Launching a Successful, Business-Oriented Women's Initiative
The current issue of Women Legal Magazine features a "masterclass" article that I wrote called "Showing the Way: A how-to guide to launching a successful women's initiative." Although tailored to law firms, the information provided in the article can apply to women's initiatives at other types of firms and companies.
I note in the article that, traditionally, women haven't been given the same opportunities as men to become leaders and business generators. However, a women's initiative focused on business development can level the playing field by providing women with the training and skills needed to bring in new clients or customers and enhance the firm's reputation and revenue.
What are the factors of a successful women's initiative? In a nutshell, I believe that the initiative must start with:
- Commitment (women perceiving a need for the initiative)
- Feedback (finding out your women's needs and tailoring the initiative to them)
- External focuses (creating activities that showcase women's talents outside the firm) and internal focuses (providing resources to enhance women's business development skills)
- A business plan that includes a mission statement, an organizational structure of the initiative, and benchmarks for success
- Financial and other support from the firm's leadership
Once created, the women's initiative needs to establish the following programs to achieve its business development goals:
- Mentoring
- Networking
- Marketing/Self-Promotion
It might surprise you that men and women may fear that an initiative will provide women with unfair, special treatment. However, such fears are unfounded because when a woman becomes a better business generator, everyone at her firm will benefit.
The initiative also must toot its own horn. The article mentions that marketing and public relations departments need to spread the word about the initiative's activities and accomplishments and keep women informed of upcoming events. Such publicity also helps bolster the firm's reputation as a good place for women to work.
Finally, my article recommends regularly monitoring the results of the imitative and making adjustments to reach stated goals.
I invite all of you to read "Showing the Way: A how-to guide to launching a successful women's initiative" to learn more about the points mentioned above, and then share your thoughts. Has a women's initiative helped you in your career?
