Robin Toft’s Post

My path to the boardroom wasn’t straightforward and certainly wasn't without challenges. I’m thrilled that I get to be an ally for other women starting their board journey. Starting Sept 4th, I’ll be speaking with 11 other board directors in a How Women Lead Cohort designed to get YOU your first board seat. If you haven’t started this journey yet, we need you in the boardroom! Board service could be the right next step for you and your career. Let's see our strength in numbers: https://lnkd.in/g6g_DF4i #corporatetraining #boardofdirectors #womeninleadership

How do you actually get invited into the boardroom? Networking is key, but what does that mean on a tactical level? Excited to share insights with 11 other directors at How Women Lead's Corporate Board Readiness starting Sept 4th. Join me and women like you to navigate getting your first board seat. If you haven’t started this journey yet, remember, "WE NEED YOU TO JOIN US IN THE BOARDROOM!" I believe board service could be your next step. Let's showcase our strength in numbers: [Event Link] #corporatetraining #boardofdirectors #womeninleadership

We are pretty darn excited to announce that The Honest Talk and Women Get On Board Inc. are collaborating to provide women with the information and tools they need to pursue board director roles, because when women have a seat at the table, better decisions get made. But getting on a board remains a huge challenge for many women, and that's what we want to help change. On our website today, we provide a checklist from WGOB that women can consult when beginning their board journey. However, here's a personal note: I've sat on several boards - currently The Ottawa Hospital & Hydro Ottawa - and I think it's critical for women to remember that a checklist is a guideline, not a must-have. Don't decide not to pursue something because you think you might not have all the qualifications. Women, in particular, are prone to self-doubt - worried that the qualifications they DO have aren't enough. Instead, remember that there are lots of organizations ready to help you learn and grow as a board director. Also remember that soft skills - EQ, communications, negotiating and mediation skills - play a vital role in the boardroom, even if they often don't make the list of "qualifications." We'll be posting lots more tips in the coming months, and if you have a story of your own board journey that you want to share with us The Honest Talk - be sure to reach out!

Studies show that #WomenLeaders in US and European public companies are prepared, focused, and vocal in board meetings. https://ow.ly/KIcG50Qb7wJ #boardofdirectors #womeninbusiness #womeninleadership

Thank you for leading my eyeballs here, Caroline. Thoughtful list of board questions Deloitte. Do we have the right mix of experiences, skills, and backgrounds to position ourselves to succeed in light of the complexities of today? To what extent do we, as a board, play it safe with respect to selecting our board or C-suite candidates? Do we default to narrow searches of candidates with a historical record of prior CEO experience, or are we willing to take risks to find leaders of the future? How much emphasis do we place on previous executive or board roles compared to skill sets, capabilities, leadership, and business acumen, which may be inadvertently excluding a range of high-quality women candidates? What creative solutions can management and the board deploy to provide more opportunities for women to gain governance experience? Have we considered placing high-potential candidates on boards of our subsidiaries or other entities to fuel not only our own board and C-suite pipelines, but also corporate pipelines more broadly? Are we spending enough time challenging our data and outcomes? How fast are women being added to our C-suites? Are our pipelines advancing women at the same rates as men?

This article delves into the progress made and the challenges still faced by #women in #leadership roles. It's crucial to continue advocating for #diversityandinclusion at all levels of organizations. Check out the full article ... #WomenLeadership #BoardroomEquality

"When it comes to the highest executive roles, women’s representation drops even further: According to our research, only 6% of CEOs in the world are women, representing just a 1% increase from our previous edition. Indeed, in 13 of the geographies in our sample, the number of women CEOs is less than 3%. At the current rate of change, global parity for CEOs wouldn’t be reached until 2111—almost 90 years from now" #genderequality #business #CEO

Women still only hold 23.3% of board positions globally and only 8.4% are being chaired by women according to Deloittes 8th Women in the Boardroom report. And that's despite the fact that the business case shows that companies with more diverse boards tend to perform better financially, and organizations that are more diverse as a whole with respect to gender—from top executives and board members to managers and employees—tend to outperform those that are less gender-diverse. A big shout out to the inspiring women that lead the way for others including Anna Marks, Sharon Thorne, Nana Bule, Malou Aamund, Astrid Simonsen Joos

Whether politics or economics - the people who are REALLY making the decisions - those pulling the strings at the 🔝 (whilst the rest of us dance) 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚, they are NOT competing, 👉So the question to my fellow female C-Suite Executives... the powerhouses in Asset Management & Finance, Founders of new companies, Partners of Law Firms is............ 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗲?  Are we being 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰? Are we being 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁? Are 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 - for REAL diversity (not this tick the box nonsense) 📢Exploring forums where 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 voices can be heard? (not just the politically safe ones) 👨⚖️Are we 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 (𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗜)? Are we considering that we could have a conference or awards gala that is predominantly FEMALE led - where women are 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 and not the minority? (gasp!) 🍃Are we 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗦𝗚? 🤷♀️Are we considering a world where this "one and done" approach at the EXCO 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗠? 👨👩👦Are we envisioning that world for our daughters? or Are we just tired & want to get that paycheck& bonus & head home for an ice cold martini (the commute, the children and the day is hard enough Dawn!!)?🍸 This is NOT said out of judgement ➡️ 1️⃣ this girl loves a lychee martini just as much as the next one 2️⃣ the LAST thing we need to do right now is start judging each other - it is more a question to  those who read this ... to 🚩PAUSE 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 (𝗛𝗕𝗥) 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. The study of male & female directors covered 200 publicly traded companies on the major stock exchanges (US & EU). The results show 👉 • women directors come to board meetings well-prepared & concerned with accountability👩💻    • women are NOT shy about acknowledging when they don't know something, are more willing to ask IN-DEPTH questions & seek to get things on the table🎤    • the presence of women IMPROVES the QUALITY of the discussion🏅 𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀? WHY is the partnership track (at some NOT all) law firms requiring women to choose between having a child or being a leader? 𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝟬𝟳 𝗗𝗘𝗖 I am hosting an all-female Brunch/Celebration -7+ female partners, 6+ Founders & 20+ C-Suites 👉 a 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 💥𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗗𝗠! #leadership #womeninfinance #collaboration

Studies show that #WomenLeaders in US and European public companies are prepared, focused, and vocal in board meetings. https://lnkd.in/gGQrkcHQ #boardofdirectors #womeninbusiness #womeninleadership