In the 18th century, equal rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft declared, “I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.” For years, women have worked toward that goal.
It started with the 1848 Seneca Falls New York Convention that spurred women’s suffrage in the United States. It progressed to the landmark 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, which spawned the Beijing Platform For Action — a commitment by 189 nations to raise women’s status.
It intensified at this summer’s Beijing Plus Five U.N. Women’s Conference, where the global agenda revisited women’s rights — including how much power they hold.
Today, men and women are working together and sharing power in the workplace. Still, there’s an obvious imbalance, and inconsistencies in status. That compels questions such as, “Do males and females have distinct traits or management styles that procure certain levels of power? Or do women simply view and use power differently?”
A 1996 survey by The Economist Group and Korn/Ferry International reflected that female managers are frequently characterized as empathetic, supportive, nurturing, sharing and relationship-oriented. Male managers were typified as self-confident, competitive, decisive, direct and greater risk-takers.
SBN queried five high-profile businesswomen who are part of a pioneering generation of women that made it at a time when few females were working in management. For them, acquiring “power” meant relying on their inherent traits and developing new knowledge.
Each wrestled with the demands of career and family, endeavoring to “do the right thing” in the pursuit of accomplishment. They blazed their own trails and tenaciously surmounted mountains of stereotypes to become successful, powerful women. And just as they’d sought to connect with others for encouragement, they opened doors for those coming behind them.
These Akron businesswomen reveal how they acquired power, how they define it and how they use it to get what they want.
Patricia McKay — on power policies
As the great-niece of a marching suffragette, Pat McKay’s definition of power echoes Wollstonecraft’s sentiment.
“My definition of power is having the ability to get things done to be successful. Power to ‘take over’ isn’t my definition of success,” says McKay.
Like many of her generation, McKay went from high school to Hammell-Actual Business College — one of the few options for a business-minded woman in the ’60s. Then she married and donned an apron. After enrolling her children in school, she slipped into a business suit and eventually excelled in a male-dominated industry.
“I didn’t consciously choose an industry that had few females in it. I just wanted to sell insurance and someday have my own agency,” she says.
Rising from typist to agent’s assistant to agency bookkeeper, McKay became a licensed insurance agent in 1978. In 1993, she established McKay Insurance Agency Inc. Her achievements and acumen placed her on boards including ARDB’s Small Business Council, Summit County Port Authority, InfoLine and the mediation committee for Summit County Common Pleas Court.
Many credit McKay for helping other women achieve their goals because she was one of the first members of Women’s Network in the ’70s. But McKay says it’s the other way around.
“So many people have given me great advice along the way. For example, do you have room to list all the members of Women’s Network in your article?”
She says her own empowerment came in part from observing other entrepreneurs and deciding which management styles and techniques worked best for her.
As for the labels assigned to female managers, McKay says that while she is caring, empathetic, supportive and relationship-oriented, she also has traits attributed to businessmen.
“I’m competitive. Direct when I need to be. Self-confident. And a very big risk-taker,” she says. “Rather than viewing obstacles as insurmountable, if you just look at them as problems to be solved, you learn so much.”
McKay observes that some women in business must learn to be better team players.
“Men learn early how to be on a team because of their participation in sports. Some women must be taught that working on a team means everyone has their own job to do, but they need to do that as a whole,” she says.
However, she nixes the notion that women must learn how to “play the game like a man.”
“They just need to learn the rules,” she says. “And the rules are: Be responsible for yourself. Lead when you need to lead, and follow when you need to follow. Listen to people who are smarter than you. And emulate those who have the skills you need to succeed.”
Barbara Mushkat — on lawful empowerment
If Barbara Mushkat had settled for societal expectations of her generation’s women, she wouldn’t be a law partner at Emershaw, Mushkat & Schneier. And if she’d followed her heart to Hollywood, Women’s Network might not exist.
“I wanted to be an actress, but mother protested. So we compromised on speech therapy and psychology,” she laughs. “But two weeks after graduating from Syracuse, I married a college professor, had children, played bridge, did volunteer work and poured tea with faculty wives.”
Then, in 1965, Mushkat read “Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan.
“That opened my eyes to the possibility that a career might be an option for even a married woman,” she says. “So I enrolled in law school.”
