The basics:

• Despite advancements, women still face challenges in reaching their full potential, especially in male-dominated industries.
• Panelists emphasized the importance of mentoring, networking and policies supporting work-life balance and diversity in the workplace.
• Best advice for women: choose organizations aligning with their values and support each other throughout their careers.

As part of the latest NJBIZ virtual discussion, women executives at New Jersey-based companies shared their experiences in establishing themselves in the business world, as well as offered advice to the next generation of females entering the workplace.

Moderated by NJBIZ Editor Jeff Kanige, the March 26 panel featured:

• Courtney Mulligan, vice president of marketing at Russo Development, a Carlstadt-based real estate developer;
• Jennifer D’Angelo, senior vice president & general manager, Healthcare Division, New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology Corporation;
• Laurie Smith, partner, tax at Florham Park-headquartered accounting firm Wiss & Co. LLP.

During the hour-and-a-half roundtable discussion, participants addressed the value of mentoring and networking, why policies supporting work-life balance and diversity, equity & inclusion are necessary, and how to increase female visibility in business settings.

While women have made considerable advances in the workplace over the last three decades, they still face challenges when it comes to reaching their full potential.

Of the 4.2 million people who make up New Jersey’s workforce, women account for 47%, according to the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

And although the percentage of women who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher is slightly larger than that of men (41% to 40.5%), they still earn less. Just 19.8% earn over $100,000 annually, compared to 33.7% of men.

Despite significant strides in the fields of educational instruction, health care and community services, women have not made as much headway in other sectors with many industries remaining predominately male, like natural resources, construction and maintenance (98.8%); law enforcement (86.9%); architecture and engineering (86.7%); and transportation (85.7%).

One of the biggest pieces of advice from the panelists was for women to find an organization that understands who they are, what they can offer and what their career goals are.

“I think it’s important for young women that are starting their careers to make sure they’re picking a company that aligns with their values,” said Smith.

D’Angelo agreed, saying, “It’s about picking an organization where their mission vision really aligns with what you personally need in your life. And, that changes for us as we go through life … I’ve been doing it in the health care space for over 25 years. What my needs were then as I first entered into this space, are very different than what my needs are today and certainly what I can offer back having experienced all that I have throughout these years.”

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Mentoring and networking at all career stages is valuable too, panelists said.

As D’Angelo put it, “I work in a very male dominated industry as a chief information officer in health care, so it definitely does have some challenges there that I’ve been able to overcome, but I’ve had some really great female women and leadership roles and mentors throughout my journey. So, I think educating and working with young women and kind of opening their eyes to, ‘Yes, you can insert yourself into any of these industries’ … is a good start to start that process.”

Mulligan said, “I’ve really made it my mission to get involved with different groups that inspire women, like the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative, which is really important to me because obviously land use and all of those things are really a field that women weren’t as familiar with years and years ago. So, I get to really be inspired by amazing women who run construction sites, who run remediation efforts for major brownfields and so many cool things that they’re so inspiring … And, I try to surround myself with smart, like-minded, passionate women.”

“Since I’ve been in the workforce, I’ve been really fortunate to have a lot of strong women role models,” said Mulligan, who went on to say she’s seeing more and more women in the construction, planning and development industries.

Smith agreed, saying it’s important to “identify people that you can relate to.”

“Whether that’s people you’re working with that are maybe fellow moms or caring for an older parent or going through personal struggles, it’s trying to find those women and listen to their story and learn from them. So, I always surround myself with people I can learn from and grow with, and I try to just be a sponge. I’m trying to constantly just learn and say, ‘How’d you do that? How’d you pivot that?’ Or, if I’m in a client situation, it’s really difficult and I’m working with somebody above me that handled it well, I am like, ‘How’d you do that?’ … I really then try to take that and use that with the women that I mentor, both work and in my personal life. And I try to be as open and vulnerable as possible throughout the struggles. I always say if someone tells me, ‘Oh, you make it look so easy,’ that’s an insult to me because although I appreciate that, I think it’s important to really highlight the difficulties. I think if we don’t share some of the struggles … we’re not being as true to ourselves and can’t help others as much,” Smith said.

Supporting and learning

Panelists also spoke about the need for females to support each other in the workplace throughout all stages of their careers.

D’Angelo said, “Even at my age, I don’t have this role mastered and I’m learning something new every day. I have other women that still continue to support me and we support each other. We have a great group of folks that we continue to collaborate with because every day is a learning opportunity.”

