Know Your Numbers

With a stated goal of bringing women together to create change in the workplace, it is important that we take stock on where we are as we begin this journey together.

So this week, take some time and get to know your numbers. Look around and really count how many women are around you.   I mean this very literally. Get a notebook or a piece of paper that you can keep handy.   Write down the date and start counting.

Now if you are in a small firm this could be a very quick exercise.   If you are employed by one of the big banks, for example, this may take a bit more work and the information may not be easily accessible.   You should be able to get details on the executive leadership levels via financial and regulatory filings. You can look through the company directory and through any published organizational charts.   Some firms make a point of not publishing Org charts but you can often track your way through online directories or in employee surveys.

Starting at the very top of your organization note how many women exist at each level versus the total number of positions at that level.   To illustrate let’s take a look at General Motors website (yes, I picked GM because their CEO is a Woman!).

CEO – Mary Barra – there is 1 CEO position and it is held by a woman -1/1

Board of Directors – 3/11 –out of 11 positions 3 are held by women remove Barra.

Corporate Officers –   5/24 – out of 24 positions 5 are held by women remove Barra.

**Administrative note here – don’t double count the same woman or man as you go from one level to the next.     Also –remove support/administrative staff when doing this calculation.

Over the coming weeks, we will talk about those numbers and what they may mean for you.