Marjorie Lao focuses on the power of workplace mentorship programs and professional connections to give women a gateway to better work opportunities.
Chapter: Nurturing and developing female talent
About: Marjorie Lao has been a non-executive member of Logitech’s board of directors since September 2018 and is a member of the Logitech audit committee. She has more than 10 years of experience in finance and managerial leadership positions in notable multinational companies such as LEGO, Cisco, McKinsey, and P&G.
How has being a woman moving from an executive to a non-executive role been a challenge for you?
I have never thought of being a woman as a disadvantage. In my head, I always think there may be disadvantages in terms of skills and capabilities, but not gender. Having said that, I have to be open with today’s conditions. In the United States and Europe, there’s much more of a push to have women on boards in terms of creating equal opportunities for all. I also appreciate the companies I’ve talked to so far: they would ideally like to hire a woman, but it has to be the right person. Thankfully, there have been efforts in the field to make sure women are getting access, but the most important part for me is staying true to making sure there’s more diversity and supporting women.
To what extent is your recent experience as a non-executive director different from your previous experiences in the managerial leadership team?
I would say that non-executive positions give me more flexibility in terms of time because you don’t have the day-to-day job that an executive does. The success of a non-executive director has to do with the ability to influence decisions without being the main decision-maker or the prime operator. So, it is very much about coaching and mentoring on collaborating rather than your hard skills. The good part about being a non-executive director is the flexibility and balance of being able to contribute and learn. But the difficult part of transitioning from being an executive to a non-executive is that you have to be comfortable contributing without micromanaging the management team.
The second thing that’s totally different is the broader perspective, whereas before, I was in one industry, one function. Now I work with different companies, and I try to understand what’s going on in each of them. It’s interesting, but it also requires some effort. In some ways, I enjoy it, but it also means I have to enjoy learning from other people because the people I work with come from different profiles and a variety of backgrounds.
Since the beginning of your career, you have held a lot of different positions. How did you determine which ones to take?
“For me, there are three important criteria to decide whether it is the position that I want to take: contribution, learning experience, and culture fit.”
First, how can I contribute to this role? I don’t want a big brand-name board that suddenly I’m not able to contribute to because I don’t know the industry or don’t have the right background.
Second, can I learn from them? I try to make sure there will always be new knowledge that comes along with the opportunity. If it’s something I have learned before, I might rethink the decision.
The third criterion is all about company culture and values. Prior to embarking on a new position, I asked myself two questions: How will I fit with the team? And do my values match the values of the company? These two questions clearly determine that knowledge and contribution are not enough. You need to also be culturally aligned to have a deep understanding of the company.
I believe these three criteria have helped me make progress in my career, especially when choosing which opportunities to take.
“We have a much broader definition of leadership in lots of different spaces—not just the classic alpha male shape— and that is really wonderful.”
What have you learned from your mentors that influences your leadership style today?
“What I’ve learned from the people who have helped me in my career is that they care about me—as a whole person—rather than just about my career.”
It depends on the situation. Sometimes, you need to check for governance, and sometimes, you just need a vote of confidence. It’s like what you would do for your kids to improve their chances of success.
Another thing I learned was to reach out to people and ask how I can help. In mentoring, it’s essential to always have two-way communication between the mentor and the mentee. When people reach out for mentoring discussions, sometimes what they need is a listening ear, and it’s not always a straight answer for how to help each other.
How did you build strong relationships in the workplace so that your superior could become your mentor?
"I think we can learn a lot from any and every person we get exposed to. … And we take those lessons as we move and change and grow."
What’s important now that you’re a leader and a role model yourself?
We typically talk about role models in the positive, but you can also have bad role models. And for anyone in a leadership position, whether you like it or not, you are a role model. People will be watching you, so you have to be very deliberate about the things you want to stand for and then stand for them. What are your behaviors? How do you make people feel? Do your words and actions support that view of yourself? This becomes even more important the more senior or impactful your role is.
“For anyone in a leadership position, whether you like it or not, you are a role model. … You have to be very deliberate about the things you want to stand for and then stand for them.”
As for being a mentor, first of all, I think you need a bit of chemistry, a connection with someone. Secondly, there has to be some sort of personal motivation on both sides to learn from each other. So rather than just asking someone if they’ll be your mentor, maybe start by having a chat, asking if you can pick their brains or share some ideas with them. And then see if it was useful if it felt like a good conversation that you might want to turn into something more regular. As a mentor, I’m always asking myself who am I taking a risk on? Am I being bold enough in my decisions? Are they getting exposed to the right things? And how can I help make that easier for them?
That’s a great philosophy. How can organizations use that kind of thinking to nurture female talent and leaders?
Number one, actions speak louder than words, so you have to be deliberate about it. It’s about making sure that you’re driving change and providing genuine allyship for your talent and future leaders. Male allyship for women is really, really key. It’s kind of a double power to have another voice supporting you that doesn’t look like you, and if it can be your most senior male leaders, that’s even better.
“Male allyship for women is really, really key. It’s kind of a double power to have another voice supporting you that doesn’t look like you.”
There are loads of great best practices out there now, but most of it really comes down to listening to the women in your organization and providing a forum for them to be heard. What are the values of your company? I’m not talking about what’s written on the wall. I’m talking about how it actually feels to be there. This is really important for women, so we need to pay attention
How can women be more courageous?
I’ve been lucky to work with very supportive companies and very supportive mentors. They helped me find new opportunities and allowed me to shortcut some recruitment processes. I got lucky in terms of the people I met for building relationships. To me, it’s about bringing your true self to work and into the relationship.
“If people see you as genuine, then they know that they’re willing to invest in you. When choosing mentees, they always feel that there could be a trusting relationship."
On a personal level, trust is always related to integrity and authenticity. To gain the attention of your superior, you should demonstrate that you work with integrity. It’s also important to not be too political or try to make yourself look a certain way. On a professional level, it’s about being responsible and being able to deliver. I always want to deliver, or I would say upfront if I can’t. Again, integrity and professionalism are always there. I also bring my whole self into any relationship because that’s how I would want the other person to bring themselves into their relationships.
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