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Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
Three women who climbed to the top of the corporate ladder in Connecticut
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Business New Haven
4/5/1999
By: Kristine Hansen
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The cliche is that the cream rises to the top. But for women trying to advance in the corporate world, the journey is not always that simple or easy.
The state's Permanent Commission on the Status of Women surveyed 99 of the largest 100 public companies in the state in 1998. It found that only 11 percent of those executives at officer level (upper management or key decision-making positions) were females. Several of the companies had no women in those positions.
Of course, opportunities for women ten or 20 years ago were even fewer. But there is a pool of women who have made it to the level of president and CEO in Connecticut. They lead their businesses with energy akin to a power plant and are constantly looking to seize the most favorable opportunities for their companies.
One may be tempted to think that females who have achieved the highest level of decision making in business are all cut from similar cloth and follow common paths to success. But that's not the case. Of those spotlighted below, each found her own way, taking advantage of opportunities and experiences as they presented themselves. As Connie Galley of TSI Software notes, “You don't aspire to be president - it happens.”
Galley has been president and CEO of TSI International Software Ltd. since its founding in 1985, when its was spun off from Dun & Bradstreet. Headquartered in Wilton, TSI is a provider of software for business application integration. TSI has been publicly traded since its initial public offering in 1997.
Brookfield-based Trident International Inc., a provider of ink-jet printheads and inks for industrial marking applications, was a publicly traded company headed by its president and CEO, Elaine A. Pullen. She came to Trident in 1994 after the founder of the company led a management buyout.
In a move to maximize opportunities for the company, Pullen recently negotiated the sale of Trident to Illinois Tool Works Inc. Today she continues her management responsibilities as president.
Karen Coughlin was named president and CEO of Physicians Health Services (PHS) of Shelton last year. She came from an 18-year career at Humana, where she served as president of one of its two divisions for the past six years. PHS, a managed care provider, is the Northeast division of the California-based Foundation Health Systems.
These executives followed divergent paths to the top. What prepared Connie Galley of TSI for the rigors of corporate management? Being “at home with the kids for six years,” she quips. She explains that one “develops a maturity that little else can achieve” and that “one learns to be flexible” in such a setting.
After beginning her career on the technical side of IBM's field organization, Connie Galley moved to a software company that was acquired by Dun & Bradstreet in the early 1980s. From there her history followed that of D&B's software enterprise until TSI became a separate company. Galley assumed the position of president at that time.
Galley defines herself more as an entrepreneur than a corporate type, explains that she “looked at the skills and assets” that she had within her company and what could be “reasonably built upon.” Then she also looked at the market to determine the software that would provide high growth potential.
For Trident's Elaine Pullen, the story starts not in Connecticut or even in the U.S., but in England. She traces her first accomplishments to high school, where she was educated in an all-girls environment.
A science teacher recognized Pullen's abilities in physics and arranged for her to attend science classes at the boys' school in order to take advantage of the educational opportunities there. College was a similar experience where she found herself as one of the only two girls studying in her chosen field of mechanical engineering and physics.
In engineering, Pullen remembers, for women “the opportunities were few, but I took them.” She continues that she did have “a little bit of luck.”
The ink-jet business was in its infancy 25 years ago. Viewing herself as “hard working, dedicated and competitive,” Pullen says, she “was fortunate to start at the very beginning as the technology progressed, and I grew with it.” Today she is highly knowledgeable about the industry and regularly speaks at ink-jet conferences.
PHS' Coughlin credits her parents with teaching her and her seven siblings the value of leadership and responsibility. She learned “solid values and to do the right thing.” Coughlin believes that those values “get you through the rough times, and you enjoy the good times more.” She views herself ,and says others see her, as “passionate about everything” she takes on.
Coughlin continues that she was fortunate to have worked at Humana, where management “focused on good leaders,” not on gender. There were plenty of nurses working there at the time, since Humana was a hospital company prior to its transformation into a managed-care business.
Coughlin saw a number of women cross over from nursing into administration, and “All I had to do was be really good and sustain performance” at a high level.
Becoming an executive is not just about knowledge and hard work. It is also about management ability.
Connie Galley has abided by her personal philosophy in management: She looks for the right group of people who share the same vision and attitude. She accomplishes this by matching “what you need people to do with what they are driven to do.”
