Learning Objective: Assessing methods for navigating corporate politics from the male perspective Do you know why women are not sitting at the leadership tables in your organization? Have you ever thought that, if given the opportunity, you could help make your organization better? Many professional women have reported feeling left out of key decisions or impacted by the politics that lessen their contributions. At the same time, several top women executives who continue to excel say YOU must learn to understand, rise above, and effectively use politics to get things done. In her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandburg encourages women to promote themselves in order to achieve professional advancement. This session is part one of a two-part series that will help women to address the best methods of navigating organizational politics from the all-male panel’s perspective. At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to: a. Identify how men view organizational politics. b. Learn the skills and traits used by male employees to be successful in organizational politics. c. Explore possible opportunities and challenges in various industries.

1. (1304) ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS FROM MARS:
DEVELOPING POWER AND INFLUENCE FROM A
MAN’S PERSPECTIVE

2. Today’s Moderator:
Regina A. Evans, MBA, PMP, CSM
NetApp, Inc.

3. Jim Campione is the Executive Director of Strategic Delivery
Solutions at Aerotek. In this role, Jim is responsible for
overseeing the strategic initiatives and fulfillment efforts for
national accounts and key partnered markets across Aerotek’s
Automotive & Technical businesses.
Jim joined Aerotek in 1997 as a Recruiter in Grand Rapids, MI,
and soon moved into an account management role for automotive
clients in Detroit, MI. He joined the Strategic Sales and Operations
team in 2006 as a Director of Strategic Sales for Automotive,
responsible for developing client partnerships and generating
customized workforce solutions. Jim was promoted to his current
role as Executive Director in January 2017 and is leading the
Delivery and Fulfillment Solutions Teams across North America.
During his tenure with Aerotek, Jim has been recognized with
several awards for his outstanding performance and
commitment. He also served as a member on the Executive
Advisory board and Diversity & Inclusion board.
Jim is a graduate of ALMA, where he received a bachelor’s
degree in Business.
Mr. Jim Campione
Executive Director
Aerotek

4. Davyd Jones is a wealth advisor with Edward Jones Investments
serving the current and future financial needs of the long-term
investor with a specific focus on efficient income planning
strategies.
Prior to helping families and businesses with the intricacies of
wealth building or protecting, Davyd terrorized offenses at
Scheumann Stadium, on the football field, for Ball State
University.
Now, the former 2010 football team captain and four-year
letterman has shifted his passions and dedicated himself to a life
of service and giving back.
If he isn’t back in Muncie, serving on Ball State’s Black Alumni
Constituent Society Board, he’s volunteering in his community at
Turnstone, the United Way, Voices of Unity, a local high school, or
speaking at an event across the country.
Davyd believes a major part of life and the happiness it gives is
God, family and service.
Mr. Davyd Jones
Wealth Advisor
Edward Jones Investments

5. Alcus Smith is a Senior Field Leader for Consumers Energy, he’s
responsible for the Kalamazoo, Greenville and Hastings Gas
Distribution Departments in Southwest Michigan.
Alcus has been with Consumers Energy for 17 years, 12 of which
were as a union employee while the remaining 5 has been a
member of management.
Alcus is on the Steering Committee for the Minority Advisory
Panel in which that is one of the several Employee Resource
Groups that the company has available for all of its employees
and he serves as the Outreach Coordinator.
He also serves in the community as an activist and loves to give
back as much as he can.
There’s a quote that he loves to share with people and that is
“You’re the one that can make a difference right where you are!”
Mr. Alcus L. Smith
Senior Field Leader
Consumers Energy

6. What are some of the personal experiences that have
influenced your thinking around gender and
technology that has motivated you to get involved in
being an advocate for change?

7. In 2017, Frances Gino wrote an article in Science American entitled
“Another Reason Why Top Managers are Disproportionately White Men”. In
the article they stated that “Only 19 Fortune 500 firms are led by people of
color, and only 21 of these companies are led by women, according to
recent data. When they examined this data, they found it is women and
nonwhites themselves who often impede the advancement of their own
peers. They found that they do not advocate for them when positions come
open and they do not provide mentorship and support that everybody needs
to navigate their careers successfully.
Food for Thought

8. What specific advice would you give women that you
would not necessarily give to men in STEM?

9. The Harvard Business Review article posted August 7, 2019 entitled “What
Men Can Do to be Better Mentors and Sponsors to Women” noted that”
Advocating for women’s advancement at work is integral for
improving financial results, gender balance, and diversity in our workplaces
and leadership teams. And yet, Recent research from the Center for Talent
Innovation reported that a full 71% of executives have protégés whose
gender and race match their own. We know that the majority of our senior
executives are male and white and that minority women therefore do not get
the sponsorship opportunities that their male counterparts do.
Food for Thought

10. What programs and policies have you experienced
that have made a difference for you or would have
made a difference if implemented?

11. In 2018, Sylvia Ann Hewlett wrote an article for Inc. entitled: “Why More
Black Voices Need to be Heard in Corporate America”. In the article she
mentioned that “It’s not just top dog position that eludes black executives,
but leadership positions in general. Multicultural professionals-this includes
Hispanic and Asian individuals in addition to black individuals-collectively
hold only 14% of senior executive and manager positions in corporate
America. In their study, “Vaulting the Color Bar: How Sponsorship Levers
Multicultural Professionals into Leadership,” black professionals describe
having to compromise parts of their authentic selves to conform to
executive or leadership presence at their company.
Food for Thought

12. When you think of stereotypes and biases in the workplace, how
do you think male allies can help dispel these biases and help
women deal with them?

13. In January 2019, Elizabeth Olson wrote an article in the New York Times
entitled “Slow Gains for Women and Minorities on Boards of Big U.S. Firms,
Study Says”. The study conducted by the Alliance for Board Diversity, which
advocates for broader demographic inclusion in boardrooms, and the
professional services firm Deloitte, shows that women and minorities
occupied 38.6 percent of board seats at Fortune 100 companies last year,
compared with 35.9 percent in 2016.
Food for Thought

14. What do you see as the importance of having women as a part of
boards? What is your advice to women who want to be a board
member?

15. In January 2018, Cary Funk and Kim Parker wrote an article for the Pew
Research Center called “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over
Workplace Equity”. In the article they point out that Blacks and Hispanics
are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math jobs,
relative to their presence in the overall U.S. workforce, particularly among
workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the article it points out that a
majority of Americans view racial and ethnic diversity in the workplace as
important. And yet, most blacks in STEM positions consider the major
underlying reasons for the underrepresentation of blacks and Hispanics in
science, technology, engineering, and math occupations to be limited
access to quality education, discrimination in recruitment and promotions
and a lack of encouragement to pursue these jobs from an early age.
Food for Thought

16. What are your thoughts on how we can have a better impact on
our community in helping to increase the STEM workforce
pipeline to improve the opportunities for the generations that will
come behind us?
What are some suggestions you have for how we can train our
young people to not buy into stereotypes and biases?

17. Is there any advice you would give our audience to
help inspire more male advocates to help accelerate
change and move things forward?

18. Questions

19. Thank You!!!