Intentionality. Thoughtful, intentional focus on diversity and inclusion at all levels of an organization was the theme that emerged during the evening. Boardbound by Women's Leadership Foundation CEOs for Women on Boards event brought together executives from across Colorado's largest and most respected public companies, emerging startups, established private businesses, and government-private/public partnerships.
Led by DaVita’s CEO and host of the March 9th virtual conference, Javier Rodriguez, the group discussed Navigating the Future of Work. Mr. Rodriguez set the tone with his opening remarks, "These unprecedented times have impacted how we work, expectations from employees, and the culture in which we operate.” The discussions included: talent development and retention in a hybrid world, the impact of the great resignation, and the growing importance of diverse representation in the boardroom and C-suite.
“For years, a company’s C-suite and board of directors could focus solely on shareholder value. Now we are expected to focus on multiple issues, including things like ESG, DE&I, shifting customer expectations, retention, and digital transformation," Rodriguez said. Corporate Boardbound, our year-long, intensive program trains qualified, executive-level women from diverse backgrounds to not only serve on boards, but provide the leadership needed in 2022 given the array of issues impacting business.
Mr. Rodriguez was joined by three respected Colorado CEOs, Anne Noonan, CEO, Summit Materials; Dave Boennighausen, CEO, Noodles & Company, and Adam Contos, CEO, RE/MAX; each facilitated breakout sessions during the event.
From these discussions, several actionable viewpoints were shared:
· Select a small cohort of your highly talented leaders for a 1-year experience where they are exposed to the board, attend board meetings, learn from those that prepare boards in order to expose them to what happens behind those doors.
· Review your leadership matrix to identify current depth, gaps, and opportunities for building skill sets with your executive and upper-middle management teams.
· Add women and diversity to your board because you want a better board, one better equipped to bring different experience and perspective to new business challenges in the face of disruption and growth in a very tumultuous global market.
· Use coaching and training as both a retention tool and mental health benefit. It provides one more important touch point for executives and managers.
REMAX has been mindful of its promotion path for women. More than 60% of REMAX's overall organization is women, so the board room and C-suite reflect the employee base and their buyers and sellers.
Mr. Boennighausen, Noodles & Company CEO, shared with the group, “It's intellectually stimulating all the challenges that we've had to work through and the vulnerability that we've needed as leaders. That’s where the role of a board can be particularly valuable in terms of breaking down some of those older, more rigid expectations or stereotypes of the role boards play, especially during the last couple years.”
As the first female CEO in the heavy construction materials industry, Ms. Noonan was fortunate to adopt a gender-balanced board. This mirrors what Boardbound by Women’s Leadership Foundation tracks with our annual “Women on Colorado Boards: State of the State” report. Colorado is moving in the right direction. Women now hold 24% of the board positions of Colorado public companies, nearly three percentage points higher than a year ago. However, Colorado lags the national average.
