Nicola  00:09

Welcome to this podcast. The podcast is giving up top of telecoms and tech. I am your host, I am making school co I am the coach that works with organizations, helping more women to the most senior roles so that they can really drive positive change, and help to create more inclusive cultures safe and fair for all. So welcome to today’s show. I’m really excited to be here. And we are on our third podcast episode where we’re talking about the subjects that I’ll be covering in my brand new podcast. So just a quick bit of context if you’ve not listened to the last few episodes, so we are nearly at episode 100 of this podcast. And that will be episode 100 will be our last ever women are at the top of telcos and tech podcast, because we are moving on to a new chapter. So it’s a new chapter in my organization. And in my business, it’s a new chapter in my my life story that I’ll be telling you more about. And it’s also a new chapter in terms of my message has got much broader, and the impact of what I do has gotten much, much bigger, which I’m really excited about. So it felt like the right time for a number of reasons just to acknowledge that this has been a brilliant journey, but also know that it’s time for a new step and a new chapter on that journey with a new podcast that we’ll be unveiling in the next few weeks, and a new name and a slightly different different message and some new ways of being able to help you and support you as you’re going through your career. And you’re supporting others across your organization. So I’m really excited to be here today, because we’re talking about the third area that I’m really going to be focusing on in the content that I’m sharing and on this podcast and how I work with organizations. And the third area is really, it’s really one that’s really close to my heart. Because when I talk about diversity inclusion, when I talk about bringing more women into those most senior roles and helping the women themselves get there, there’s always a bit of a question, Mark, in terms of is this the best place to invest our budget? Is this the best return on our investment? Is this something that’s going to have the impact and the change that we want? And I’m often kind of question on well, how do I know what the return on investment is going to be? Because of it within the corporate world at the moment, we’re seeing a lot of headcount freezes, we’re seeing budget cuts, we’re seeing training budgets being slashed, and cutbacks in that happened to me, at the end of last year, when I had 90,000 pounds worth of contracts just cancelled three weeks before it’s due to start. I know that’s going on a lot in the corporate world now, which it needs to it’s part of due diligence of the market and the world economy and how it is. But also as part of that I have a real I know that the what I do delivers. I know what I do has real big impact on the women in my programs that often see within the months and the years that followed that women have been promoted, they’ve moved into bigger roles, they’ve moved into leading divisions, they’ve moved, being invited to join exec board, or they’ve left the corporate world altogether, and set up some some incredible business. So I see all of that. But this is kind of beyond that. I wanted to be able to talk about just the benefits for organizations of bringing women into those most senior roles. And what are those benefits? And why is it important. And on the flip side of that, when you’re cutting budgets around leadership development, around supporting women in your organizations, that that has a really detrimental impact, not just for the women themselves, but also for the organization as a whole and for people across the business. And just to really be able to show that. So the types of benefits I’m talking about what I want to be really clear on it, the benefit of bringing more women to the top of an organization is completely measurable, it is something that can be demonstrated, you can really know and find out the return on investment from this type of training, which is incredibly powerful, because you don’t always have that. And some of the most expensive programs are the ones where it’s just not possible to measure that. So it might be that you’re taking your leadership team for a huge training program or leadership development program, but you haven’t created something that’s measurable. And I’m very, very passionate and very focused on making sure that the work that I’m doing with organizations, my final fire leadership program, that is all very measurable, I can demonstrate a return on investment, I can share the before and after stories of my clients that have been for those programs. I can then check in again as six months in a year to see who’s moved on who’s created and maybe their own business and but also who’s been promoted, who’s had a pay rise. So it is really tangible. And the other benefits to organizations and sort of things I’m going to talk about is when you get more women into those most senior roles, why does it make the organization and profit is a more profitable organization because of improved retention. So you have people in the organization that are more loyal, you have people that stay for longer, that work harder, and will pull you through those really challenging times, because there’s that sense of loyalty. So on the flip side of that improve retention on saving on those recruitment costs, there’s less attrition, so you’re less having to go out to the market and replace those unicorns that are that very senior level, because people want to stay in your organization, because they love the culture, because they know they’re supportive, because the policies make for a good work life balance. So for example, a tech organization that I worked with just increase their paternity leave to 16 weeks. Whereas originally, it was two weeks, that became a month. And now it’s up to 16 weeks. And we’re actually seeing men come on to the maternity returns group that are actually they are returning from maternity leave. And that’s just amazing seeing what a huge benefit that is. So improve retention, less attrition, so there’s less need for recruitment costs, there’s