Cracking the Glass - Getting Real About Leadership Challenges

What is up with the glass ceiling? Charlotte Hogg of Visa joins Denise Johansson to chip away at the obstacles holding future diverse leaders back. They discuss the responsibilities of current leaders, the fundamental difference between targets and quotas, and why pushing for diversity sets you up for success in an increasingly diverse world.

 

Key Takeaways.

• [0:00] Denise Johansson puts Charlotte Hogg, Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer for Visa’s European operations, in the hot seat.
• [4:53] Charlotte shares how her path winded over the years and how both luck and seizing opportunities shaped her career.
• [6:30] Believing in luck as a way to ground yourself, Charlotte also touches on the role of fearlessness in success.
• [8:07] Reframing women’s struggle as a list of spectacular accomplishments is important in staying positive while knowing that challenges still exist for future generations.
• [10:02] Charlotte talks about the principle of responsibility when it comes to ensuring future opportunities and the need to project a less-than-perfect image.
• [11:40] Diversity in the future will need us to provide role models of every kind.
• [12:32] Charlotte shares how she helps break out of historical patterns and foster innovation and why celebrating accomplishments is critical to building culture.
• [15:29] Balancing caring and commercial.
• [17:29] Being a female CEO calls more applicants to the table and fosters a greater number of women in leadership roles.
• [18:12] Charlotte shares 4 tips for male-dominated companies looking to diversify.
• [20:15] Denise shares her experience in increasing diversity.
• [21:42] The future is diverse!
• [22:28] Denise signs out until the next time she puts an industry leader in the hot seat.

 

People.

• Guest Charlotte Hogg, Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer, Europe, Visa, Helping people and businesses in our markets to prosper in a global economy.
• Host Denise Johansson, co-CEO and co-Founder of Enfuce, a female-founded fintech helping drive business growth, solve customer challenges, and extend financial inclusion.

 

Links.

• Visa
• Enfuce

 

Guest Quotes

• Women who are juggling family and career and not always getting it right are better role models than someone exuding perfection the whole time. There is a responsibility to be less than perfect. — Charlotte Hogg, Visa, InTheHotSeat
• I've had the downs and ups. The downs can be incredibly helpful and liberating in terms of how you think to lead. — Charlotte Hogg, Visa, InTheHotSeat
• There is less of a glass ceiling, to be honest. But we still need to play it forward for the next generation, to lift whatever burden there might be or whatever biases might still exist. — Charlotte Hogg, Visa, InTheHotSeat
• Targets at every level of organization help you broaden your mind when you decide who the next appointment should be. To look for a broader definition of good than perhaps you've historically done. — Charlotte Hogg, Visa, InTheHotSeat
• When people get to know a diverse leadership team, they feel welcomed, they feel included, and they feel like it's a place they want to be part of. — Charlotte Hogg, Visa, InTheHotSeat

 

Denise Quotes (edited).

• How you look will influence your voice and that will influence how the other person will receive what you say. — Denise Johansson, InTheHotSeat
• When it comes to the glass ceiling, we've come a long way, but we shouldn't get lazy. — Denise Johansson, InTheHotSeat
• Role models in all shapes and colours are needed. Women are just one part of it, there are other minorities in the industry, and making sure we have role models for everyone is important. — Denise Johansson,  InTheHotSeat
• To build a long-term company, a sustainable company, everyone needs to embrace the same kinds of values and believe in them collectively, no matter who you have around the table. — Denise Johansson, InTheHotSeat
• When it comes to “caring” or “commercial” it's not either/or. You can be very value-driven but also do great business, grow, and exceed targets. — Denise Johansson, InTheHotSeat
• When hiring someone, use targets “I want as many women as men on the long and the shortlist.”, “I want as many interviews for each.” It's going to be a struggle for your team to find those candidates, they’ll have to look harder. — Denise Johansson, InTheHotSeat