John Brodgen’s ‘aha’ moment and 11 other things I am thinking about

On Tuesday night at the Sydney launch of the 30 Percent Club a small group of powerful corporate leaders took to the stage.  

David Gonski who chairs ANZ and Coca-Cola Amatil, Michael Chaney who chairs NAB and Woodside Petroleum and Kevin McCann who chairs Macquarie and Citadel were there. They were joined by the CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors John Brogden and experienced company directors Jillian Segal and Patricia Cross. Helena Morrissey moderated the ensuing chat about women on boards.

Here are 12 things I am still thinking about.

1. John Brogden’s aha moment. The CEO of the AICD admitted that for him hearing his then-4 year old daughter say she wanted to work in a hospital was revelatory. Why? Because upon hearing it he immediately said “You’d be a really great nurse”.  It was at that moment he recognised the inherent biases within him. Why did he assume she would be a nurse not a doctor? Making that quiet assumption makes him human; being able to share that openly makes him brave.   
2. Company boards as clubs.  For all the discussion and improvements around diversity on boards, one in four companies in the ASX 300 still don’t have a single female director. Jillian Segal made the point that in many companies there is still a “club atmosphere” where people are comfortable with people they know. That has to be broken.
3. Discomfort is better than comfort. David Gonski said it is human nature for people to seek out and be comfortable with people who are like themselves. On a board however it’s critical to get people who think differently. Gonski says chairs and boards should seek discomfort more than comfort. That discomfort will lead to more rigorous discussions and ultimately better outcomes.
4. Changing the paradigm at home. Kevin McCann said senior men need to think about the role they play at home. If the domestic paradigm doesn’t shift, the leadership situation at work is unlikely to shift. I may be mistaken here but it was the first event where I have heard a senior man make this pertinent point. I resisted the temptation to walk on stage and hug him for saying it. Just.
5. A single woman on a board can’t carry the weight of all women Jillian Segal said it’s critical that when Chairs engage female directors they recognise that a woman alone cannot be solely responsible for the role of representing all women. CEOs, chairs and directors must all recognise that perspective.
6. Woman as a risk? Have you checked the research? Helena Morrissey said that engaging an “untested woman” for a board is still considered by some companies as risky. “And yet we know that the status quo or homogeneity poses a real risk.” Indeed.
7. 50:50 isn’t that wild.  Michael Chaney would like Woodside Petroleum to have 50:50 representation on its board and he thinks it’s a reasonable objective to achieve. Why? “Women are 50% of our customers so why wouldn’t a board reflect that?”
8. Australia can do better. Kevin McCann said there are a few areas where we need to do better in Australia regarding the representation of women. He identified politics as one: men still get the safe seats.
9. What shareholders want. Country Head of Blackrock Investment, the 30% Club’s investor partner in Australia, Justin Arter said that increasingly shareholders are asking companies for action because diversity works.
10. The pipeline. Getting women on boards is one thing, but the fact that so many female board appointments come from the executive ranks means it’s critical that companies focus on ensuring there are plenty of women in those ranks to choose from. One executive head-hunter said the criteria by which they are asked to find candidates makes it clear that executive experience is required. That obviously puts men at an advantage. Katie Lahey  said a woman in the C-suite is far more powerful than a single woman on the board. On the boards she sits on she volunteers to interview prospective candidates to identify and dismantle any bias.
11. Either or? No. And, and, thanks.  Meredith Hellicar from Chief Executive Women praised the work of the 30 Percent Club and made a fantastic point about these types of initiatives. “It’s not either or, it’s a case of and and.” A club with a voluntary and measurable target and support to help companies achieve that does not discount any diversity policy in a company to increase the number of women in the pipeline. Frankly the more initiatives there are, the better. 
12. Praying the 30% Club away. The final thing I am thinking about is a point that Helena Morrissey made that was repeated by a few others. We were all attending the launch of an entity for which obliteration would the best possible outcome. I am hopeful that the 30% Club’s arrival will start to signal the end of its necessary existence. Good luck to all those involved!