Chief, a private network for C-Suite level women to network and mentor one another from such iconic companies as Google, HBO, American Express, and Hulu looks at the lingering effects of Covid-19 on parenting in the United States.
Chief co-founder, Lindsay Kaplan, recently noted on a recent episode of The POZcast: Career & Life Journeys with Adam Posner that the ongoing pandemic has taken a toll on the parenting workforce that includes the women holding upper echelon positions in corporate America.
Exploring the importance of community, and her groups efforts in facilitating that sense of community, Kaplan explores her thoughts on the role that the Covid-19 pandemic will have on social justice policies designed to more broadly meet the needs of executive women in the future.
When asked about the biggest impact of the ongoing pandemic, Kaplan says that she believes that parents have been gas lit into the belief that it is the parent’s role to attempt to normalize the most un-normal of experiences. In addition to the strains placed on parents attempting to balance child care and productivity, she notes that the solution needs to look past the end of the pandemic.
“I believe that this experience highlight the need for us to look at long-term solutions that virtually ignored in this country such as parental leave, as well as after school programs designed to meet the needs of working American parents throughout the economy.”
Additionally, Kaplan recommends that members and staff alike ensure that they are practicing self-care traits although Kaplan admits that her own routine involves “a bottle of wine, bowl of Cheerios, and a good, long cry in the bathtub.” With an internal team of approximately 50 staff members, Chief routinely offers a monthly “mental health” day to decompress from everyday stresses.
Launched in 2019, Chief targets the needs of women occupying positions of executive authority. A curated peer to peer group, Chief’s core mission is to provide a space to form deep, lasting connections, a sense of amity, mutual support, and an understanding audience across many industries.
Historically underrepresented in the boardrooms of corporate America, women comprise a mere 23% of these leadership positions; Chief represents an excellent sharpening stone on which these women can sharpen their leadership skills.
“The challenge for many upper echelon female executives is that by the time they enter the C-Suite ring, they are the go-to resource for those seeking support, advice, and mentoring, which leaves them with few available resources with which to recharge their own batteries,” notes Kaplan.
Kaplan adds, “Our Core groups form monthly to facilitate the confidential working through of professional and personal challenges, under the guidance of a dedicated Core guide. Everyone needs the opportunity to vent amongst their peers, and here at Chief, all of our members ‘really get it.’”
Also, the group offers workshops, digital services, and a chance to exchange information of job candidates, open available positions, as well as watching in person special events online with such notable speakers as Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, and Valerie Jarrett among others.
“Since we first began Chief, we always placed the utmost importance on meeting our individual member’s needs, and that resulted in an easier pivot once the pandemic set in,” according to Kaplan. Moving to online engagement over in person meetings, the group has actually seen an increase in membership and engagement.
Founded with the initial goal of enrolling 100 C-Suite female executives to their ranks, Chief currently numbers 2,000 members with another 8,000 women waiting for acceptance. Membership is reserved for those occupying the senior rungs of corporate leadership ranging from VP to CEO. While dedicated to the empowerment of women in the executive corridors of power, the group is absolutely open to men who share the same ideals and goals of the group.
Expanding from its initial New York City base, the group has since added Chief clubhouses in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Hear the full episode here: The POZcast with Adam Posner: Episode 138
About The POZcast with Adam Posner
Hosted by Adam Posner, who is the founder and managing director of NHP Talent Group, The POZcast Press is a show in which top experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from the world of business come to impart their unique knowledge to those who are seeking it. Each week, Adam interviews a new guest who provides invaluable insight into various aspects of their own careers and personal growth. The overall goal of the podcast is to help people on all levels of the business realm by inspiring them to harness their inner tenacity in order to propel their lives and careers forward. Those who wish to sponsor, collaborate, or be a guest on The POZcast, should contact him today.
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