GHC14: Accountability and Metrics for Gender Diversity

Panelists: Laszlo Bock, SVP People Operations, Google; Danielle Brown, Cheif of Staff, Intel; Theresa Kushner, VP of Enterprise Information Management, VMware; Denise Menelly, Shared Service Operations Eecutive for Global echnology and Operations, BofA; J, Sr Directoreanne Hultquist of Strategic Initiatives, ABI.

At BofA, they talk about metrics at all levels in all positions - this stuff is important.

Lazslo Block noted that they didn't release their diversity data for business reasons, but because this was just the right thing to do. Google needed to be open and honest about this.  Diverse teams are better, we know that. We were hesitant to release the numbers for the same reason as everyone else: we were afraid to get sued! Simply the right thing to do.

Danielle brown noted that releasing these numbers is an important part of the conversation. Intel has been releasing the data for 10 years, but perhaps a bit quietly in the past. By measuring we know where we stand and where we need to go.

Denise Menelly noted the importance of these numbers - they aren't just numbers, you have to have actions behind them.  Every senior level manager is expected to have a score card: budget, project schedule and how they are performing against gender diversity numbers.  Not only do the managers have to report, but they need to say what they are doing to continue to increment in the right direction. It's very important to see what is happening, even small changes are important and need to be watched.

VMware is data driven - so it was an easy, short conversation. Theresa Kushner showed her new CEO the numbers and he instantly said, "Yep, there's a problem - we need to do something about this". Then senior management has a new responsibility - measure, track. What you measure is what you look at - so make sure you're measuring the right things.  It's not just a number, you also have to change the culture - but how do you measure that?

 At Intel, we often found that women were working in isolation.  Trying to address this by creating networks for women that start when they start.  Making sure they immediately have a network of support.

At Google we're looking at unconscious bias - for example, if a man leaves early to pick up his kids, everything thinks "what a great dad!" When a woman does the same thing? "Figures".  "Our tech population is 83% men - they have to behave differently." The unconscious bias training is starting to make an anecdotal difference - people are now aware they are doing this. 94% of Googlers surveyed said they will now step up and say something if they see someone demonstrating unconscious bias.

Denise Menelly noted this is taking too long. While they won ABI award, she was surprised as she sees there is so much work to do.  You're leaders -NOT just your HR/Diversity people - your technical leaders need to support you to come to Grace Hopper Celebration.  There is an issue that women will look at a job description and not see themselves as qualified (where a man will, even though they have the same qualifications.

Sergey, when he first started Google wanted 50% of his interns to be women (they hired 4 total interns in their first year).  Sergey also has his door open to women - he realizes that they have a perspective that he just doesn't have.

At VMware the executives don't just need to mentor women, but rather sponsor them. The execs need to have a plan for doing this and have accountability for their actions.

At Intel, EVERY employee will get a bigger paycheck this year if Intel improves their gender diversity.

At Google, every manager with more than 100 people in their org gets a diversity report and a visit to discuss. There are company goals here, and when people fail to make progress it can cause reduction in pay.  Some people are convinced of this issue, some people are just wrong. We'll need to work on forcing them out or keeping their wrong opinions to themselves.  The rest, they're in the middle and we want them to have the epiphany.

At VMware, we are working on diversity because it's good for business, it's good for innovation and it's good for our product line.

Denise  from BofA noted, yes, there's a pipeline problem, but that's not the biggest issue. We need to focus on fixing the culture and retention and making this a better industry.

At Intel, it was believed that the "issue" was women were leaving mid career - but when they looked at data, that actually wasn't the issue! Focus was in the wrong place, Intel now working on promotion and advancements.  The lack of senior women wasn't caused by women leaving - it was caused by them getting stuck at mid level.

Lots of good questions about pay data, when will we see more break down of what these companies mean by "technical woman", if women aren't leaving - why are they stuck, etc.  Panelists answered them all honestly - unfortunately, I was in line to ask a question (but we ran out of time) so could not take  notes.

Great talk - very inspiring! What are you doing in your org?  Do you think this could be handled bottom up?

This post is syndicated from Security, Beer, Theater and Biking!

GHC14: Leadership Strategies for High Impact Women

Presented by JJ DiGeronimo

JJ started her career over 20 years go - not for the love of code, but because she was tired of working dead end minimum wage jobs.  Found a great place in her school and got great grades that landed her in a consulting job, allowing her to travel all over the world.

We have to continue to carry the baton, but we have to find a different way of doing this - we can't take care of all things all the time, and still have any energy left.  The more things she picked up in her career, in addition to taking care of her family, she couldn't see how she could maintain the current state of things - she simply was doing so much.  JJ spent a lot of her time over the years interviewing more senior more successful women to figure out how they were doing.

Women want more influence and impact - do something slightly different to have their voice heard.

Keep in mind - you're career is a game, no doubt about it. How do you keep moving yourselves forward and position yourself strategically?

And you never know where you'll find these opportunities!  JJ and her husband wanted to start a family, so traveling all over the world alone was not conducive to getting pregnant. So, she took a lateral move to a new position which she ended up loving and had a lot more influence than she had expected.

