A Conversation on #genderparity with Women's Forum Member Lisa Caputo

Well, I think the role of women in the boardroom, in the C-suite, at the executive levels of companies is an imperative conversation to have. For years we've strived for parity, certainly in both the private sector and the public sector, and the diverse views and experiences that women bring into those conversations in the workplace, I think, are vital to the success of companies and to the success of governments and non-profits and universities. And I think that the discussion around parity is one that is always to be front and center of the dialogue so that we can achieve equality in the workplace and beyond.

Well, I think that so many fantastic CEOs are a part of this conversation and they're not just talking but they're doing. They're promoting women into executive level and C-suite jobs. I'm very proud of the company on whose board I sit, Best Buy. The former chairman and CEO, Hubert Joly, invested in grooming his successor and ensured that she was set up to be successful in her roles and was also stretched in her assignments, such that by the time it was time for a transition and Mr. Joly was ready to step back, he had a successor, a woman, groomed who was ready to take the reins. And that to me is a classic example of doing it the right way. And it's really a tone at the top, I feel, that is set by the CEO and then putting those words into action just the way Hubert Joly did in grooming Corie Barry, Best Buy's now CEO.

You know, there are many core values that I think are testaments to good leadership. I think a couple of them: one is listening. It's so important as a leader to listen, to listen to broad and diverse viewpoints and opinions and to help formulate your own views. As a leader, you need to have the diversity of viewpoints around you. Second, I think is really empowering your people and understanding that you can't possibly be an expert in every discipline or every business, but rather surrounding yourself with people who are experts in those disciplines and businesses. So really what I'm saying is understanding what you know and what you don't know and surrounding yourself with experts who know what you don't know and empowering them to do their jobs. Third, I think being a great communicator is so important. The articulation of a vision and a mission and the values that are intrinsic to the company culture are so important because you need to lead your people in a direction. So clarity of vision and clarity in your communication of the vision and the mission and the values and articulating the path forward is critical to lead your company in the right direction. And then I would say finally, empathy. I think empathy is such an important leadership trait. To be an empathetic leader, to be a caring and compassionate leader, is something that I think sets great leaders apart and is certainly valued and appreciated by employees. Because really, I think it really gets to the acknowledgement that employees and human capital are your greatest asset. And when you have empathy in your leadership style, I think it emboldens your people and it inspires loyalty.

As far as progress in the next 10 years in terms of the development of leadership values, I really hope that we see more empathetic leaders across industries, whether it's in the public sector or the private sector. And I hope too that we see more listening, listening to employees, listening to what's on the minds of employees, and helping employees affect change, change in culture, change in products, change in services. You know, employees are incredibly smart ambassadors of the brand. They live it every day. And so really listening to their insights and their experiences can really help foster innovation, foster a positive change.

Well, I think the pandemic has triggered in many respects a new paradigm. I think that so many people now working remotely or virtually, while at the same time never working harder, right, because you're virtual and you're working almost 24/7, that there's no break in terms of a commute on a daily basis. And so I think that for women in particular it's been a challenge. Women as the caregivers in the household, while also being perhaps working mothers or daughters caring for parents as they age, while also still having a job, it's presented challenges because the kids have been at home, many in online school, older parents have come to live with their sons or daughters, and therefore they're in the household. So that you have the professional and the personal and the caregiving all coming together under one roof because your workplace is now in many respects for many people also their home. And so that's really triggered a lot of women to step back, some to stop working because they have to place their families first. And it's been a real challenge for so many working women. And my hope is that we can get back on track, recognize the struggles that working women have had during the pandemic, and provide some flexibility so that they're able to continue to do the juggle that they've done for so many years as working parents. And I'm hopeful that in providing the flexibility, they get a little breathing room to manage when they have to, if they have to, online school issues while also handling conference calls, while also potentially handling an elderly parent, while also running an off-site meeting. Women have the uncanny ability to juggle a lot at the same time. We're very versatile human beings and that versatility is an asset. And so my hope is that we will enable women, and also I should say men, men who may have the same challenges if they're a single parent or don't have a support at home, that we enable the flexibility so that their versatility can thrive.

I think the biggest challenge in achieving parity is just action, really. For so long we've talked about parity, achieving parity in the workplace, achieving equal pay, having more women on boards, having more women in the C-suite, having more women as CEOs and in executive positions. I've worked in the financial services world for a long time, and sometimes I feel that we move two steps forward and then we take one step backward. That's normal, it's sort of all cyclical. But I think we have to put the discussion and the conversation around parity into action. And it's incumbent upon all of us who are executives in companies to implement practices that will bring more women along, that will train them for leadership positions, that will have pipeline development programs that will teach them the tools they need to run a P&L and to run large businesses, and to have them on succession plans, and to have diverse slates of candidates for most senior jobs across companies. And I think that's the way we do it: that today's leaders put into practice those things that they speak about with passion, and they put those words into action, and that will start to pay dividends and results.

Well, I think that it's just so important first and foremost to do the best job possible. I'm a believer in meritocracy and I believe that when you work hard and you demonstrate results, you're rewarded. And if you can do that, if you can focus on doing the best job possible, if you can volunteer to do special projects or extra projects, and to also make sure you're communicating both to your colleagues and to your manager on a regular basis what you're doing and the success that you're having and the metrics around which you're being judged, if you do that and you do it on a regular basis, which is perform to your fullest, communicate regularly, I fundamentally believe then the meritocracy pays off and you'll be rewarded not just from a compensation standpoint but with additional responsibilities and promotions. And then finally, I would say the importance of networking is very real, particularly for women. And so it's very important to maintain your own personal network and nurture it, nurture it on a regular basis while you continue to perform in the workplace.