comfortable.
03:37
If you’re in a job, or you’ve been someplace so long that it starts to feel like an old shoe,
03:42
it’s time to go shoe shopping.
03:44
I do regularly check myself around, am I learning?
03:47
So, to your point about being too comfortable,
03:49
I think even when you love your work environment or whether you hate it,
03:53
it’s a good gut check, right?
03:55
Because sometimes when you’re too comfortable and happy,
03:57
you’re not learning anymore.
03:59
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
04:01
Sometimes you’re always thinking about what the next step is, right?
04:06
Is there a better company out there?
04:07
Are there better opportunities out there?
04:09
What’s next for me?
04:10
And I think that’s normal to feel that way and always question.
04:14
But then I think you also need to take a moment and appreciate where you’re at.
04:21
The best career advice I ever got kind of came quite late in my career
04:25
because it came from meeting all these women.
04:27
And I think these women, at the end of the day, got to be successful senior executives
04:31
because they were true to their true selves.
04:35
You have to be true to you, and you have to believe in you.
Find out more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Philip Morris International: