"Ethics, Integrity & Character: Innovative Ways to Develop Your Future Leaders"

Susan Bulkeley Butler
Chief Executive Officer
Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders

Susan Bulkeley Butler is recognized for her commitment to shaping the women business leaders of tomorrow. Her Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders educates and mentors women to achieve their dreams and, as she says in her book, to "make things happen for you, rather than let them happen to you." Butler encourages readers to take responsibility for who they are and who they want to be. "My book is just as appropriate to men as it is to women," Butler said.

Butler promotes change in senior leadership and management teams, seeking more diversity in hiring and promotion of women. She does see an increase in workplace diversity, but she is not as encouraged by the distribution of women within organizations. Many more women are in service jobs than in operations jobs, and it's the operations fields that usually offer career paths to executive positions. Butler said that many people expect 70 years to pass before true parity is reached in the workplace, but she hopes that efforts such as hers will reduce that time frame significantly.

Butler expects that many changes will have to come about before this is achieved. She feels that the responsibility lies with both the executives at the top of the organization and with the women coming up from the lower levels. The executives themselves have to be involved to some degree. They have to identify and cultivate career opportunities for women in the organization. In addition, women have to want to advance within the company. In many cases, women do not climb very high up the corporate ladder because they are disenchanted with the current crop of executives and do not want to become members of that part of corporate culture.

In order for these changes to come about, Butler feels that management needs to adopt a different leadership style. Primarily, leaders need to be focused on the employees and customers of the organization as people. In addition, management needs to understand and appreciate differences in lifestyle between individuals within the company. They need to find ways to keep women linked to and engaged with the company when they are not able to contribute on a full-time basis, such as during maternity periods.

Butler also feels that management should do its part to identify and place women who have the desire and potential to pursue an active career within their organizations. By placing these women on the ideal career track early, both parties can avoid headaches down the road.

As individuals, women have to decide that they want to pursue this path. "I am trying to convince people that they should have a career rather than a job," Butler said. The emphasis has to be on career paths and career development. Butler feels that women can succeed by modeling those who have achieved the same goals that they are pursuing.

Butler also encourages women to accept outside assistance without delegating responsibility for their careers. It's okay to delegate or 'outsource,' but there's a point at which Butler feels people need to draw the line. "Many people don't know the word, 'no,'" Butler said. She tells people to pick an end goal, such as a particular position, and to track backward from that point, identifying important milestones that must be passed in order to arrive at that goal. "Package yourself for the role to which you aspire," Butler said. She feels that, if people start with a bottom-up change on an individual basis, it will inspire a top-down change from the executive level.

With executive management and the women of the organization working in harmony, Butler feels that this can only be a win/win situation. "Over time, if you all will help me with this passion, we will have a different look and feel to our management organizations."

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Susan Bulkeley Butler is one of America's leading experts on the subject of women's leadership development, which is addressed in her new book, Become the CEO of You, Inc. Butler was the first woman professional hired by Andersen Consulting and the first woman partner at Andersen Consulting/Accenture. During her 36-year career, she was at the forefront of dramatic changes in the corporate world and retired as the managing partner of the Office of the CEO for Chairman and CEO Joe Forehand.

To learn more about Susan Bulkeley Butler and the Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders, visit www.SBBInstitute.org.