3-8-10 The Only Woman

Normally I would avoid discussion about gender issues relative to executives. However, given the industry I recently retired from (aerospace), you can imagine that there were a few gender issues. When you think about the commercial aerospace industry, you will realize that it descended directly from the military. So it shouldn’t surprise you that this has been a male dominated industry for most of its existence. And you know what? For a woman in the industry, that can be an advantage……..

Let’s face it, in today’s EEO environment, male-dominated industries are actively seeking women to promote. I used to tell the young ladies that I mentored, yes, I most likely got some of my jobs because I am a woman. But, and it is a BIG but, I kept those jobs because I learned the job and was good at it…… I did not keep a job because I was a woman.

I started out in Finance, which in this industry is one of the traditional places for women….. Along with HR. I had the opportunity to do a development rotation (part-time…. Still had to do my real job!) in manufacturing. During this rotation, I met regularly with the Operations VP to discuss my observations. Along the way, I got bit by the manufacturing bug and asked to be moved to Operations. I have to tell you that the VP was surprised by my request. He had never had a staff person as to be moved into the line functions. AND he had never had a woman ask him for it.

I wanted a senior factory manager job (oh, the audacity of the young!). Instead he offered me the business manager job in sheet metal. Seemed like a good place to start. And I ended up with a boss that not only taught me about operations but took a big chance on me. After about a year, he moved me to a senior factory manager in sheet metal. In fact, I was the first female to hold this position in fabrication here in the Midwest.

So what are the advantages?

Of course, as a woman, you have the chance to hold jobs that you might never consider. And, along the way, you could possibly discover your passion in life. I was fortunate in that.

And certainly, being a novelty can be an advantage. You could tell that my crews liked being the only ones to have a “lady general or superintendent”. (Back in the old days, that position was called general or superintendent …. The nomenclature stuck with many of the mechanics.) I can’t tell you how many times a mechanic would point me out to one of their colleagues….. “that’s our lady general!”.

Most of my crews were male. And I was in fabrication. Fabrication includes the machine shop. And the union isn’t called the “machinists” for nothing. Being a female allowed me to ask questions, probe into processes, prod production, etc. all without appearing to be “managing”. Because often, in a machinist environment, the first hint of managing will be met with stony resistance. By asking what appear to be innocent questions, I was able to help my crews manage themselves. Could a man do that? Likely not, as any questions would seem like challenges or intrusions.

Another advantage? I come from the school of “ask forgiveness, not permission”. Frankly in a large company, this is often the only way to get things done. As a woman, when I got “caught coloring outside the lines”, I would unabashedly bat my eyelashes and swear that I didn’t know and certainly wouldn’t do that again. Yea, it worked every time.

And what are the downsides of being the only woman in a male-dominated environment?

You always run the risk of not being taken seriously. Some people will believe that since you didn’t grow up in that environment, you can never really know what you are talking about. Or others will assume that, since you are woman, you cannot possibly be tough enough to survive in a manufacturing environment.

Another downside is that it is likely you will only be able to go so far up the management ladder in a male-dominated environment. If you take the time to look around you, it will become apparent how far your ladder might extend. In the aerospace industry, it extends as high as VP (in very limited cases) but never extends to president or CEO….. Particularly in the operations or engineering areas.

So do I regret being the only woman? Heck no. If I hadn’t taken that leap, I would have never discovered how fascinated I am by building airplanes. Because I was the only woman for many years, I got opportunities that would have never appeared had I stayed in my nice, safe, and familiar environment.

Cheers!

Shoulda Told Me #3

As I listened to the ebb and flow of conversations at various holiday gatherings, I heard a lot about work. Not surprising since most of us spend the majority of our waking time at work. What did surprise me was the how the conversation, time and again, turned to bad bosses. It got me to thinking about my own career, how I operated as a boss, and what I observed about other people as bosses. So I need to take a side trip down the “someone shoulda told me” bunny trail once again…….

I have had the opportunity to move around a lot, from position to position, in my career (when you have a job attention span of about 2 years, that is a GOOD thing). I’ve tried to make it my policy that, when I move to a new area, I never judge my predecessor (or my successor, for that matter). But there are times…….

As many times before, I moved to a new area of the factory as senior manager. When I move to an area that is new to me, I make a point to spend a significant amount of time out in the shops, for many reasons…… I have never (nor will I ever get the chance) to actually build an airplane with my hands, so how will I learn about it if I don’t spend time with the people that actually do the jobs? Another reason? It is how I get to know people. Another? It is WAY more interesting that sitting in a meeting!

Anyway, in most cases, the mechanics were welcoming. They wanted to learn about me and they were thrilled to show me the intricacies of their jobs. But this new area was different. When I walked through the shops, the mechanics didn’t look up from their work table or machine. They didn't call out to me to say hello. They would answer questions, if asked, but never volunteered information. For a couple of weeks, I made my several times daily trip around the factory and the response was the same. People were polite, they answered my questions, but I was never encouraged to stay long or learn more. I was completely baffled. And while this may sound corny, there just wasn’t any joy in this workplace. I hate that. We all spend WAY too much time at work not to have joy or fun while we are at it.

So I started asking some discrete questions of the shop managers and my peer directors to see what I could come up with. And what I came up with absolutely appalled me.

You have to understand that in the old days in a manufacturing environment, fear and intimidation was often the way employees were managed. Unfortunately, that management style has sometimes carried over to today’s environment. Employees are loudly and publicly berated for being away from their work station….. even if it was to go to the crib to get needed supplies! And if they try to come up with ways to improve their environment, they are roundly criticized. They are generally talked down to and made to feel as if they are only retained if they turn off their brains when they walk in the door. After a while, people in this situation respond by putting their heads down and doing their work -- albeit slowly and grudgingly. Also, after a while, they will develop a finely-tuned early warning system to alert them when the boss is going to be in the area….. Allowing them time to adopt the eyes-downcast, docile mien that their boss seemed to crave.

My subtle questioning of others led me to believe that the previous management team was this type of team. Sheesh. Thank goodness that hadn't been the norm for other areas I was posted to.

I learned, by listening to the shop radio, that my route through the shops was always preceded by subtle announcements on the air. If you have never worked in a place that uses shop radios (basically a walkie-talkie system for a group of shops), you don’t realize that this is a well-tended early warning system that will outshine any tornado or fire alarm that I’ve heard. The radio would crackle to life as I moved from shop to shop. By the time I would get to an area, the employees were ready to display a docile attitude that they thought I wanted. Why wouldn’t they? That’s what was expected of them by a previous regime!

Gad, I wish that someone would have told me that this type of fear and intimidation still existed in today’s environment!

How do you overcome it? For me, it was patience (not usually my strong suit, but definitely required for this area). And showing my mechanics that I supported them and truly wanted to know about their jobs, their ideas, their status. And by never, and I mean NEVER, talking down to them nor publicly embarrassing them regardless of the situation.

Did it work? Well, yeah, but it wasn’t overnight. It takes time to build a trusting relationship with one person, let alone with an entire factory area. But, over time, we came to trust each other. How do I know that? On my last day in that area, as I walked through the shops, I was greeted with smiles, hand shakes, hugs, and waves. That alone is worth the patience it required.

Next time (I promise), how the conceptual model for executive skills and traits morphed.

Cheers!