The road to the top: inclusive leadership, proof points of performance, and male mentors - Women's Agenda

The road to the top: inclusive leadership, proof points of performance, and male mentors

Lyn McGrath is the embodiment of successful female leadership. Starting off as a junior media researcher, Lyn transitioned to a banking career at a Regional office in Dubbo, where she made her way through the ranks, and now, she manages over 12,000 staff across Australia, the UK and China in her role as Executive General Manager, Retail Sales at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

“I started as a media researcher, but very quickly learnt that one of my strengths and things that appealed to me was leadership: leading people, creating change and dealing with change,” Lyn explains.

“I think the essence of good leadership is that it’s actually incumbent upon you to build a diverse team,” Lyn says. “You have to enable your people to shine. It’s not about ‘me’, it’s ‘we’.”

Being inclusive in leadership

Inclusion, according to Lyn, is a crucial aspect of leadership. Leaders have to create an environment in which everyone feels welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

As a member of both the Gender and LGBTI diversity group steering committees at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Lyn is a strong advocate for inclusivity in the workplace.

“Leadership needs to supports the entire workplace community,” Lyn says. “CBA staff represents the diverse community of Australia – 40 per cent of people have a background other than Australian, they speak numerous languages, 58 per cent are women, and they range in age from 16-77.”

“As a leader, I have to provide clear vision, values and support for them to flourish in their own unique groups, so they can in turn pass those values on and influence those in their own minority communities.”

“We have executives sponsoring diversity teams for age, ethnic background, disability, gender, and LGBTI communities. Visibility and example-setting from the top echelons is crucial for positive progress.”

But it’s a collaborative effort. Creating an inclusive workplace community doesn’t only come from the top down – everyone has to be involved.

“If you only set targets at the top but you also don’t communicate it well and have people believe in it from the bottom, it won’t get very far. You might get pockets of brilliance from middle management, but you won’t get it across the entire organisation.”

“Internal communication and enforcement is vital for inclusion.”

“Everybody has to feel valued in an organisation, and organisations need to strive for that more so than ever.”

The road to the top: proof points of performance

No matter how much of a vision they have, not all women are in a situation where they can create positive change. It took Lyn many years to land that top job where she now has the power to influence and enforce inclusivity.

What’s the secret to women building leadership and advancing to these positions in order to realise the change they want?

“You can’t challenge naysayers unless you’ve got proof points of performance,” Lyn explains. “Of course, courage and bravery are great traits to have, but you have to build your credibility first.”

“You also need people who affirm you and support you through tough times – I call them ‘confidence builders’. My confidence builders were male mentors who guided and supported me through my career.”

Why male mentors?

“In my experience – we’re talking in the 90’s – there weren’t a lot of women around, and they weren’t the people I wanted to have as role models. There were lots of women who were quite polarising, and when you’re young, you don’t necessarily want to follow people with that attitude.”

“One of my biggest influencers was my father. My father was a CEO and a very good leader who pushed for women in leadership. I tended to gravitate to men very much like my father who were much more groundbreaking and tangibly promoting women through the ranks of seniority.”

Mentorship is essential to opening doors and rising up the ranks. At that time, Lyn was one of the only senior women in banking. There were few women above her who could mentor her and be beneficial to her career advancement, so she sought out progressive male mentors instead.

“I found that men who supported diversity and women in leadership were great. I naturally gravitated towards senior men with that mindset to ask for advice and to seek sponsorship.”

“It’s only been in very recent times that I’ve felt there’s a larger number of women in executive and directorial positions who are able to give that same level of mentorship I received, which is fantastic.”

Above all, perhaps the key to Lyn’s success is the combination of all these factors: hard work, mentorship, strong leadership sense, and positive affirmation.

Lyn has a mantra which she sticks by; a saying which has accompanied her throughout her journey to the top.

“Just remember, the impossible is possible.”

 


 

Lyn McGrath is the panel speaker at Macquarie University’s 2015 Women, Management and Work Conference, 6th November in Sydney. She will discuss with Jenni Seaton from Redkite, “Creating Community in your Leadership Journey”. The conference will feature some of the most innovative ideas of leadership and progressive management concepts, presented by thought leaders in organisational management and diversity. Get your tickets here.

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