Making progress in gender equality and diversity

 

Med Ad News reached out to agency executives to get their perspectives on how they have dealt with gender and diversity issues in their careers and in their lives.

 

What are the strides that healthcare communications agencies have taken to address gender and diversity issues? What are the changes that have been noticed by those working in the industry? Med Ad News talked with agency leaders to get their perspectives.

Participating in this roundtable are Christine Molbury, VP, Finance Operations, Ogilvy Health; Patricia Malone, chief creative officer of FreshBlood Group; Wendy Blackburn, executive VP of Marketing & Communications, Intouch Group; Renée Wills, co-founder and client lead, Brick City Greenhouse; Ashley Schofield, co-founder and creative lead, Brick City Greenhouse; and Antonio Rivera, associate director of Inclusion & Diversity, Intouch Group.

 

Med Ad News: What are the differences you see in opportunities for women compared with when you started your career and the present day?

Christine Molbury: The first two companies I worked for were led by an executive committee comprising mostly men and were only peripherally supported by women. The major, high-level company decisions were reserved for the committee of men; the women were primarily responsible for the management of the day-to-day work and the employees. Throughout my career, I have witnessed, and been able to participate in, a major progression in this area. Today, women make up 57 percent of the executive committee and 41 percent of the board at Ogilvy Health. Within my department (Finance), women make up 50 percent of the senior leadership team and I am proud to be a part of that percentage. These are not just numbers, they represent opportunities for women. We are able to bring our perspective to the decisions being made about the future of the company, the work we do, and the potential opportunities available to our employees.

Patricia Malone: Throughout my career there have always been opportunities for women in the lower and mid-level positions. But when I first started, it’s hard to remember a woman at the top. The names on the door were mostly males. The lead account positions were males. And the receptionists were all women. Yes, there were female creative directors and account directors, but it was fairly male dominated at the top. That has evolved over the years, and today powerful women have emerged in every industry, providing important role models for women working their way up. Though there is still work to be done, companies are formulating better policies to address the issues of gender inequality, equal pay and harassment. These policies, as well as offering programs for greater flexibility in the workplace, have helped provide more opportunities for women, enabling better ways to help balance work and home.

Renée Wills: Today, there are more opportunities and more diverse paths for women to realize their dreams of career and family in whatever form that takes for them without having to reflexively “Lean In” no matter the cost. When I was coming up through the ranks, women needed to “Lean In” to be successful. I know that I “Leaned In.” I didn’t take a maternity leave when I adopted my children (who are now in high school). I had just started at CDM four months prior and was on an account that I was brought in to turn around when the opportunity to adopt presented itself far sooner than I expected. While I didn’t hesitate to get on that plane and adopt my children, I never considered asking for maternity leave. CDM was great in giving me the flexibility to make this work, and I’m sure that they would have been gracious about granting me leave, yet, I thought this was something that I had to do. I felt compelled to “Lean In.”

Ashley Schofield: I see more women in leadership positions at more agencies. Women like Deb Deaver, Dina Peck, Kristen Kantak, and Robin Shapiro. These women are rock stars and they send a powerful message to women about what’s possible: running an agency, starting an agency, or being the driving force behind great work.

 

Med Ad News: Do women need to still “Lean In”? Or do men need to “Lean Out”?

Wendy Blackburn: Obviously, men make large, important contributions to our workplaces every day, and many men are strong champions for women, so I don’t want to discount that. And importantly, women have come a long way in gaining equality in the workplace. But it’s taking a long time – generations – for change to happen. And I’m a little tired of women continually being told they should act more like men in the workplace to get ahead. There is a very valid argument, instead, that men should consider adapting qualities more often associated with women – to be nurturing, to be better listeners, and to choose collaboration and cooperation over competitiveness or arrogance. Wouldn’t that be an interesting twist?