Sometimes a decision may result in entering a space “that may not feel as comfortable,” which makes support essential in “getting past that hurdle, onto the next endeavor and onto the next step of your career path,” she said. “And continuing to help build you, build your character and moving along on your journey.”

Mulligan said, “I think sometimes in the competitive business place, there can be moments where women are up against each other for different things, whether it’s a position or a project or whatever it is. But I think that women really need to support other women.”

D’Angelo agreed. “Women supporting other women is how we all collectively get better at what we do, become more confident and we learn from one another,” she said. “More women in the workplace need to collaborate, work together to build each other up, not build barriers, roadblocks and tear people down. And that’s just not women to women, that’s just generally in the workplace. We just need to be building up our teammates and having that positive attitude … That team build up is really, really important.”

Smith said, “Whether it is your peers or other people above you or below you, they oftentimes will have something that you can learn from them in one way or another. So even though at some point it might feel like a competition or if you are both up for an award or position, there’s no harm in trying to learn something from that other person.”

The next generation

When it comes to preparing women to succeed in business, panelists believe connecting with girls at the elementary, middle and high school levels is critical.

While parents and school districts play an important role in helping shape interest in STEM-related areas, they think the business community can help, too.

Smith recalled an Accounting 101 class she took in high school that was taught by a woman who had a long career in accounting and then became an educator. “Coming in with a business background she just had an edge to herself, and it sparked something in me, and I credit finding this field and this passion to her because she just found individuals within our class that really took a liking to accounting or just seemed to really like the business world. And she really brought us along. She would stay after class with us, tell us stories and brought us on field trips to the Nasdaq. She just really went above and beyond,” Smith said.

Mulligan said, “At the end of the day, showing a company that’s willing to embrace the talents of women and all of the genders … is a very positive reflection for the future.”

For instance, Russo Development is sponsoring the Urban Land Institute Northern New Jersey’s UrbanPlan program at East Brunswick High School, which offers students hands-on, simulated real estate planning experience, according to Mulligan.

Meanwhile, members of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants present at high schools across the state to discuss the accounting profession with teens, according to Smith.

D’Angelo said, “At the Innovation Institute and also at NJIT, we have a great leadership team and a lot of strong women that are part of that leadership team. We give back by having interactions with students and women in STEM … and we really try to help students figure out what is their career path.”

In some cases, students may think they want to pursue one particular industry but have their eyes opened to another area entirely, D’Angelo said.

Work-life balance

To truly empower women, company leaders must look at policies and treatment of employees, panelists believe. Smith said, “I absolutely think it starts at the top. I think that message has to come from the top leadership in any business or firm or organization because it’s one thing to say that you value each individual and what they contribute, but if your actions don’t align with those words, employees from the very entry level will feel that disconnect.”

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“An example would be saying, ‘Yeah, we think it’s really important for you as a young accountant to go out and network,’ but then on the back end wondering maybe why you don’t have enough hours or didn’t get something to the finish line on time or some kind of disconnect there,” she said. “So, I think that message has to come from the top in terms of what they are looking for, what they say they believe in and making sure that the company’s policies allow that.”

D’Angelo also noted the growing emphasis on work-life balance. “As you mature in age and in your personal life, your career journey takes a slight pivot and change because of that. And having that work-life balance is really important if you’re a mom, a wife or caring for elderly parents and trying to juggle a career,” she said.

“Certainly, post pandemic, there’s a different level of expectation from an employee and an employer of how they juggle that personal life balance, whether it’s caring for their children, caring for elderly, or just caring for their lives,” D’Angelo explained.

NJII “has done a tremendous job to meet everyone where they are in their personal lives and to set them up for success in their professional careers and … investing a lot of their time in looking at policies that are flexible and accommodating,” she added.

Mulligan praised her company – particularly CEO Ed Russo – for creating a supportive environment and driving home the message that family and health come first.

“If I had to take a kid to the doctor at 3 p.m. and miss a call or whatever it is, I know that I have a team behind me that can step up and I can follow up with an email,” she said.

Smith thinks giving employees the ability to truly balance work and home is a huge way to open traditionally male-dominated fields up to women and younger generations.

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“Then all of a sudden it becomes a possibility and a reality that, OK, I can have a family and still work here’ or ‘I can care for an elderly parent that’s important to me and still move up here,’” she said. “I became partner at Wiss just about a year ago. I had just gotten back from maternity leave and I had a five, almost six-month-old, and our COO, who is a mom, came up to me and she was like, ‘I know how hard it is … the first two years are crazy, but just work with us. We’ll work with you, and this is where we see you and we value you so much.’ And that meant all the difference to me. It just goes back to being seen, being heard and having women in those positions that can help you because it’s hard to hear that message sometimes if it’s somebody that hasn’t been through it … I really make sure I try to bring that down then to my team.”

