One's Perception Is One's Reality

By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL

At the 2015 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s (HBA) annual Woman Of The Year (WOTY) awards event, a member of the organization asked me, “How can HBA get more men like you involved?” Before responding I reminded the questioner that I am not a member of HBA, but a media partner. But the question gave me pause, beyond just wondering why HBA might want more men involved. For while I would be the first to admit that the organization has always made me feel most welcome, I wonder how many men would be willing to join an organization with a name that gives a perception of their gender being excluded. After all, one’s perception is one’s reality. For example, Shideh Sedgh Bina, a 2014 HBA WOTY winner, referenced in her speech at this year’s WOTY, Apple and Google as being two of today’s more progressive companies. But are they really progressive — beyond the products they make? Apple’s 16-member executive leadership team has three women, one of whom, Denise Young Smith, also represents the only black person on Apple’s leadership team. Google’s executive leadership team is 100 percent male. And while its senior leadership team is most certainly diverse, it is still predominantly male. Bina concluded her speech with a quote from Albert Einstein saying, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” When you consider that HBA was founded over 35 years ago, I wonder if its present mission of advancing the impact of women in healthcare worldwide is being supported by a name that is not inclusive of all its present day stakeholders.

Does Your Diversity Mission Match With How You’re Perceived?

Not long ago, I received a call from one of my former colleagues at Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Tressia Pankewicz. Working now as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, she informed me that she had recently been added to the board of directors for the Central Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GLCC). My first thought, and wrongly so, was that Pankewicz was gay. Not so. In her financial advising role, she had come into contact with several members of this organization. While the Central PA GLCC claims to be committed to diversity in the business community, the makeup of their board of directors (i.e., five white men) provided a different perception. Pankewicz suggested to the board that if the Central PA GLCC really wanted diversity of thought on its board, it could use her perspective, which is not just heterosexual, but that of a single-mother of Asian descent. I applaud her for helping to elucidate these leaders on the importance of walking the talk, and for these leaders being willing to take action on being more diverse at its board of director level.

What’s In A Mentor? What’s In A Gender? What’s In A Name?

HBA is a great organization, and I support its recognition as to the important role male mentors can play in developing future women leaders. In 2001, HBA added the Honorable Mentor Award, which has been won by a man every year of its existence. Considering this fact, one might wonder why the award wasn’t named Male Honorable Mentor. Could it be to make the award feel more inclusive? Is it the management of perception? The reality is that truly great leaders (male or female) take on mentoring of top talent, regardless of gender, race, disability, or sexual orientation. Michael Kaufmann, winner of HBA’s Honorable Mentor award in 2012, will tell you it was a woman mentor who took a chance on giving him an opportunity when he was young and inexperienced. At the time, this female mentor had a lot to lose because she was the only female member of the company’s executive leadership team, and as he recalls, every decision she made was scrutinized. I too had a significant female mentor, Indiana University College of Business Advisement Center (COBAC) director, Frances Stineman, Ph.D. I went to see her about being on academic probation and left with a job application. She could have just given me what was required in her job description. But instead, Dr. Stineman took an active interest in mentoring me, and that has made all the difference, which for me, was life altering.

For HBA to be a truly great organization, able to help solve leadership problems of today, can it do so using the foundational thinking which created its name? While I certainly understand and support HBA, as well as other women’s organizations (e.g., Women In Bio), when considering the original question of how can HBA get more men involved, perhaps it is time to consider a name that preserves the legacy and brand equity of HBA, while remaining true to its mission — The Healthcare Business-leader’s Association.