Patricia Malone: Honestly, at this point, I think we all need to lean together. We need to respect and value what each has to offer today, eschewing the traditional role definitions of yesterday. The gender inequality is difficult to fix if women aren’t respected as leaders, and main wage earners, and men aren’t respected as caregivers instead of breadwinners – taking a lead in parenting, working part time, or deferring promotions. We need to continually search for better ways of working that respect both genders equally. I love the quote by the Australian feminist G.D. Anderson: “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives strength.” And that is true of both men and women.
I suggest we throw away those terms or redefine them. Yes, we need to work hard, but it doesn’t mean rigidly trying to follow the old rules of the game. If you’re good at what you do and you’re someone that people want to work with, then it’s possible to get creative and define a work life that works for your life. However, one aspect of “Lean In” that remains very relevant is being your own advocate. We women haven’t always been the best advocates for ourselves. There are multiple reasons for this, including how we may have been brought up, but it’s time for us to find our voice and advocate for ourselves and what we want.

Ashley Schofield: Everybody needs to lean into making the world a better, more fair place to work. It requires every person to challenge their old assumptions about the opposite sex, keep an open mind, and be willing to let go of old ways.

Christine Molbury: EVERYONE needs to lean in AND out. Both men and women should feel empowered and confident enough to raise a hand when they see an opportunity or challenge that they can take on. On the flip side, we need to lean out by leading with an open mind, understanding the value of diversity, and fairly offering up opportunities to others when we can. We need to be evolutionary in our thinking when it comes to who should be given which opportunities, and we need to learn from each other, improve processes, and ultimately succeed, together.

 

Med Ad News: How do you achieve a work-life balance? Is such a thing achievable?

Patricia Malone: This is always a great question, and the answer is different for everyone. I do believe you can achieve a work life balance if you learn to straddle the guilt that often accompanies both. In 1998, I co-founded my agency, and the next year my son was born. And the struggle began. Yes, I helped build and run an award-winning, West Coast healthcare agency for over 16 years, and I have a beautiful son who is now in college.

But did I really achieve work/life balance? I loved the challenge of starting and growing something with two business partners I respected – the thrill of a hard-earned win, the building of a culture you believe in, and the wonderful teams that truly made the agency what it was. But I also loved every cherished moment with my son, knowing all too well how fast 18 years goes. Every book, every school activity, every sports event, every piano recital. And every one of those things I missed due to my work, tore at my heart. I was the breadwinner, and a mom.

So I guess the answer to your question depends on one’s own definition of “achievable.” I would say I achieved a balance because what else could I do. You make things work the best way you know how. But did I achieve everything in business I could have? Could I have been a better mom? I think my answer came last year, when I overheard my son talking to someone else about what his mom did for a living – that she had built a woman-owned agency and he was so proud of her. I may not have done it perfectly, but hearing that, I felt I had achieved something.

Renée Wills: This is certainly influenced by my regular practice of yoga, but I define balance as the ability to maintain my center despite the winds that come from different directions. I need to be flexible and to bend in order to maintain that balance. It’s totally OK and to be expected if at times my family needs me more and if at other times my work is more demanding of my time. It’s impossible to think it can be 50/50. Accepting that is a key to finding balance.

Work-life balance as a theme is an important one in my life and for so many other people. It’s something that my partners, Fred and Ash, and I considered carefully when we created our new agency model. One of the key features of Brick City Greenhouse is that we aim to be an agency that attracts and retains some of the best talent in the industry, something that keeps our clients very happy, by creating a structure and culture that effectively enables and encourages a better work-life balance.

Ashley Schofield: Our agency model has better work-life balance baked into it. As a virtual company, our culture is built on trust and autonomy, which is actually quite liberating. Crazy what happens when you get rid of the old billable model.

Christine Molbury: Balance is something that I’ve always strived for, but honestly rarely find. Family, friends, career, fun, helping others, helping myself – it’s a lot! I always try to keep all the plates spinning at once, but I wouldn’t say they are always perfectly balanced or ever could be. Priorities in life and work are constantly changing and certain things need more focus and attention at different periods of time. I think the trick here is to remember to check in on your priorities regularly. What’s working? What’s not? What or who needs more attention at the moment? Be adaptable and be open to shifting your focus. And at the same time, keeping in mind what truly matters to you and keeping those people (or tasks) at the top of the priority list.

