商界高管圈为什么让女人走开

    谈到公司董事，普遍认为 “没有足够多的合格女性候选人”，兰批评了这种说法。“‘（女性人才）供给不足’是胡扯，”她说。“事实上有资质的人数远远多过董事会空缺席位，因此竞争非常激烈。你得找到一位证明人，一位‘圈内人’为你证明。”

    为了给这些女性高管与寻找董事的公司牵线搭桥，上个月Catalyst推出了一项服务——Corporate Board Resource。它的功能就像是一个票据交换所。在这里，Catalyst的成员公司CEO（“圈子”看门人）为那些职业经历和技能符合董事会要求的女性提供认证。“拥有一位CEO的证明会非常有竞争力，”兰说。“它能让你在一些本无法引人注意的地方引起关注。”

    董事会遴选委员会也可以看看另一个人才池：总部位于芝加哥的非营利组织“200人委员会”（The Committee of 200）如今包含全球100个不同行业、超过400位高才干女性。200人委员会成员、前安永（Ernst & Young）高管简•巴边科如今已是三家公司董事会的成员。

    “你必须将（寻求董事会席位）当作一次求职，只是简历需要略作修改，反映董事会的需求，”巴边科建议。“利用你的人脉，让他们知道你在找这样的机会。”

    巴边科也为其他女性提供介绍，过去一年帮助7位找到了董事职位。“女性必须互相帮助，”她说。“在我争取董事席位的过程中，其他女性也帮了我很大的忙。现在我要把这种帮助传递给其他人。”这种男性惯用的拓展人脉的方式或许最终能帮助女性董事人数突破当前的平台期。（财富中文网）

    As for corporate board seats, Lang pooh-poohs the widespread notion that there just aren't enough qualified female candidates. "The 'supply problem' is a myth," she says. "But there are more qualified people than there are openings on boards, so it's very competitive. You need a champion, someone who is already 'in the club' and will vouch for you."

    To connect board-ready female executives with companies looking for directors, Catalyst last month launched a service called Corporate Board Resource, a clearinghouse where CEOs of Catalyst member companies -- the gatekeepers of "the club" -- endorse women whose experience qualifies them for board seats. "Having the imprimatur of a CEO is tremendously powerful," Lang says. "It gets you noticed in places where you otherwise wouldn't be."

    Another talent pool where board recruiting committees might cast a line: The Committee of 200, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that now numbers more than 400 high-powered women in 100 different industries worldwide. Jan Babiak, a former Ernst & Young executive, is a Committee of 200 member who sits on three corporate boards.

    "You have to treat [pursuing a board seat] like a job hunt, only with a revised resume that reflects what boards are looking for," Babiak advises. "Reach out to your network and let people know you're looking."

    Babiak has given referrals to other women, which helped seven of them land directorships in the past year. "Women have to support each other," she says. "Other women helped me tremendously in getting my board seats, so now I'm paying it forward." That kind of networking, which men have been doing forever, could be what finally budges the number of female directors off its current plateau.