In that role, Mushkat made waves for women. She was the only female in her class. She became the first female member of the Akron Bar Association executive committee. To excel in her male-dominated profession, she watched how men played the game, but played by her own rules — remaining unemotional and making it clear that she meant business.
“Dealing with males entailed more than just discussing a case,” she says. “Females had to make it clear that we weren’t interested in anything but business. We’ve overcome some of those problems, but people must know where we’ve been to understand how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.”
Even today, she says, businesswomen must make different sacrifices than men.
“We’re still our family’s primary caretaker, but if we want to advance professionally, we must put in much more than 40 hours, while still entertaining and serving on boards,” she says.
Mushkat used to think men served on boards to be noble. Then she realized many did it for business contacts. That concept inspired her to help launch what became one of Akron’s most powerful business organizations for women.
“As one of the only female lawyers in the early ’70s, there were few women to ask for guidance about managing a law practice and making a profit,” she says. “So Judy Nicely [now judge of Summit County Domestic Relations Court] and I started Women’s Network. What a lifesaver!”
Women’s Network united businesswomen in varied industries to exchange ideas and brainstorm solutions to myriad issues. Today, the Network continues “to encourage and support the progress of women toward full participation in economic, community and family life.”
Mushkat says there’s a definite difference in the way women and men view and use power.
“The difference is that men use their power in work; women spread it over all aspects of their lives, and to nurture,” she says. “My definition of power is the ability to influence people and events to achieve your goals.”
One of the keys to procuring power, says Mushkat, is awareness.
“Work on your self-confidence, become competent in your field and be aware of everything that’s going on around you. You’d be surprised at what you learn just by observing.”
Norma Rist — on power networking
Norma Rist says few women in business are interested in power for power’s sake.
“They just want to get something done, and they want just enough knowledge and influence to make it happen,” she says.
As president of Norma J. Rist CEO Consulting Inc., the firm she founded in 1989, Rist runs a powerhouse of management, marketing and sales tools to help entrepreneurs grow profitable businesses. One powerful tool is networking.
“Networking can help you learn how things really work, and that knowledge will help you move ahead and achieve your goals.”
Her own achievements prove she knows how to reach her goals.
When she graduated from business college at the University of Akron, she was one of a few women aspiring to business management during the ’60s. That didn’t stop her from becoming controller of Pepsi Cola Bottlers of Akron Inc. and the first female vice president and general manager for General Cinema Corp.
Filling positions formerly held by men was an arduous accomplishment for a woman back then, she admits. It would have been easier if there’d been more mentors.
“In the early ’70s, women were not invited to Akron City Club or organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis,” she says. “I often wished for mentors to help me figure out the challenges intrinsic in my profession. But there were no women in senior management, and very few individuals willing to assist someone eager to learn for professional advancement.”
So Rist relied on sheer inventiveness and determination to reach her goals — until Women’s Network was established. Being able to interact and learn from other female managers made all the difference.
That’s why, when someone suggests that “the Old Girls’ Network” has outlived its usefulness, Rist points out that, even today, female networking provides the power to seek new business knowledge and generates courage to act.
“Women continue to face many exclusions today,” she says. “And although women can now participate in numerous organizations for contacts, talking with another woman who has experienced similar challenges can uncover solutions that can help you move forward.”
As more women achieve positions of power, Rist says they will be more likely than men to know and draw upon the talents of other qualified women. That’s why networking is a powerful tool.
“The best advice I can provide women in business is to stay connected to other business owners and professionals. The more information they glean from others in their industries, the more business knowledge they can attain from others, the more likely they will be prepared for changes and success.”
Marie Covington — on communicating with power
A self-described “perfectionist mixed with a somewhat messy creativity,” Marie Covington started her career as a reporter and editor, ventured into public relations and climbed the corporate ladder at BFGoodrich Co. before starting her own PR and communications firm in 1989.
At that time, Covington Communications Inc. was one of a small but growing number of women-owned firms, and Covington quickly realized that to succeed, she had to alter stereotypical notions about women in business.
