I am immensely proud of the recent success my client TAL (formerly Tower Australia Limited), one of Australia’s leading Life Insurance companies. They have just been recognised as a stand out Employer of Choice for Women for their efforts by both the Australian Government and, by industry media Money Magazine:

Citation for Workplace Gender EqualityAgency(WGEA) 2014 Employer of Choice for Gender Equality

Employer of the Year Award at the Money Management/Super Review 2014 Women in Financial Services Award.

Both of these awards acknowledge the concentration and commitment TAL has made again this year to supporting and advancing their female talent.

An integral component of this achievement was the Enabling Female Coaching Program we designed and implemented this year with a focus on creating sustainable success pathways for TAL women. It offered blended learning, including workshops, group coaching, an self-empowered buddy system, as well as, individual coaching. The program was enjoyed by nearly 50 TAL women in Sydney and Melbourne.

Their core learning focus was on: Female Leadership Development, Emotional Intelligence, Stress Management, Work-Life Choices, Personal Brand, Strategic Networking, Energy Management and Peak Performance. My presentations were then reinforced by the homework, group and individual coaching sessions and the structured self-empowered buddy program.

These awards were the icing on the cake as the greatest gratification I had from the leading the program was witnessing the increased engagement, productivity and career aspirations of the female participants. Here is some of the participant feedback we have received:

‘Linda, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your sponsorship of this fantastic initiative which goes beyond lip service towards gender equality and provides some practical guidance for women working at TAL to empower them with skills to knock on (and perhaps shatter!) the glass ceiling.’

‘I am really enjoying being part of the program and gaining a great deal of confidence in my abilities as a direct result of my participation. This program has further enhanced my respect for the women I work with, improved my understanding of the value I contribute to TAL and grown my confidence to share and express these more openly.  Programs such as this are also another reason why TAL is a great place to work.’

Where to from here? Early next year, I am happy to update you on some of the key insights experienced from the program that has helped transform the way TAL’s women are empowered, feel valued and are continuing to step up in their own leadership aspirations and performance.

Click here if you would like to register interest in a personal briefing.

I’d also love to hear what have you seen that’s worked well in achieving gender equality in your organisation.