But, you shouldn't leave this up to chance. What do you need to do to get to where you want to be in the next 24 months?  You need to plan ahead of time. Do you need new connections, new knowledge, new customers, new partnerships and/or new opportunities.

JJ wanted a new job at VMware and was surprised when she got a call from the hiring manager saying they were not even going to include her in the interview cycle, because she didn't have the right skills.  JJ then analyzed the people that were in the position she wanted to be in and discovered her gaps, and worked on filling those over the next few months.

How do the successful women do it?  First of all, they are master schedulers - they have to be in control of their calendar.  JJ looked at this and made a list of all the things she was committed to - she came up with FIVE pages of things. That's just not sustainable.   She had to look at two things: who  was asking her to do this?  Did they align with where she wanted to go?

People are notorious for putting things on your list - especially if you're a doer.  If you're in this session or reading these notes - that's probably you!  Be careful and make sure that what you and your teams are doing are aligned with what you should be doing and how much enjoyment do you get out of this?  You have to protect your time - do not expect others to do so!

For example, somebody asked her to do an "easy" task of mentoring 24 women over the year.  When JJ analyzed what this meant, she realized it was a 75 hour commitment! She thought about it for 24 hours... and realized she just couldn't fit it in.  JJ asked what they were really trying to get - inspire women in their organization.  She suggested instead that she come to their quarterly meetings, talk to the group and spend time afterwards talking to interested women.  The org asking was thrilled and JJ changed the commitment from a 75 hour commitment to a 6 hour commitment that was going to be rewarding.

Your goal here should be to get things off of  your list. Delegation is your best friend, especially if you've already learned the lesson from the task - give someone else an opportunity to learn! Yes, it will take longer at first, but it will save you time long term and make you happier and free up your time to do the things you want to do.

It doesn't make sense for a well paid women to do all of her household chores - no matter what the world and your mother have told you.  Can you barter and trade for services?  For example, help your neighbor with their wifi network and see if they can do some cooking/baking for you.

If you aren't excited about something - don't sign up. Your help won't be appreciated if you aren't bringing energy to it.  By actually letting someone else take something over for you, you're giving them opportunities to shine.

To get control of your calendar, you need to introduce yourself to the word "No."

Don't let other people give you tasks (they are ALL urgent) that are going to cause you to fall behind on your "real" job (which is, really, just a collection of tasks).

Make sure you have a list of what tasks you're working on and their priorities - put them on your white board.  When your boss comes in with a super new important tasks, you can say, visually - where does it fit with all of these things?  Sometimes that can even let you remove tasks, when your boss has forgotten to tell you that something wasn't important anymore.

How do you get rid of the guilt?  You will have to drop things that you're going to wish you could do (like you might not be able to make *every* soccer game) - but let your family and co-workers have a voice, that can help alleviate the guilt. For example, "which of your upcoming games are the most important and you really want me there?"

Before you say yes, think about:

• Do you understand the work ahead of you?
• What other commitments would interfere?
• Is this project in line with your goals?
• If I do this, would it be for the right reasons?
• How will it impact my other responsibilities and commitments?
• who else needs to be involved to ensure scucess?
• What would sueccess look like?
• Am I the best person to be doing this?

How did JJ prepare for her job changes from sales to cloud? She blocked out time on her calendar 3 times a week reading new articles on the cloud. But how could she let folks know what she now new?  She started posting comments on the articles she read, she starting writing her own articles and started sharing more on LinkedIn.

JJ also started getting into new circles - both online and in real life.  From there, she could help other groups she hadn't previously worked with, helping her to build her credibility.

You need to seek clarity, guidance and perspective.  JJ's had a surprising number of people come to her for "mentorship", but it turns out that they hate their current job. That's not a job for a mentor - that's a job for a career coach to help you to find your right direction - THEN find a mentor.

Once you have a plan, make sure your desires are known.  Don't be afraid to apply for the job - even if you're not perfectly qualified.

To get more exposure and skills, join a non-profit board and improve your leadership skills.  JJ said this is something EVERYONE needs to do.

My takeaway?

Next week - I'm resetting my calendar, and starting over. My calendar is SOLID, I have no time to get to tasks that I need to.  This is hard, as I am a first line manager, so I need to have 1:1s with people on my team - but I can control that schedule more than I currently do.  In addition, since becoming a manager I find I am driven by my calendar - all sorts of appointments end up there, often back to back to back to back... I need to start blocking off time to do email, strategy, etc - in big enough clumps where I can get things accomplished.

Also, I've been working on putting priority lists on my whiteboard - but it's never completely up to date, and as it's a white board it's not that hard to do this - and I will! (part of that time block for prioritization).

I loved listening to the other women's take-aways: one women is going to get someone else to mow her lawn. Another is going to take some new risks. Another women was excited that she is not "alone" for having chosen CS for a degree for the money - there is no shame in wanting to provide for your family, and you can still find the passion. Yeses need to be curtailed. Do things you enjoy that make you excited wherever possible.

What do you think you can do to better streamline your life and professional career?

This post is syndicated from Security, beer, theater....

GHC14: Seeking Online Community Volunteers!