Wendy Blackburn: Most days, yes, work-life balance is achievable. For me lately, it’s about being in control of my own time and setting boundaries. I’ve definitely gotten better at this the further along in my career I’ve gone. I used to hate leaving the office with anything left on my to-do list, but I eventually realized that wasn’t sustainable. Some of the best advice I ever received was from a long-ago manager who told me, “No one will tell you to go home at the end of the day. Remember the work will always be there in the morning.”

 

Med Ad News: How do you handle the “mental load” of your life? How does that juggling extend to your career?

Renée Wills: Yoga definitely helps me stay healthy, not just physically but also mentally. Getting on my mat every day helps me let go of the mental swirl, allowing the more measured, calm, and loving part of myself stay front and center. I find similar mental benefits from other activities that I really enjoy like gardening, cooking, and creating pottery that create times when I can just “be” in the moment. I think everyone could benefit from finding practice(s) that work for them. Another simple practical thing that I did was to eliminate multiple to-do lists. I don’t have a work me and a personal me, there’s just one me. I look at what needs to be done and prioritize the whole.

Ashley Schofield: As a recent empty nester, my mental load has been reduced, yet somehow I always find ways to add to it. I’ll always want to do more, push ideas, and generate new ones. This type of energy can seep into my dreams and drain my mental and physical energy if I’m not careful. When that happens, self-care is critical. Long walks in the woods usually do the trick. Nature always grounds and re-centers me.

Christine Molbury: Life got real for me after the birth of my identical twin daughters, when suddenly I was a working mom with three children under the age of two years. At that time, I realized there was no way I could juggle everything and learned that I had to do two things to handle my load: one, Lean on my tribe for support and two, Take care of myself.

I am extremely lucky to come from a big family that loves unconditionally and supports one another. I also have the most amazing group of friends. Without them, I would not be able to handle my load. As for me, I realize that I need to be my best self to handle everything on my plate. To be my best self I try to eat well, stay active, and practice lots of yoga. Yoga allows me to stay physically fit and mentally balanced.

I use these same “juggling skills” in my career. I understand that I cannot do it all on my own. I often rely on my professional tribe for support, whether it comes to helping complete tasks, asking for advice on how to address an issue, or simply talking through a problem with a coworker. I also try to take care of myself professionally by being actively involved in every area where I believe I can make a positive impact. I raise my hand when opportunities arise, stay connected with my colleagues, and incorporate fun into the work I do every day.

Wendy Blackburn: It’s critically important to keep things in perspective. Don’t let technology and screens take over your life. Stay mindful of how you choose to interact with your devices – and it is a choice – especially when those choices take you away from time with the people in your life that matter most. It’s important for me personally to unplug – to get outside and get some fresh air and detox from tech. When we’re all on our deathbeds and looking back at our lives, we’ll never wish we’d spent more time on Facebook.

Patricia Malone: It’s funny, I never actually heard it called that until recently, and it makes complete sense that a name has been given to the invisible load that was always just “there” and historically has had a very gendered nature. Women are labeled as wonderful “multitaskers” which really is a euphemism for “mental load.” I have no great system, or process for handling my mental load. It is just something that is part of my life as an agency owner, and mother. There are always many balls in the air. My mental load doesn’t really “extend” to my career, because my career is a significant and integral part of that load. One way I do approach it is to understand that I can’t always handle all balls really well, so at times, I need to be OK with dropping one to focus on another but remember where I left it and be ready to pick it up again. Triage is key. And lots of mental lists. I actually enjoy trying to remember everything, trouble shoot everything, and do everything. Keeps me on my toes!

 

Med Ad News: Who are the mentors you have looked up towards in your career? What did they teach you?

Ashley Schofield: The best mentors taught me to believe in myself and pushed me beyond my comfort zone. They also possessed amazing soft skills and stressed the importance of taking time to acknowledge and thank those around me. They were positive, reaffirming forces in my life that I have never forgotten.

Christine Molbury: I have been lucky to have had many mentors from a young age, from local business owners to CFOs and CEOs. One of my very first jobs was being a caretaker for the children of a married couple, each of whom owned their own business. Working so closely with a strong, successful female business owner at the age of 13 taught me that gender is irrelevant when it comes to what you can accomplish in your career. Reporting to a strong, intelligent, forward-thinking male CFO for the past 14 years has taught me so much. From him I have learned that you should always be curious, think ahead, and be ready to adapt to this ever-changing world in which we live. He has urged me to be passionate and speak up (and sometimes fight) for what I believe is right, be honest, celebrate accomplishments, and always try to have fun, no matter what the circumstance.

