ZDNet UK

CBS INTERACTIVE UK BUSINESS SITES:
BNET UK
silicon.com
ZDNet.co.uk

You are here: ZDNet.co.uk > News > IT Management

IT Management News

Women in IT: Problems and solutions

Judy Armstrong Tech Republic

Published: 22 Jun 2005 16:00 BST

When I speak with other women CIOs and technology leaders, the most prominent common trait is that they never knew they couldn't be a leader or a CIO. I have never had a boring day. You have to relish that part and the stress that comes with it to love this work. The most important things a woman can bring into this profession are willingness to ask tough — and sometimes obvious — questions, belief in her own abilities, and a tendency to find great humour in painful circumstances.

Women who aspire to be CIOs, more often then men, must find unique ways to balance family and job or in many cases forgo having a family. Okay, I hear a lot of mumbling from some of you women saying, "but men don't have to give up having a family." That is only partially true. Many successful men have been divorced several times or are estranged from their families, and many have remained bachelors until they have reached a certain level of success. True, others have wives who stay home and raise the children, but remember that those women chose to be stay-at-home moms. There is nothing to stop you from finding and marrying a stay-at-home dad or a man who wants to share your success by taking on extra work at home. Often, it is your own views on how you should act as a wife and mother that limit your opportunities.

Finally, the successful women are willing to take on projects and tasks that no one else wants or is willing to do. Tackling projects that your boss does not want to do will challenge your skills and stretch your abilities, leading to growth and exposure. Visibility is absolutely essential to your growth and can be enhanced by taking on those unpopular tasks. This may be the very key to your success.

What is different for women CIOs in their first 90 days?
Women executives face a few unique challenges when starting in a new position. One of the biggest challenges is that they can't use the men's room. You think that's funny, and it is, but it's also true! Any man reading this article will know there are many issues discussed and potentially resolved in the men's room. How do I know? Because a few places I have worked have had the walls of the ladies room back-to-back with the men's room and enough air ducts to allow conversation to flow freely between facilities. I have no easy answer for this one. The best I personally have been able to do is to ask the men whom I have influence with and with whom I have built relationships to tell me when a critical conversation or decision has been made when I am not present. Making it funny by mentioning the proverbial "men's room" always helps.