First and foremost: I will be attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing again this year! I missed last year, so I am excited to be coming back!

Second: I am co-chairing the Online Community Committee again with Gail Carmichal, and we need volunteer bloggers, note-takers (on the wiki), wiki managers, tweeters, LinkedIn group managers, video bloggers, etc - so we can capture all of the content for those who were unable to get a pass to the conference this year.

Also - we could you remote volunteers to help manage questions from other volunteers, manage the online groups and keep the wiki free of spam.  So, even if you can't attend, if you are available to help before and during the conference - we want you!

We are accepting applications through September 8, 2014 - please sign up sooner than later, so we can get you set up well ahead of the conference start!  Apply now!

Thanks!

Valerie Fenwick
Online Communities Committee Co-Chair

This post is syndicated from Security, Beer, Theater and Biking!

Success! Team Salty Dawgs Do Marin!

We did it!  Mark, Mike and I completed the 100K Marin Century Route on Saturday, August 2.  Mike noticed at the last rest stop that the route was actually only 57 miles, so Mark and I added a 20 minute loop at the end of the ride to make sure we got our full 62 miles in.

Stats: Since April, I rode 900 miles, burned 36,204 calories and rode for 75 hours and 35 minutes to train for this 100K ride to raise money for the American Lung Association.

Results: I rode 62 miles, climbed 3830 feet, and burned 2360 calories in 6 hours and 15 minutes. (that includes time at rest stops).

Best results: I raised nearly $4500 for the American Lung Association of California, and Oracle will be chipping in about another $1500 in matching donation.  I have been overwhelmed with everyone's generosity.

Not bad for a woman who thought she'd never ride a bicycle again just 3 years ago!

The ride was fabulous, and the rest stops had the best food! They had all the standards: m&ms, nuts, chips, cookies, PB&J and Gatorade.  But then they had even more: focaccia bread, brie, strawberries, figs, beef jerky, peaches, grapes, cherries, coffee cake and more.

That really helped me avoid stomach cramps while I rode (more fruit, less heavy/fatty stuff).

The day started out cool and nice (and missing Mike, who started 38 minutes after us...)

Mark beat me to the Big Rock (he appears to be being very silly)

but I got there eventually...

We did see a little bit of sun and Mark warmed up enough to take off his arm warmers, though they came back on for some of the descents.

Mike did find us and ride with us for a lot of the ride - completing Team Salty Dawgs!

We were still grinning at the finish!

Photos courtesy of Captivating Sports and Event Photos!

I couldn't have done this with out the support of my friends and family, and without Mike and Mark.  Mark even pushed me a bit up the steepest climb - I think he was getting bored.

I felt like I could've easily done another 10 miles... with more training, maybe next year I can try 100 miles...

THANK YOU!!  Valerie

Support Requested: Salty Dawgs Ride Again for the American Lung Association!

As you faithful readers know, I love riding my bicycle and I love raising money to help the American Lung Association of California fight lung disease!

Due to my earlier injuries, I haven't been able to support the ALAC for a few years.  The ALAC no longer does their Two Rock Ride, but that's not going to stop me!  I'm riding the Marin Century this Saturday!  I'll be doing the metric century (100K/60miles) - quite a challenge for me, as I haven't done more than 40-45 miles since my injury.  My trainer - my husband, Mark - has been working with me every weekend on longer rides with more climbs. I'm sure I'll be ready.

This ride is important to me, as a long time asthma sufferer and since I've lost so many loved ones to lung cancer and other lung diseases.  My mother, a non-smoker who survived her ordeal with lung cancer, inspires me to ride every day and not to take my lungs for granted! My mom lost 1/2 of one lung to cancer, and I know she misses it!

So, please support my ride! I'm trying to raise $8,000 and I'm only 30% of the way there - the ride is on Saturday!  I know together that we can do this!

Thank you so much!

Valerie

OASIS PKCS#11 v2.40 in final 15-day public review!

After starting work in February 2013, I am so excited that just 14 months later, our recently formed OASIS technical committee has our first standard revision under the OASIS banner out for final public review.

I am proud of the hard work everyone put forth into this new version of the standard, particularly so of our editors who all integrated changes and fixes with nary a complaint.

PKCS#11 v 2.40 is just what we need to move this cryptographic standard forward into the future.

I'm excited about the new work we're starting on the next revision already!

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Thank you!

Valerie, co-chair OASIS PKCS11 TC
[Update July 2014: Not sure why I said "Final"... some minor mistakes were found, we're cleaning them up and should have another review out shortly!]

Solaris 11.2: Security Blog Round Up

In case you missed it, last month we launched the Solaris 11.2 Beta! Now is your chance to download the OS and kick the tires and let us know what you think.

To help you catch up on what's out there in security, check out:

• Misaki Miyashita (aka Slayer of Engines) on the changes for OpenSSL for Solaris 11.2
• Dan Anderson on Verified Boot
• Casper Dik on Immutable Global Zones
• Darren Moffat on the Compliance Framework and /etc/system.d for kernel configurations
• Glenn Faden on Authenticated Rights Profiles and Qualified User Attributes

Enjoy!