TMRE’s Women in Research Luncheon: Going Beyond a Seat at the Table

By Christine Cottrell, EVP Strategy and Insights at Material

Last week I was honored to cohost the inaugural Women in Research Luncheon at The Market Research Event (TMRE) – alongside my old friend and colleague Collette Eccleston and my new friend Antoinette Staples Branch. The event brought together a terrific group of women from all parts of our industry, and from all levels. We made new connections, shared stories and laughed a lot.

While the tone was lighthearted, we talked about some very serious, very important issues. There was a lot of passion in the room about what it means to be women in business today. We explored big ideas about what it takes to find personal fulfillment, learning, joy and all the traditional trappings of success. Underlying the whole conversation was a persistent question:

How do we obtain and maintain leadership positions and establish not just a “seat at the table” but a voice that’s heard in the conversation?

At Material, we call this relevance. It’s a concept we spend a lot of time talking and thinking about. What it takes for a brand to become and stay relevant in culture; how people’s sense of what is relevant to their lives can be so changeable; and, as professionals, what it takes to remain relevant in our industries and in our organizations.

Career relevance is complex and constantly changing – and it looks different from company to company and person to person. For most women, climbing the corporate ladder is a nuanced journey. As we spoke, a few themes emerged that certainly apply to women, but that should also feel relevant to anyone trying to build their career thoughtfully. These themes can be distilled into the following ideas

• Know your potential.

• Be the architect of your future.

• Don’t go it

• Pay it forward.

Know Your Potential

Study after study shows that men are more likely to be hired or promoted based on their potential, while women tend to only apply for jobs that they’re certain they are 100% qualified for. Many women actually end up doing the job before getting the associated title or salary, while men often get ahead more quickly by learning new roles in real time. Some of the more experienced women in the room encouraged those coming up to play the game a little differently – to highlight not just their established accomplishments, but also what they’re capable of.

Be the Architect of Your Future

Take control of your journey. Just showing up and doing great work won’t always be enough for the right people to notice. Women especially need to have a clear vision of their next career steps, and detailed plans about how to get there. The vision doesn’t have to specifically be about promotions or raises – though they are nice! It can be about building your profile inside and outside of your company, creating relationships with your board or c-suite, or proactively seeking out a new certification or skill.

Don’t Go It Alone

You need a team! We all agreed that relationships are everything. Find both mentors and sponsors (they’re different) and let them know directly and specifically how they can help you. Again and again (and again!), women shared stories of a more senior colleague (often another woman), proactively reaching out and encouraging them to throw their hat in the ring for a role or an opportunity they’d previously considered out of reach. This kind of coaching and encouragement has an immeasurable impact.

Pay It Forward

As women executives in this, or any other, industry take on bigger and bigger leadership roles, there are more and more opportunities for us to nurture up-and-coming leaders. We can all be the advocates who encourage others to take risks and reach for bigger opportunities. Throughout the luncheon, those of us in senior positions spoke about how rewarding it is to be the leader that makes a difference in someone’s journey. And, beyond the individual relationships and networks it can build, this kind of advocacy ultimately creates a corporate culture of support and inspiration that we all thrive in.

My sincerest thanks to my cohosts and to all the women who took part in this luncheon. Your insightfulness and willingness to share your experiences made this an event to remember. I hope we all walked away with newfound passion for lifting each other up and forging a path for tomorrow’s leaders. I know I did – and I can’t wait to see the impact we make moving forward.