North America

2024 Page Executive Salary Guides

Phoebe French — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 13:52:52 +0000

2024 Page Executive Salary Guides

Phoebe French Wed, 02/21/2024 - 13:52

Our 2024 Page Executive Salary Guides provides a sector-specific analysis of executive level trends and pay grades, from C-Suite to director level.

https://www.pageexecutive.com/north-america/salary-guides

LinkedIn Live Event: Leveraging your EVP to Attract and Retain Top Talent

Nadyah Ibrahim — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 16:40:56 +0000

LinkedIn Live Event: Leveraging your EVP to Attract and Retain Top Talent

Nadyah Ibrahim Mon, 11/27/2023 - 16:40

Our Talent Trends 2023 study reveals that the role of work has fundamentally shifted for talent, becoming more transactional. Sign up for some practical strategies or best practices to review your EVP and engage a skilled workforce.

/webinar/leveraging-your-evp-to-attract-and-retain-top-talent

LinkedIn Live Event: Propelling Gender Inclusivity within In-House Law

Nadyah Ibrahim — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 10:12:38 +0000

LinkedIn Live Event: Propelling Gender Inclusivity within In-House Law

Nadyah Ibrahim Wed, 11/01/2023 - 10:12

Organizations need to build a strong pipeline of female talent for in-house legal positions. Our LinkedIn Live Event addresses the gender gap and best practices that can help firms propel diversity for senior-level legal roles.

https://www.pageexecutive.com/webinar/propelling-gender-inclusivity-within-in-house-law

4 Reasons for Executives to Hire a Personal Assistant

Phoebe French — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 10:48:04 +0000

4 Reasons for Executives to Hire a Personal Assistant Phoebe French

In today’s uncertain commercial environment, hiring a new personal assistant may not be at the top of an executive’s priority list. However, it is precisely in such challenging times as these that the value and utility of the role emerges. A PA, after all, is not just a simple cost or someone to run errands. Rather, they are a savvy investment in a company’s efficiency and operational harmony with potential to drive value and cost-savings.

Would an investment in a PA be worth it for you? Here are four major advantages they can bring to a leader or leadership team:

1. Efficiency and Effectiveness

All too often, CEOs and Directors find themselves pulled in multiple directions and attending to a plethora of issues across their companies. With time being such a precious commodity, it is crucial that the administrative work which constitutes the bedrock of an organization finds itself in capable hands, enabling the C-suite to focus on its core functions: leadership, big picture thinking, and expansion.

Here, a skilled and experienced PA will truly make themselves felt by giving management back its all-important time and headspace to focus on taking the company to the next level.

2. Value in Versatility

As we have seen, a PA’s organizational skills are critical in keeping operations running smoothly and effectively from an administrative point of view. However, a PA brings infinitely more than this to the table. Increasingly, a PA acts as a lieutenant in everything from hiring and market research to communications and culture. It is precisely the malleability of the role that makes it a vital addition to any leader’s office.

If you find you need someone jump in when unexpected issues arise, an expert PA could be the person to put out the fire before you even know it’s started.

3. Extra Eyes and Ears

To that point, an effective executive cannot be and should not have to be everywhere at once. Good leaders rely upon the competency of those they entrust with the on-the-ground running of the business. But beyond monthly metrics and reports, how does the C-suite stay connected to the day-to-day troubles and triumphs of those they lead? A PA will act as the eyes and ears of the C-suite, providing essential insights into the challenges facing staff, whilst contributing to a culture of accountability and collaboration.

Hiring a PA is a wonderful way to stay connected to your wider organization, especially if you’re feeling stretched thin.

4. An Essential Edge in Turbulent Times

During periods of economic turmoil, contraction, or uncertainty, it is natural that hiring strategies will see re-evaluation, with some hires de-prioritized or postponed. But commercial downturns do not change the essential tasks of leadership. In fact, sound strategy and high-level management become more important than ever, and with them, the support of capable staff to keep things running.

Quality becomes the decisive factor here. One good hire can offset major commercial challenges by providing that practical edge which all leaders need to prioritize the essentials. If you want to double down on value-for-money hires, a personal assistant could be the perfect place to start.

If you would like to browse more of our market and leadership insights, please do so in our Advice Section.

While Page Executive is optimally positioned to place talent at the executive and management levels, our colleagues at Page Personnel can help you to find support talent, such as personal assistants.

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How Women in Leadership Can Influence Effectively

Phoebe French — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 14:11:11 +0000

How Women in Leadership Can Influence Effectively Phoebe French

It’s been proven that greater gender diversity helps deliver significant commercial returns. While this is true of overall gender diversity in teams, studies have also demonstrated the benefits of having more women in leadership positions.