Patricia Malone: Though I have learned from many, two mentors really stand out for me. In my former life, I was a critical care nurse in New York City. I started in the CCU as a brand-new nurse, fresh off my nursing boards. There, I was mentored by one of the best RNs I have ever met. It is not an easy thing for someone to have to mentor a new graduate in the fast-paced, high-tech environment of a critical care unit, but she was amazing. She didn’t treat me like a “new” nurse, but instead treated me almost like a peer. She thoroughly explained everything no matter how busy and built my confidence by letting me do many challenging things without her nervously hovering over me. She balanced encouragement with constructive criticism and inspired me to want to do anything and everything to help her, and to get it right. Her knowledge, fast decision-making and fairness was utterly respected by all on the floor, especially by the physicians who counted on her. She was a wonderful role model for me at very young age.

The other mentor I have always looked up to and admired was the senior writer who hired me at my first copy job at Sudler & Hennessey. I had no experience, coming from nursing, and yet we sat there with no shoes on and had a long “conversation” versus an intimidating interview. By hiring me, she taught me something very important that has helped guide my career – give someone you think might “have it” a chance, even if they aren’t the most experienced. Go with your gut versus just a good resume. She also taught me a lot about copywriting, concepting, follow through, fairness, organization, and what it means to be a soft spoken, yet highly effective leader. She was, and has continued to be, a very important friend and role model in my life.

Renée Wills: The best mentors in my past were the ones who helped me open my mind to possibilities that I hadn’t yet considered myself. They believed in me. They hired me into roles that were a stretch. They helped me better develop something inside of myself that encourages me to keep learning and growing and to pick myself up when I fall.

 

Med Ad News: Do you make it a point to mentor? If you do, how would you describe your mentoring style?

Christine Molbury: I believe that mentoring is a crucial part of career growth and life overall. l understand that without my mentors, I would not have gained some of the wisdom I have today, so I try to pay it forward and mentor whenever I can. I have a laid-back approach to mentoring. It starts with listening to the mentee to understand what it is they are looking to accomplish, and then I use my experiences to help guide them through their own process. I feel my best when I am helping others, so I love being able to mentor, but I also learn and get a lot through the experience myself.

Wendy Blackburn: Yes – I really enjoy mentoring and like to think it’s helped both men and women that I’ve mentored along the way. My style is more like that of a coach. By sharing my own experiences, and by asking the right questions and really listening, I often find myself guiding them to the answer they already knew in their gut was the right one for them.

Patricia Malone: I do make it a point. It’s how I got started in this business and it was invaluable. So I understand how critical it is to share knowledge, experience and guidance. As far as my style, first and foremost, I think it’s critical to create a safe place. An environment where all ideas are welcome. I love starting a new creative off on a career journey. It’s important to provide them with the tools they need right at the beginning, to give them challenges to build their confidence and creative curiosity and then to put in the time required for them to learn. I go back to those who nourished me as we talked about earlier. Things such as process can be learned, but true creative talent needs that balance of mentoring, constructive criticism, feedback, goal setting, and most importantly the opportunity to feel safe and confident in exploring their creative potential. Creative talent needs to see a vision for their own path and future, and then together, we put the stepping stones in place to help them get there.

Renée Wills: Absolutely. It’s important that we all give back and help others on their journey. My focus is on helping people become the best version of themselves. People shouldn’t try to be someone else that they think they should be. They should seek to understand their strengths and bring them out, learning to downplay the negative aspects.

Ashley Schofield: I make it a point to be available to anyone who needs advice or guidance. I try to lead by example. I don’t consider myself an overly formal person, so the conversations I have always come from the heart. I’m pretty sure everyone I work with knows that I care about them and want them to bring their best selves to work every day.

 

Med Ad News: What do you think the impact of #MeToo has had on your industry?