“To do that, I relied on my natural tendency to remain cool and unemotional. I tried to treat everyone — male or female, secretary or CEO — with respect. I didn’t display family photos in the office, so people there would see me as a businesswoman, not as a mother or wife,” she says. “And if I cried, it was in private.”
Although some might say Covington buried her feminine emotions to play a man’s game, she says that wasn’t the case.
“Everyone adapts to situations. I didn’t see it as compromising myself or mimicking men.”
In fact, Covington employed many “feminine” characteristics to procure profits and power.
“Consensus-building, collaboration and the ability to multitask — these are things women have always done,” she says.
As her business advanced, she encouraged the progress of women in her firm by delegating authority and responsibility. Some might see this as nurturing; to Covington, it was a management style that benefited everyone.
“Doing this helped me move on to a new way of working, with my office in my home and my assistant working from her home, while she also runs her own part-time home-based business,” she says. “Three of my former employees, two of them women, were also able to start their own businesses.”
Covington also opened doors by mentoring countless women and serving on boards including the Akron Press Club, the Akron chapters of Women in Communications and Public Relations Society of America, Akron Roundtable, Leadership Akron, ARDB and others. She was one of the first Women’s Network members, and led the charge to establish the Women’s Endowment Fund, which makes grants to area programs that benefit women and girls.
Covington’s advice to other professional women is a five-part power philosophy: “Don’t take things personally. First impressions count. Sexiness has no place in the office. Don’t gossip or listen to gossip. And assume the best about everyone — they might surprise you and live up to your expectations!”
She also cautions that in every setting, be cognizant of decorum and know the rules — if for no other reason than to know which rules you’re breaking.
“We all need to be true to ourselves, but we also need to grow and change,” she says. “It’s foolish to say, ‘I gotta be me,’ when that’s not really what is best for you in the long run.”
Ann Amer Brennan — on dispelling the myth
Those who know Ann Amer Brennan say she’s always challenged stereotypical thinking about how a woman should act.
She smiles recalling those initial disquieting moments when she’d walk into boardrooms and find herself the only woman at the conference table. At first, she suspected the businessmen possessed some secret insight into power that was kept from women. After a while, she discovered there was no secret.
“There’s not much difference between some men and women when it comes to achieving power. Back then, women traditionally wielded power through a man. It was not considered feminine to do otherwise,” she says.
“Back then” was the 1960s, when women were expected to be “ladies auxiliary to the world.”
“In the early days, men were more of the ‘auxiliary’ frame of mind. More of a problem is that many women of my generation had the auxiliary mind and didn’t think big enough about issues and possibilities.”
But she was always eager to consider possibilities. After earning a political science degree from Catholic University in 1955 and a teaching degree at the University of Akron in 1956, she married local entrepreneur David Brennan. She raised four children and dedicated herself to community service. Then, in 1979, she went to law school, graduating in 1982.
Along the way, she learned that she was good at being in charge.
“I’ve always wanted to be the person in charge because I knew what needed to be done and I was willing to work hard enough to make it happen,” she says.
Most know Brennan best from her service as chair of the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board. She was also the first woman to chair the Akron Community Foundation. This year, she stepped up as chair of Summa Health System Board.
Brennan says the “new” style of female leadership is still “very much in the feminine style.” And although some construe “nurturing, caring and sharing” as “weak feminine characteristics,” she says these are serviceable traits to be emulated in business.
“For a woman or anyone to succeed, they must care and be willing to translate that caring into work. Sharing power and information, collaboration and teamwork — those are concepts that were first trumpeted in female groups.”
Consensus, says Brennan, is the optimum way of managing. At other times, other means are needed.
“Like working with a child, sometimes you use reason. Other times you say, ‘This is it!’ You dare not be afraid to be firm when firmness is required — because if you’re leading an organization, the buck stops with you.”
The Old Girls’ Network
Is there really strength in numbers? Start here to find out.
Women’s Network: Encourages and supports the progress of women toward full participation in economic, community and family life; (330) 379-2772 or www.womennet.org.
National Association of Women Business Owners: Provides a forum to address female entrepreneurial needs and interests; (440) 676-9262 or www.nawbocleveland.com.
InfoLine: An information line that provides contact numbers and referrals to social service and government agencies inside Summit County to address various needs; (330) 376-6660 or www.infolineinc.org.
