Photos with Michael Porter. Final moments at Harvard...

I was very interested in the themes for the final day of the Women's Leadership Forum - "Managing the Work-Life Interface" and "Managing Yourself." I had no doubt that I had a lot to learn.

from my seat in the lecture room on Day 5

Professor Leslie Perlow in action

Our first case was about "George Martin, managing partner at The Boston Consulting Group, who is worried as some of his best performers have recently pulled him aside to discuss the challenges they face managing the demands of their work lives with their desire for more predictable time with their families. BCG had instituted multiple initiatives to help its consulting staff better achieve work-life balance, yet some of Martin's top consultants still struggled."  Our Professor, Leslie Perlow (and mother of 3 young children) was actually hired to assist with this problem and shared with us the effects of an initiative she introduced where one team trialled having predictable, staggered nights off from work each week.  In the trial, three components contributed to its success:

1. The issue was not so much how many hours a week BCG's consultants were working, but that they couldn't make or keep plans because the additional hours were so often unpredictable.  The collective goal of a predictable night off each week was agreed on.
2. There was structured dialogue around the requirements and practices to achieve the goal, including a weekly meeting where attendance was mandatory, a review of everyone's calendars to check they were taking the night off and a formal pulse check to see how people were feeling, how much value they felt they were delivering to their clients following the change and how satisfied they were with what they were learning.
3. There was support for each person to achieve the goal.  This support came in the form that team member's nights were staggered so when one person was off, another person covered for them.  And there was leadership support for the trial so that the team was not being asked to compromise its goal because of demands from higher up in the organisation.

The impact was profound resulting in both:

• increased employee satisfaction and retention AND 
• increased customer value.

Leslie intimated that this small change worked because individual solutions help people exist within the system when the problem is the system.  The system CAN change, but change must be collective and can start small.


i.e. The outcomes of this intiative at BCG demonstrate "the power of small wins, driven by personal needs being collectively embraced."


At the core of creating change like this is starting with a goal that is:

• small
• personally motivated and
• collectively executed.

Leslie opened the session by getting each of us to answer the question, "At my organisation what thing could I change that would make my life better?"


At BCG there was an expectation that teams must work around the clock to respond to the demands of the client.  Leslie challenged us to think about assumptions that are driving our behaviour to create work patterns that cause us to act against our personal desires/values.  She shared that: "Responsiveness breeds the need for responsiveness."


This was a great session and I got a lot of simple ideas on how I can facilitate change to improve the work-life interface in my organisations.


MANAGING YOURSELF


In the second session, we were asked:


What am I trying to achieve?
How do I want to live?
What's important to me?


Are my actions consistent with getting me where I want to be?


These are topics I've given a lot of thought to over the past few years and I found it quite easy to write a vision of my life in 2021 and share it in the class in a group of three.  It was interesting to note the variations in the group on how much preparation and clarity each person had put into this task.


Leslie shared with us The Four Satisfactions of Enduring Success: (click on those words if you're interested in reading more). We brainstormed as a group what success means to us and perhaps not surprisingly, most of our responses could be classified into the areas identified in the research being:

1. Achievement
2. Significance
3. Legacy
4. Happiness

The afternoon concluded with a reflection on what the intentions of the program were at the beginning of the week and whether Harvard Business School had delivered on them.  This was followed by a powerful discussion where many of the women participants shared their learnings and experiences from the week.  I was in tears numerous times; even the "toughest" ladies let down their guards to share their vulnerabilities. I was touched by the bonding and support that had taken place over five days crossing all ages, experiences and cultures and the common ground we were able to find with each other despite our differences.


I reflected on my own intentions and ambitions at the start of the week:

• to honourably represent  my company, my country and QUT
• to build relationships with other women that mutually enhance our future lives
• to learn from the experiences (good and bad) of others
• to gain distance and perspective on all aspects of my life to make changes for the better
• to gain material for my upcoming speaking presentations 
• to crystallise my priorities and create a new work schedule based on these priorities that I actually map in Google Calendar
• to broaden my knowledge and opinions on world issues
• to make a contribution to the experience of others through my participation during the program
• to develop a set of actions in response to the challenge statement I shared with my Board of Advisors
• to exercise for at least 3 hours between Mon-Fri
• to get some great photos of the experience
• to buy some Harvard memorabilia
• to return to my role as a better leader capable of giving more to and eliciting more from my team to achieve our goals.

I'm pleased to say I feel confident all of these intentions have been or will be realised (except the 3 hours exercise while I was on campus.  I only achieved 1 hour exercise and in retrospect that was a bit too ambitious given the demands of the program, but I'm making up for it now that I have a couple of days to myself)

 

The Women's Leadership Forum concluded with a small graduation ceremony where we were each presented with a certificate and a class photo whilst the rousing song Pomp and Circumstance played in the background.  We said our goodbyes, exchanged hugs, kisses and business cards, but Marie-Claire and I had one more important thing to do before we left the campus...

Michael Porter

Our appointment to have a photo taken with Michael Porter was at 2.20pm.  We waited patiently in his office with books for him to sign.  

you can see we're both pretty excited!!

Michael Porter is a VERY busy man and his assistant Jill is an amazing woman.  The same afternoon he was hosting a reception for some graduates in his offices, so we weren't the only excited people in the room waiting to meet this academic legend.

When he eventually arrived, the official photographer snapped our pictures and promised to email them to me (which he obviously did promptly - bless him!).  Although I didn't get the opportunity to quiz Professor Porter on the nuances of competitive strategy in the industries of my businesses, my impressions of him are that he is a very gracious, friendly man (on top of everything else we know him for).  It's very special to have these photos and great to have shared the experience with Marie-Claire - QUT would be proud of us!

with Professor Michael Porter in his offices at Harvard Business School, Cambridge MA

On a high after this privileged experience, Marie-Claire and I then wandered the campus to take a few more pictures before we left.

See... I really was there!

inside the Library at Harvard Business School

the reading room in the library

library exterior

Executive Dean's residence

As the Harvard experience draws to a close I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to be here this week - QUT, FEW and St George, Jude and Skroo and my team at the Gainsdale Group who supported me pursuing this opportunity and the business in my absence, my parents who literally moved into my apartment to take care of my sons while I'm away and of course to the team at Harvard Business School for accepting me into the program.

It has been an experience I will never forget and one that will no doubt have a lasting impact on my life.

Thanks to all of my friends and loved ones who have been so happy for me to have this opportunity. I really appreciate your support.  And to the amazing women I met on the program - congratulations and thank you.  I look forward to keeping in touch and no doubt hearing about the impact you will have in pursuing the opportunities that are important to you.

I now have a day in Boston and a couple of days in New York to reflect on this experience and commence executing my action plan.

There are a few special people I can't wait to see when I return to Brisbane, but until then I'm going to make the most of this incredible opportunity to see new places and think deeply about my life.