Patricia Malone: I do feel there has been a noticeable societal shift, and more recently, movements like #MeToo and Time’s Up are helping to motivate a more equal treatment of women, both in salary and in position. Women are beginning to emerge more in the C-Suite such as GlaxoSmithKline’s CEO Emma Walmsley, the first woman to run a major pharmaceutical company (and that was 2017!) and the recently appointed Reshma Kewalramani, the newest CEO at the 43-billion-dollar rare disease company, Vertex. These brilliant women are paving the way for a more gender-balanced future. There is a ways to go, but the shift has definitely begun.

Ashley Schofield: I worked at one agency for so long and I didn’t see any Harvey Weinstein-ish behavior. If I did, I would have acted on it. There’s no place for that in the workplace or the world.

Christine Molbury: I believe the greatest impact that #MeToo has had on our industry is that it has raised a level of awareness that these inappropriate situations or behaviors have occurred for many years. They have negatively impacted so many people around us, and it’s highlighted for me that we need to be respectful of each other, no matter what our gender is or what our backgrounds may be. Hopefully this heightened level of awareness will encourage us all to have more empathy and really think about the impact of our actions on others, and ultimately help us all to avoid creating these types of situations in the future.

 

Med Ad News: Were you ever harassed at any point of your career? If so, how did you handle it?

Wendy Blackburn: A few years ago, after-hours at a pharma industry conference, a very drunk man was completely out of control. With no shame and in a very visible way, he harassed a number of female industry colleagues and women on my team by touching them suggestively and inappropriately. I couldn’t believe, in this day and age, that this was happening, particularly in the midst of our country having a national conversation around #metoo! I should note there were many men in the room that night who saw what was happening, and they stepped in and stood up to this pig, trying to help and control the situation as much as possible (thank you!). I contacted conference organizers, our own HR team, and his boss – who was a woman, and she was incredible. By the time I’d reached her, she’d already heard what had happened and had fired him on the spot.

Ashley Schofield: Years ago, I mustered the courage to ask for a raise. I was told I would be taking the food out of the mouths of the kids of my male counterpart to make that happen. It was a stinging response that I never forgot. It made me question my worth and filled me with shame for even asking. On the upside, it motivated me to make sure the women who worked with me were recognized and rewarded for their contributions. How did I handle it? I eventually left to start my own agency with people who didn’t treat others that way.

Christine Molbury: Thankfully, I have never experienced that type of behavior during the span of my career. I feel very fortunate to be able to say this because I know so many of my colleagues cannot say the same.

Patricia Malone: I was never harassed. Yes, there were inappropriate comments made on social occasions (and sometimes in conference rooms) with colleagues and or clients, but I never felt harassed or threatened in any way. Those comments were not appropriate, even though jokingly stated, and today might result in some consequence. But at the time, so many years ago, I did ignore them.

 

Med Ad News: How does your agency encourage diversity, in the hiring and in the retention of people?

Antonio Rivera: Intouch promotes diversity of our people through practices, policies and strategic partnerships designed to support ALL employees, and especially those from historically marginalized groups.

Through HR and our Inclusion and Diversity Alliance of nearly 80 Intouchers, we foster diversity for current employees through a culture of learning and acceptance. Examples include our mandatory bias-management training, our partnership with the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and in-office “open mics” – safe spaces where employees discuss issues impacting their identity without fear of being judged or attacked.

When hiring, we work with partners who focus on diversity, and it’s important to us that we set goals and measure our success. In fact, we’re pleased to report that we’ve increased underrepresented minority employees in terms of race/ethnicity by 16 percent this year over last year. In addition, employees that disclosed a disability increased by 40 percent.

Christine Molbury: At Ogilvy Health, we know that diversity is critical to the health of our agency. We understand that diverse teams are more creative and innovative, are better equipped to reach diverse audiences, and are more capable of problem solving than homogenous teams. Our Talent Acquisition team looks to attract diverse talent in many ways, from interns to senior-level hires. In the niche area of healthcare marketing and a tight job market, this can sometimes be hard to achieve. One of the areas where we look to “grow” a diverse candidate pool is through our Summer Internship Program. We have worked diligently over the past few years to seek out candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds by collaborating with college diversity groups and special programs focused on students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We believe that by proactively hiring diverse talent at the intern level, and then working to bring them on board as full-time employees upon their graduation, we can influence the diversity of our talent throughout the organization over time. Ogilvy Health’s Diversity & Inclusion Council (D&I) will be working closely with our Talent Acquisition team again this year as we develop our recruitment strategy for our 2020 Summer Internship Program.

