Balance of power shifts in leadership with mass movement

Organization aimed at senior level women in the workplace brings its brand to China for the first time

Women working in senior positions do better if they have balance and support in their lives, says Deirdre Joy Smith.

"Making choices to balance work and family is a long battle like running a marathon. If you want to win, you have to adjust your speed at any time and need support all the way," according to the founder and president of POWER, a 10-year-old Chicago-based organization that promotes and develops women leaders.

POWER, which currently operates in four US cities, aims to bring together women working in senior-level positions to support and advise each other. It expanded to Beijing this year and attracted more than 300 women to a one-day forum.

After her first try at bringing the POWER model to China, Smith sees more similarities than differences between professional women here and in the US.

"We've heard dynamic conversations about the same issues that we have in different stages of life, such as making the tough decision of when to have a child, or what to do in their career," she says. "The important thing is that we could learn about what Chinese professional women are doing here and share best practices with each other. We bring the two perspectives together."

Ten years ago, Smith was a political fundraiser in the US. During that time she says she heard many women express a desire to meet other women in senior work positions so they could ask for career advice, and she began to form the first ideas about launching POWER.

The final catalyst to its creation came in 2003 when her father was diagnosed with cancer and she was forced to leave her job in order to spend time with him. Those were dark times for Smith, but they also galvanized her thoughts and pushed her to launch the organization.

"Then I said, I'll never be in a situation when someone else controls my future. I'm going to start this organization and focus on my passion and control it in a way that I think reflects good values."

Changing her career path wasn't easy. Smith says she had to re-brand herself from political campaigner to someone who wanted to improve the lives of senior level working women.

Smith began contacting speakers and arranging an agenda for the first meeting, and gradually the organization started to take shape, finally launching in 2008, first in Chicago and then in Philadelphia, before expanding to a further two cities.

Since its inception, POWER has attracted more than 7,000 participants and has generated support from Fortune 500 companies, premier law firms and civic organizations. Its speakers have included US first lady Michelle Obama.

Zhao Jing, CEO of ChinaWise, a Chicago-based business advisory firm and a sponsor of the program, has been active in POWER for more than six years.

"They have wonderful speakers and interesting discussions and exchanges, which are very beneficial for women. Moreover, it is also a great opportunity to meet with and learn from excellent people," she says.

Smith says that at first she would invite 500 to 700 participants to a POWER event, but has since reduced numbers to between 200 and 300 to create a more intimate environment.

"This is a boutique program," she says. "It is not designed for the masses. It's an intimate program that gives you an opportunity to meet in a very intimate environment."

Smith says she has learned a lot building the organization, including that being teachable is an important part of being a leader in business.

"When people talk a lot about leadership - be strong, be confident, be great - all those things are very important," she says. "But you also have to be teachable and that doesn't diminish you as a leader. In fact, I think it enhances your leadership.

"Also, women are resilient; they keep going on. Just like a phoenix who rises from the ashes. That's another thing I see from POWER."

In Smith's experience, many women appreciate being able to tell others about their career experiences as much as they do receiving advice.

"When you are successful, you have a high position, you have gone through all the challenges to get there; then you want to share," she says.

"I think they are just incredible and extremely generous. They share experiences with each other and support each other."

While women have made advances in the male-dominated business environment, they still commonly face challenges, according to Smith. One challenge is simply being included in decision-making, which on some occasions is conducted by men in the washroom, she says.

"There's a movement now in the US that the number three is called critical mass," she says. "You have to have a critical mass of women. You cannot just have one woman on the board, she is not going to a have that impact. Two women have a chance, but if you have three, they could make changes."

Smith says she encourages women to be themselves but also to be competitive.

"I think the best thing is just to do with integrity, to be fair, to bring people in, to understand people's value, to find what motivates them and to bring that out of them," she says. "So it works best when people are functioning in a high level of integrity and respect."

She also believes it is important to seek a balance between work and home in order to live a happy life.

While POWER is aimed at women, this year's program in Beijing included some male participants, and that has got Smith thinking about bringing more men in.

"It's important to hear other women's opinions, but it is also important to know how men think about the situation, which will help us better understand ourselves and bring in brand new ideas and perspectives," she says.

Smith says she is planning another POWER program in Shanghai next April, where she expects to have a greater number of Chinese speakers and talk more about the differences between China and the US.