Galley's people get the self-actualization they want by doing what is important to them. The motivation is intrinsic. How does she find those people? The key, she says, lies in “a lot of interviewing to build your team.”
Coughlin likewise stresses teamwork. She wants “the smartest, strongest people working for me.” She takes the time to mentor those around her, because “Collectively, they will get the job done.”
It is not surprising that getting the job done is a common thread with these women. Coupled with her success in building the right team, Galley views herself as one who “doesn't doubt that a job can be done.” Pullen sees herself as goal-oriented and effective as a “starter and a finisher - getting things done, and quickly.” She can look at data, analyze the trends and decide what it means for the future.
These women have attained a high level of management skills and they are the key decision-makers in their respective companies. What is it in general that women have that is good for business and management?
Karen Coughlin challenges the myth that women are more people-oriented than men. Firmly believing that good leaders must be compassionate and have concern for people, she sees those qualities in both men and women. That is part of what makes good leaders, regardless of gender.
Elaine Pullen says women “can handle multiple tasks better,” as well as handling disparate or complex tasks. Women are also good at “juggling schedules,” she says.
Pullen views women as having a “broader and more complete view of people versus task issues,” and contrasts that with those men who “just want the job done.” She says that because of their skills and qualities, women “are needed in top management, including on boards of directors.
Pullen likewise sees women as being less at the mercy of their egos. She says she doesn't know if women get hung up on the “right” country club or building absolute net worth. Many males, on the other hand, place the quest for more and more money above all else, she says. She views women as more likely to work toward financial security and, once that is achieved, they want more time for other interests.
If there indeed still exists a “glass ceiling” which keeps women from achieving the most upper levels in management, these three executives have been successful in rising above it.
Galley sees less of a glass ceiling at smaller companies. She thinks that women are better off today than in years past, although they have “not come as far as I would like to see.”
“There still is a difference between men and women” in the workplace, Pullen says. She adds that there is still palpable arrogance evinced by more senior men: the “old boys” network. In an experience shortly after moving to the U.S. she felt first hand the negative resistance of certain older men in the firm concerning career women. She “dealt with that by putting it aside,” believing it was “their problem not mine.” But today she says she doesn't see it as much with the younger men, those in their mid-40s or younger.
Karen Coughlin advises that “We all have to pull through that feeling,” and adds that “Women have to prove more things” to break through the glass ceiling. She says, “The gender bias is changing, and studies have shown that there is some progress.” She suggests that women need “to pick your company wisely,” explaining that where possible women should choose employers that offer mentoring and where women are treated the same as men.
Regarding being a woman in business, Galley observes that “There are cultural differences” for the present generation compared to those that came before. The expectation for “women to succeed is not unusual” today, and that indeed expectations are higher than years ago. She sees the software field as a wide-open market for females, offering not only pure technical jobs but also others such as sales and marketing.
According to 1997 U.S. Department of Labor statistics, in Connecticut 65 percent of women work full-time, and almost 29 percent part-time. With numbers like this it would seem that more women should be moving farther up the management ladder.
So what's missing? It may be a degree of self-confidence.
Connie Galley observes that the women who get ahead are “very confident with their abilities.” She believes that “being too conservative” and not taking chances are common drawbacks that hold women back.
Pullen's views mirror this. Women, she says, “may be shy or lack self-confidence. They do not set goals, or do not set high enough goals.”
She adds that women should have a clear idea of where they are going and need to “show you're tough enough.” Pullen advises women to “take opportunities when you see them.” She cites her years in marketing as an example.
All three of these executives have developed a high degree of analytical and business skills, and they agree that knowledge is important. Pullen says the right education and experience are key, while Coughlin asserts that it is important to push women to develop sound analytical skills and to feel confident enough to hire strong people under them. However, the growth curve for women to learn important analytical and leadership skills can be longer for women, she says.
Coughlin sees the education of girls changing. Now, for instance, there is greater emphasis on women competing in sports. This participation in team activities can help women learn the business of business earlier, because they develop skills related to competition, teamwork, leadership and strategy. These skills were always available to boys in the past, giving then a competitive edge.
Galley, Pullen and Coughlin all have a competitive edge. As presidents of their companies they are all leaders of their businesses as well as leaders in their fields. With role models such as these, it may be that the next generation of women in Connecticut business will find it's not so lonely at the top.
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