To create an inclusive workforce and encourage retention, we have an active D&I Council and three employee-led Professional Networks that make up an over-arching D&I Network– the Women’s Leadership Professional Network, the Young Professionals Network, and SPIRIT, Ogilvy Health’s culture-focused Professional Network. We have offered classes in unconscious bias and generations in the workplace, facilitated Myers-Briggs Type Indicator sessions, and we look to incorporate diversity into everything, from our holiday time-off calendar (including Martin Luther King Day and Veterans Day) to a series of LGBT Pride Month events. Through these employee-led networks we are able to tap into the passions and talents of staff to create D&I programs that speak to the needs and desires of the entire agency.

 

Med Ad News: Have agencies changed very much in that regard? How can they improve?

Christine Molbury: Ogilvy Health has been committed to diversity for decades. Our agency leans in to the D&I Network at Ogilvy proper who provide guidance and support to us as we move along our journey. D&I is a business imperative – it is important for our team, our business, and our clients. All agencies have the opportunity to make the commitment to D&I and to find new and better ways to create impact for their business, culture, and talent.

Antonio Rivera: There appears to be a shift over the past decade toward promoting inclusion rather than “just” diversity. The term belonging is often used now to capture the benefit that’s realized when inclusion and diversity are done right. Focusing on belonging is helpful when we consider the global audience and the universality of this very human need. But there’s still room for agencies to improve. One way is to evolve from implementing “best practices” to implementing “next practices,” i.e., looking at what has been done for decades within diversity management and gleaning what has worked vs. what has not. Outright mimicking others or following the latest social justice trend will fall flat if we’re not adapting our own foundation to reflect the needs of the modern workforce.

 

Med Ad News: What diversity measures seem to be most effective?

Antonio Rivera: We’re still learning, and many days we feel we’re just getting started, but we have found the most success by:
• Fostering grassroots participation in the formation of our own Inclusion & Diversity alliance (IDA) – an internal group who is passionate about inclusion and diversity and represents almost 10 percent of our agency.
• Nurturing a sense of safety. We’ve held open-mic panels during Pride Month and Disability Employment Awareness Month. As we’ve actively opened up the conversation across the agency, we’re seeing more and more people feeling comfortable with the discussion, and more people bringing issues to the forefront.
• Collaborating with underrepresented employees to celebrate and educate around specific cultural events, including, for example, Purim in April, Pride in June, and National Hispanic Heritage Month and Diwali and Dussehra this fall. This balance of celebrating while educating provides context to the experiences.
• And last but not least, setting specific goals and measuring against them – both internally and with our partners, such as recruiting. This has been critical to our success.

Christine Molbury: Ogilvy Health’s D&I leadership team wrestles with this very question. Our group brings a lot of passion for D&I, and seeks out opportunities to propel us on our journey; every one of us cares deeply that our efforts will further build upon the open and welcoming culture, resulting in the kind of work environment we all want and deserve. We have been working through our goals and identifying where we can have the biggest impact, not just in terms of influencing a more diverse workforce, but also in moving us forward as we strive to affect how our employees feel about working here. We want every Ogilvy Health employee to feel like “I belong, I am included, I feel respected, I have a voice.”

By crystallizing Ogilvy Health’s goals and working in partnership with our executive leadership and HR department, we set the goals for our D&I Network and identify the steps we will take to reach them. We know that our goals need to be specific and measurable so we can assess our progress. The goals need to be attainable. Part of setting our objectives is understanding where we are as an organization and how we can continuously make a real change and quantify our successes.

We realize measuring diversity in the workforce may require different “yardsticks” than those used to measure progress in the area of inclusion. We are looking at our employee satisfaction survey and diversity training sessions as avenues where we can measure the impact of our efforts. We meet regularly with our CEO and D&I Advisory Board to discuss our goals and the progress we’ve made against them, and we provide updates to the whole agency at our Town Hall meetings held throughout the year.