Great Women in Compliance-Confronting Issues Women Face in the Workplace with Amii Barnard-Bahn

How can you make sure you’re not left behind as a woman in compliance? Join us on this episode with Amii Barnard-Bahn, an executive coach and strategic advisor. Today we’re talking about breaking through the glass ceiling, making sure you’re getting your fair share, and stepping up into leadership.
Breaking through the glass ceiling
Women need to support each other. In terms of breaking through the glass ceiling, Amii shares a pledge of support she took: Don’t tear each other down. Say yes to helping and connecting each other and not filtering support. Reinforce women’s voices. Help each other get credit.
And in addition to women supporting women, it’s really critical for all leaders to be aware of their impact on other people. Leaders succeed or fail based on two things: how well they work with others, and how well they know themselves.
Negotiating salaries
Know the going market rate for your job in your geography. Amii gets this data from three places: asking other colleagues what they’re making, asking for pay ranges during job interviews, and through consulting salary surveys. These data points are usually good for two to three years and have them in your back pocket during negotiations.
Women don’t talk salary, and we need to be more comfortable sharing this. Come to the bargaining table with objective information, and definitely stay polite and professional. You may not get the bump, but it’s always worth a shot.
Equitable salaries for different genders
Companies can do their part in ensuring that there is no gender-based pay inequity by: participating in and purchasing quality salary survey data, having accurate and updated job descriptions for their jobs, having job families that clearly outline the succession and promotion opportunities within the growth span of the job, and conducting an equity audit and evaluating whether there is a material pay disparity between genders, race, or age. If you’re discriminating, you need to know it and take action.
Looking the part
Good grooming is important, and that doesn’t necessarily have to include a lot of makeup. Dress appropriately so that whoever you’re speaking to can hear what you have to say and are not distracted by the way you look. This speaks to a broader issue of developing and cultivating an executive presence no matter what level you are at the organization. And don’t forget about your posture, your tone of voice, your eye contact, and most importantly, projecting warmth.
Being ready for leadership
Amii quotes Jack Welch: “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
Managing is easy. Leading is hard. When people get promoted, it’s difficult to let go of the things that made them successful in the first place: being the technical expert and having the right answer. Now the focus is no longer on accomplishing the task yourself, but helping other people around you achieve theirtasks.
You need to see beyond your subject matter expertise and demonstrate through your actions that you understand the overall business strategy and that you’re always acting in the best interests of the entire organization.
Resources
Amii Barnard-Bahn (LinkedIn)

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