That type of support goes a long way because women, particularly in male-dominated industries, have been “conditioned to keep it in and act like everything’s great,” Mulligan said.

Mulligan said, “I’m an eternal optimist, truly. But there’s times when I am feeling it, whatever it is, my kids, my family, parents, anything. And just to be able to be in a space where you can be like, ‘Hey, I’m struggling with this right now. Obviously, my focus is on this project, but I just want to let you know if I have to dip out of something really quickly, this is why.’”

Smith said, “I agree. I think that historically hasn’t been the message to women in business. You didn’t want to cry and you didn’t want to smile. You had to have a stone-cold face so that somebody will take you seriously. And you didn’t want anybody to know what was going on in your life.”

“But, as we’ve gotten to this next level of women in business and showing up to work as our true authentic self, we see more than ever how important that is and how that will inspire younger generations so that we continue the pipeline in each of our industries and companies,” she said.

“I think also since the pandemic, we’ve seen a greater emphasis on mental health. At Wiss, for example, we bring in professionals in that space, we make a lot of benefits open to our teams and employees to take advantage of. And, we have seen leaders within our organization share very personal struggles,” Smith continued. “Again, I think it starts at the top. And then, finding a firm, company, group or organization that aligns with your values.”

A decade ago, when Mulligan went through a divorce, she didn’t tell anyone at her prior company.

“Every day, I’d go to work, I’d put my wedding ring on, be happy and chipper and kept it moving,” she said. “Eventually, I explained to them that I was now a single mom to 3-year-old twins … But, before that, I wasn’t living my truth. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned there’s no room for that. So, I encourage other women to be like that – we have to be our truth and share our stories.”

Diversity

Panelists also said companies must continue focusing initiatives related to diversity, equity & inclusion.

While DEI has encountered criticism, D’Angelo said that makes it all the more critical to educate “to make sure those you that are supporting it, know what they’re supporting, how to properly support it and how to move that forward.”

She also said, like other programs with a big launch, there are tweaks that must be made along the way to incorporate lessons learned and areas to highlight.

“I think it’s the follow-up action that’s really where it becomes part of your day-to-day practice and really embracing that, being knowledgeable, educated and enforcing what that means for your organization. And how to adapt that into your culture and demonstrating that,” D’Angelo continued.

She also said it is key to know how to collectively talk about DEI as a team to make sure “that everybody feels valued” within the program.

Smith agreed, saying, “I think it’s important to provide a safe place for employees or team members to ask those questions. I think sometimes maybe that’s some of the backlash with DEI is people may be afraid to say certain things or ask certain questions … it’s really about education.”

Despite being successful in their respective careers, panelists said they still doubt themselves at times.

Mulligan said, “There’s a quote I love that says, ‘The desire wouldn’t be in your heart if you weren’t capable of achieving it.’ I’ve told that to many students that I’ve talked to, especially young women that are unsure or face a little imposter syndrome – which can happen to the best of us, male, female or whomever.”

“It is a completely human natural feeling … I think when I was much younger and I’d have a seat at the table, I’d be very insecure about what I was sharing or if it was an idea that somebody might not think is the best idea,” she explained. “And I think that we all go through it … and I think your own self-talk, your own self-doubt and all the things that happen to us in our lives affect us. And because life can be really hard, unpredictable and rocky, you have to really talk to yourself like your own advocate.”

Mulligan went on to emphasize “knowing your stuff and being smart about it,” as well as believing in oneself. “I’ve had to sit at a table many times with lots of my peers and in my company, and they’re men, and they really turned to me as a subject matter expert in real estate marketing and property management marketing. But it took a long time to get here, and it took a lot of tough skin. And that’s another thing I really tell my daughters and these young women that I speak to — falling down, picking yourself up and doing it better next time is one of the most amazing life lessons I’ve learned,” she said. “It starts with you and believing in yourself.”

Smith echoed the sentiment, saying that it’s especially common for women.

“We’re our own worst critic by nature and we tend to be harder on ourselves,” said Smith, who went on to point to ditching negative self-talk as helpful in getting past the notion that one doesn’t belong.

D’Angelo added, “Self-reflecting is really hard to do, but it’s very beneficial to look inward and say, ‘What can I do better and what can I strive to achieve?’ And having those real discussions with yourself to move forward.”

She also pointed out that as professionals become more seasoned, they typically become more confident in themselves, as well as open to constructive criticism and feedback.