However, women leaders and women aspiring to leadership roles can often experience a range of challenges. So, we asked prominent leaders about the key communication and influencing strategies that can help women own their seat at the table.

What Challenges Do Women Leaders Face?

Despite all the progress that has been made when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), women in leadership positions are likely to encounter a range of different roadblocks. For instance, they may be more likely to doubt themselves, something which often results from not receiving equitable treatment in the workplace.

Similarly, they may experience lower confidence than leaders who are men, and have a greater propensity of “imposter syndrome,” the internal perception of lower competence than others would attribute to you.

The result is that women in leadership roles, or those working toward them, are often less likely to speak up in group situations and find it harder to assert themselves. They may also be less willing to promote their successes, either internally or externally, making them less visible and hampering their progression in their business and wider career.

Some of the women we spoke to mentioned that generally speaking, women typically do not have as much physical presence in a room as men, so they must often think about how this effects the way they are perceived. Ensuring that you are conscientious of the way you enter, and command, a room and how you get your points across is key as a woman leader. Do not be afraid to command attention and take up space.

Why Communication and Influencing Matter

Strong communication skills and the capacity to influence others are key attributes of any leader or aspiring leader. They are especially important for women leaders, however, since they often find themselves working closely with male leaders, and men and women can often communicate in different ways.

This is visible even in childhood, as with boys are encouraged to play games revolving around hierarchy and becoming number one, and girls encouraged to play games emphasizing connection, collaboration, and validation. Instilling these social norms in childhood leads to differences in adulthood and the workplace, where they have the potential to cause communication challenges.

Susan Fee, a career counsellor, coach, and public speaker, works with business leaders across a range of sectors to help them adapt their communication style in order to become more effective in the workplace. She commented:

“If you notice that you're not getting credit for your ideas or you're getting interrupted, adapt your style to be more directive. Get on the agenda, let the facilitator know in advance you'd like to speak, ask an ally to support your idea and acknowledge you by name.”

Communicating and Influencing for Success

There are several methods which can help women leaders to ensure that they are heard, and their contributions understood and appreciated. For instance, by reducing the use of disclaimers, tag questions, and uptalk, female leaders may find that their words land with greater force, sounding more decisive and less like questions or suggestions.

Similarly, when aiming to come across with greater authority and directness, it can also be useful to frontload statements, ensuring that important details, actions, and keywords are in the first half of sentences. This both requires and projects confidence, and keeps listeners engaged. Additionally, it is important to own the message with an active voice and a prominent “I” statements to put your stamp on the discussion.

Of course, a critical component of this is confidence and self-esteem. We discussed this topic with Amanda Lennon, an award-winning HR Consultant and employment lawyer. She said:

“You have to believe that you are there for a reason. Believe in yourself and trust that someone has appointed you as a leader for a reason. Remember that you have worked really hard to be where you are.”

Considerations for Aspiring Leaders

While these strategies will help in most contexts, it is also important to understand the culture of the organization in which you are operating and the types of strategies which seem to work there. Take the time to observe the communication styles that tend to have the most sway. It is also worth asking: who is progressing fastest in their careers and how do they tend to communicate? Lennon commented:

“You need to be very cognizant of who your audience is – what makes them tick, what are you there to discuss, what kind of leadership do they need to see from you? You have to quickly be able to adapt your style. When I first became a leader, I really looked at how other people interacted, how they got their points across. That enabled me to learn to listen, which is a very important leadership skill. You have to be aware of how you come across.”

Along with this, it will be important to note the details of the more challenging interactions taking place, such as communications during conflict resolution. This is a good strategy for women leaders to adapt their communication style according to the culture of their organization.

How to Avoid Losing Out in a Hybrid World

It has been noted that the shift toward hybrid working, for all its benefits, has the potential to disadvantage certain groups, especially women leaders with children and families. As women tend to take on caring responsibilities, leaders should make efforts to give themselves and their teams appropriate notice of meetings and in-person gatherings so that accommodations can be made. This will help professionals and caregivers of all genders, but it will statistically help women in particular to start on a more level playing field.

Having more women in leadership positions can bring enormous benefits to organizations, but to truly thrive it is critical to be able to communicate in a way that suits the environment. This is more complex in the hybrid world, with so much discussion and planning taking place via non-traditional means. There is a huge opportunity for leaders who have mastered these skills to more effectively influence and at the same time accelerate their career.

To speak about your next move in a leadership role, please reach out today.

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