Covering the 2008 National Democratic Convention as a tv reporter stays engraved in my mind for one reason, I knew history was being made and couldn’t help but wonder how Hillary Clinton was going to handle it.

Barack Obama was on track to be the first black democratic presidential candidate, but all eyes in the newsroom were glued to the screen when Clinton took the stage. She was gracious, even after failing to get the democratic nod. It was resiliency at work, manifest for the world to see.

Author Rebecca Shambaugh chronicles Clinton’s resiliency factor in her new book Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton (McGraw-Hill 2010). I’m currently reading the book and find it to be an incredible look back at history and in depth psychological profile of a woman who continually broke the glass ceiling, while taking plenty of hits along the way.

Here at WorkLife Nation, I often write about resilience in our new economy. We’re living in times that call for nothing less to be successful. Cultivating resilience is not an overnight process, it’s a journey of exploring who we are at our best when chaos slams us with curve balls. I’ve written about the Well of Resilience that we have to dip into when the going gets tough. Check out my post WorkLife Detox Helps to Cultivate Resilience.

Meantime, here’s a guest post from Rebecca Shambaugh where she focuses on the resilient nature of Hillary Clinton:

Are You As Resilient As Hillary Clinton?

We all get discouraged at some point in our lives. We reach a point when we wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just give up. We begin to doubt our own abilities and lose faith in others. The “thrill of victory” is no longer so sweet, and the “agony of defeat” doesn’t seem so bad. Our energy is drained, and we’ve stopped having fun. This is when you need to dig deep inside yourself and find that well of determination and inner strength that will help you face your fears, counter the ensuing complacency, and keep you committed to reaching your goals.

Sheer Determination

Having this sheer determination is one of Hillary’s keys to success. Never being a quitter was wired into her DNA early on and was reinforced while she was still in college. When she first arrived at Wellesley, she struggled academically. She called her parents, hoping that they would tell her to come home. She told them that she didn’t feel that she was bright enough or up for the academic challenge. Dorothy Rodham, her mother, told her that she had not raised a quitter and that dropping out of Wellesley would be a catastrophic mistake. Hillary stayed in school and, with her incredible work ethic, keen organizational skills, and sheer determination, stayed on top of her grades. In fact, she gained enough confidence in her scholastic abilities to take on political leadership roles and was elected president of the Young Republicans. Pretty impressive for someone who wanted to drop out of school!

Sticking it out till the end

And if you followed the 2008 presidential campaign, you know that Hillary stayed in the race to the very end. And yet this particular defeat is perhaps the greatest example of her being resilient. While Hillary failed to get the nomination, she showed up at the 2008 Democratic National Convention with a sense of inner confidence and strength and gave an inspirational speech in which she declared her support for the nomination of Barack Obama. She said, “I am here as a proud mother, as a proud Democrat, a proud Senator, a proud American, and a proud supporter of Barack Obama.” She followed with, “Whether you voted for me or for Obama, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose.” Toward the end of her speech, she shared with the audience that even in the darkest moments, Americans are known for their ability to keep going. She said, “We’re Americans, we’re not big on quitting. . . . In America, there is no chasm too deep, no ceiling too high, for all who work hard, have faith in God and our country, and each other.”

Hillary’s Resiliency

Hillary’s resiliency — her unique ability to face adversity and bounce back, as she did in this recent presidential campaign — has won her the respect and admiration of people from all political parties in the United States. And her decision to continue to make a difference by taking on a global leadership role in lieu of being president has impressed people around the world. Truly there are many leadership lessons to be learned from this outstanding woman.

(McGraw Hill-2010).

After being passed over twice for a promotion, a friend wrote a detailed missive to her boss which extolled the value of her skills and contribution. Demonstrating her worth consequently paid off with a promotion and a better work life experience. It gave her peace of mind, reduced her work life stress and gave her the confidence to buy that new car she needed.

In a shaky job market, it was a courageous move. But it was less about the promotion for her, than it was about respect. Prior attempts for promotion fell on deaf ears. They were were quelled with “we’ll consider it” or were dismissed with a “you’re fortunate to be working” attitude. Not a great way to foster respect, trust or boost morale in the workplace.

Climate of Respect and Trust at Work

In a recent study by the Families and Work Institute, The State of Health in the American Workplace: Does having an effective workplace matter? a “Climate of respect and trust” is one of six criteria of effective workplaces. FWI lists the elements which make up that particular”climate” from the employees point of view.

1. I trust what our managers say.
2. My managers deal ethically with employees and clients.
3. My managers seek new information and ideas from employees.

In its research, FWI partially defines an “effective workplace” as one which recognizes that employees are an “organization’s greatest resource.” It stands to reason that a “Climate of respect and trust” is a vital building block for an effective workplace. The FWI found that such a climate was a factor in employee engagement and job satisfaction, but there was also a work life or well-being outcome:

“Employees who experienced a climate of respect at work are more likely to report that their jobs give them more energy for their life at home.”