less need for that ongoing cycle of bringing new people into the organization, because you have more loyalty. And when women are in those most senior positions, those organizations tend to be more creative, because at that very bought that very senior board level, you have some very different perspectives. And you have women that bring in like a wealth of experience with them, but also maybe a different perspective, a different point of view, a different way of seeing things. So there’s more creativity, there’s more innovation, because employees feel safe, because women at the top tend to create that culture of care and connection, they have more empathy and vulnerability, that actually means people have a sense that they can try things. And they can learn from failing rather than being judged for failing. So there’s more creativity, there’s more innovation. And then we also we see again, and again, in organizations that are more female led, there’s more profitability. So the actual bottom line is, there’s just a more likelihood that you’re going to increase profits, and you’re gonna be able to also, because you’ve got that safe culture, because you’re socially responsible as an organization, because you have more women at the top that truly care about the impact of their organization on the world, you tend to have a safer cultures, you tend to be more socially aware. So that means the very best talent who are very discerning and only want to work for organizations that are socially responsible, you attract that best talent, and you keep that best talent, and you develop them and they become the senior leaders of the future. And also, with more women at the top, what you also tend to find is those organizations tend to be cultures that are more, there’s more of a sense of safety and being able to speak up, there’s also safe spaces to speak up. So there’s so support groups and employee resource groups, there tends to be more equality, it tends to be more parity, and also being able to choose to challenge so if you see behavior, it’s outdated or more a likelihood that that organization is one that you can speak up in, and that you’re safe to do it. So that’s what we’re going to be focusing on another area of content, we’re going to be focused on it really the benefits of having more women in those most senior roles for organizations. So essentially, all of this is going to help you build that business case, it’s going to help you build that knowledge to really have that fire around driving leadership programs and support for women at different stages in their career, because you’re going to know the impact of that you’re going to have stats and figures, you’re going to have case studies all around well, why are we doing this? Why do we want more women at the top and the impact of that. So the lived experience for women for different people across the organization, different employee groups, and the impact on the organization itself. And also just making sure that what you’re setting in terms of structures for more to drive inclusion and diversity, making sure that they’re incredibly, they’re measurable, they’re transparent, and that you can really see the return on investment. So it’s not just something you’re got a wing and a prayer for is actually a strategic part of what you’re doing. As an organization. It’s a key strategy that’s going to help you to achieve your objectives. And that will just raise the profile of diversity, inclusion and the role of women, it’s just going to raise the profile. So that is, you’ve got that most senior level buying, which is so so key to making all of this work. So this is going to just give you a whole range of different tools to have those conversations internally to really understand what are the benefits of having more women in those both senior roles. And also just knowing given frameworks and support for those women that are the unicorns in those roles at the most senior level so that they can really, they can keep that energy, they can keep their resilience, and they can keep showing up for you and your organization. So really excited about this area, something I’ve not talked about, but I’m really passionate about knowing that what I do isn’t just something that’s paid lip service to it’s not just something that’s a tick box exercise, but it’s actually something has a real, real, tangible, measurable, specific impact on the organization. So that’s what I wanted to talk about today. But if this is something that you’re struggling with today, all my details are in the show notes. You can book a 30 minute get to know you call and we can discuss what you’re looking for help with. And then we can shape something just for you. So if that’s something you’re interested in, do drop me a message to follow us on this journey with a podcast as well in the show notes is also a place where you can register your interest first and let you know about the new podcast as upcoming so go away and do that. And just go back and listen to any of the podcast episodes. They’re gonna be. They’re still in the in the world on their own existing. But yeah, I will speak to you on the next podcast. And thank you so much for today. Bye. Hi, it’s Nick here. I just want to take a moment just to say thank you for listening. When I’m sat recording the podcast in the deepest depths of Cornwall, it’s incredible to think it is reaching women across the world in 30 different countries and we have 1000s of downloads a month. So thank you so much for being part of that and be part of the audience means the world to me. But I do want to grow this audience, I would love you to help me reach more women like you so that we can really drive positive change in the corporate world. So you can do that one of three ways. First of all, you can subscribe to the podcast, you never miss an episode. It’s always a new episodes always delivered straight to your inbox. You can review the podcast and leave us a rating. And the more ratings we have, we also got the podcast charts. And finally, you can just share a favorite podcast with a peer with a colleague or on your social media. So I would love you to do that. Thank you for all your help. I can’t wait for what’s next