Strategist: celebrate leadership differences

Message to women in business from Jane F.

Garvey, former head of the Federal Aviation Administration and a leadership strategist You're different.Use it.

Garvey spoke to a banquet hall of more than 1,000 attendees at the 14th Annual Nevada Women's Fund Women of Achievement Luncheon, a fund-raiser for the Nevada Women's Fund last week.

The non-profit foundation supports educational and economic opportunities for women and children in Nevada.

Garvey was chosen to speak at the event, says Nevada Women's Fund Executive Director Denise Yoxsimer, because of her non-traditional role.

Garvey took on leadership roles in the predominantly male field of transportation Her leadership as head of the FAA was tested to the core, too, during the Sept.

11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Her message was one, Garvey said, that evolved from all of those experiences.

Her message: Gender difference is a fine thing.

In her work, she said, there was always a subtle awareness of her gender.

Though she made a concerted effort not to let it color either her successes or her failures, it was there as she worked her way up the ladder in the almost all-male world of transportation.

She learned along the way, she added, "that when you do not succeed, you are not playing to your strengths." "We strive to make our gender irrelevant to our professional lives," she said,"because we suspect that if we acknowledge that we are different from men, somehow that will turn into being less than men."

She figures it's time to change that.

In a brashly neofeminist statement, she took the room by surprise by stating point-blank: "I genuinely believe that women lead differently from men in meaningful ways." A fine thing.

A thing, she added, that "we shouldn't be shy about."

The differences evolve from women's unique roles in society as mothers, caretakers and educators, and the skills and experiences that grow from those roles.

The skills? Collaboration, team-building, communication, listening.And personal goals that are in parallel with company goals building relationships, serving customers, workplace communication, bringing people together to accomplish goals.

These differ from male goals that focus more on career development and recognition, she said.Women have different priorities.

Another fine thing.

"When women lead,we do it well, even if we do it differently," she added."Perhaps because we do it differently." Her message was received with enthusiasm in the female-dominated room.

It was echoed by attendee Rose Devine, senior vice president of private client services for the First Independent Bank of Nevada.

"The challenge we as women have to overcome is not an individual one," she said.

It's a societal one.

It's an adjustment for everyone.

For years, women were support staff, and now, as women move up into management, society is adjusting but not as rapidly as women are moving up the ladder.

There are still those moments, when, for instance, a female senior vice president is mistaken for a bank manager's secretary.

Krys Bart, executive director of the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, added that life balance is also a challenge for professional women.

Credited with procuring Garvey as a speaker for the event, Bart also shared insights on Reno's growth with Garvey.

Airport numbers here are "fabulous," said Bart, up over 11 percent from last year.

Garvey added that she was impressed by the region's tremendous growth.

But more, she said, she was impressed by the tremendous planning for growth that is being done in the Truckee Meadows.

And she was most impressed by the number of people and businesses participating in the Women of Achievement event.