Throughout the FWI report, the workplace health concerns are broken down with a number of questions that examine the different experiences of men and women at work, but the criteria listed for an effective workplace apply to both genders. Men and women see these issues through different lens’, but ultimately, we’re all human beings at work which triggered some thoughts about The Shriver Report.

The Influence of the Shriver Report

The call for respect, trust, dignity and equality in the workplace  has been front and center due to the widespread media exposure of  The Shriver report:  A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, which was done in association with the Center for American Progress.

The report demonstrates the swinging of the workforce pendulum as women are half of the workforce. The essays (written by both men and women) effuse with mounting conviction, that corporate America and society in general must wake up to the fact that more women in the workforce brings with it the following:

1. Building momentum for pay equity
2. Building momentum for more women in senior management positions
3. Building momentum for better work life effectiveness initiatives like workplace flexibility, family leave, workplace stress reduction, time management, & elder and child care programs

Attention to all of these items are money in the back toward a “Climate of respect and trust” at work. Consciously bringing more awareness to these concerns raises the bar on the conversation and the Shriver Report did indeed do that. It’s probably one of the most important documents to trigger conversation in my lifetime on work life issues. But the last item should send up a big red flag. “Work Life Effectiveness” needs to be looked upon as gender neutral to elevate the dialogue and consciousness around work life issues – thus leading to more respect and trust in the workplace.

The Question of Feminism

I was brought up as a feminist; but to fearlessly tackle injustice, no matter the gender of the humanity pool at risk. One can argue that due to working women often taking on the lead role of family caregiver, and this sudden shift of women being half the workforce, we can expect to see a tsunami of ideas, initiatives and even legislation. But I suggest taking it a step further.

Business and corporate America in general needs to be galvanized at a deeper level with regard to the treatment of human beings at work; the human capital quotient of the business machine. That means tackling work life effectiveness across the board making it gender-neutral.

(Disclaimer: That’s not to say that some work life concerns are not specifically gender related; for example, breastfeeding/lactation rooms etc. And check out this research from the Sloan Work and Family Research Network; Opportunities for Policy Leadership on Fathers.)

Making work life effectiveness a gender-neutral concern brings a dynamic twist to a conversation that has, for too long, stayed in the ladies room. It’s about a climate of respect and trust at work; an area in desperate need of evolution. But it’s not just a female issue, it’s a human one.

Having recently come into the scholarly work of CV Harquail Ph.D, (@cvharquail) a leading voice on Organizational Leadership  at AuthenticOrganizations.com, I’ve been watching, reading and stretching my mind on many fronts – including the topic of women-at-work. A few days ago she pointed me to Fem 2.0 where a “blog carnival” is taking place posing the question, “what is considered gainful employment” in the 21st century. 

Thoughts flooded my brain when I considered what constitutes gainful employment for women. First thought best thought. It is the individual’s business to discern what constitutes work or what I prefer to term – vocation – in our 24/7 world for anyone; male or female. 

To me, gainful employment means right livelihood; working with purpose, passion and profit on a meaningful career trajectory guided by ones own unique skills, desires and voice. It’s not an easy task in a time when career expansion can fall victim to the reality of having to stay in a job you hate – to pay the bills. Thus, more than ever, there is a desperate need for the woman’s voice now, to tackle work life concerns and traditional stereotypes of the 9-5 job structure, if only to make it more bearable.

I’m not going to make a blanket statement saying that our voices have been irrevocably quelled by fear in this lousy economy – but some have. With soaring unemployment, the largest percentage of layoffs impacting men, and the tightening job market – keeping a job seems to have become paramount for women – depending on which news article you’re reading.

Work/Life flexibility is embraced by progressive companies which understand that their current labor pool is dwindling (both male and female) and that they need to attract more female workers who now make up 46 % of the workforce. But a flexible working model is not always seen as the Great White Knight, which with its sword, can tear down walls of gender bias toward better attraction and retention of skilled employees. Flexibility is instead feared by some as a killer of face time, a signal of less interest in ones work or the threatening anti-christ to the almighty dollar. 

Thrust into the work life balance debate, women forge ahead on-line and in the media pushing for more flexible working arrangements, better maternity leave, and changes in the Family Leave Act. But when we walk through the doors of big business  (and again, not everywhere) there’s the perception that a voice that dares speak up might fall on deaf ears – or worse – end up with a pink slip. This perception needs to be slayed, but it will take both sexes to open up the conversation in the workplace.

Just a few days ago I wrote about the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce in my post, Work Life Gender Gap Narrows. The study found that the work/life conflict men were experiencing had increased more so, over a period of time, then for the women surveyed (women were already feeling a high level of conflict). The results were not surprising given the fact that men are taking on more of the household and childcare duties than in past years, in dual-earner couples.

Perhaps the equalizing of work life conflict will level the playing field for men and women striving for better work life integration. Perhaps, the deaf ear will be more receptive to a woman’s voice demanding to be heard, as it might have had to listen to a crying child the night before.