Inclusiveness, women, and leadership in workplaces.

Businesses that actively support gender equality make better business decisions and ultimately make more money. A study which analysed more than 1,000 companies worldwide, proved that organisations with greater diversity among their executive teams have higher profits and longer-term value.

(McKinsey & Company, 2022)


Research also shows that inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time, and teams with less diversity are more likely to make poor choices for their companies. Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions twice as fast with half the meetings. Decisions made and executed by diverse teams deliver 60% better results.

(Erik Larson, 2017, New Research: Diversity and Inclusion Equals Better Decision Making at Work).

The commercial power available from diverse workforces is undeniable.

The reduction of risk through inclusion of diverse backgrounds is also proven.

Consulting and advisory.

The Kalmor Institute was the first organisation in Australia to use its specialist culture change expertise to assist organisations create cultures more amenable to the success of women. We have worked with people across many organisations and in different countries on the issues and dynamics that support women, and which may act as blockers to women reaching their greatest potential.

The Kalmor Institute was also the first organisation in Australia to offer a suite of programs created specifically with the intent of supporting women achieve career resilience and success and which have been used both domestically and internationally, across sectors including mining, financial services, manufacturing, professional services, retail, FMCG’s, telecommunications, automotive, and health.

Karen Mitchell authored the highly respected book 'Careers and Motherhood, Challenges and Choices' which the Sex Discrimination Commissioner described as the ‘Bible for working mothers’.

 We assist organisations to:

  • Perform cultural audits relating to women and success.

  • Identify organisational blockers to women reaching their greatest potential.

  • Establish cultures, structures and systems that support women reach and maintain their full potential.

  • Develop insight, confidence, and attitudes in senior leaders to manage men and women effectively.

  • Establish intra-organisational and cross-organisational mentoring programs for women.

  • Address issues of conflict in organisations relating to perceived gender bias.

Training and education.

Evidence shows women learn better when they are in same-gender learning environments, they are more courageous in discussion, and take more risks in learning new capabilities.  This has been at the forefront of our approach in designing programs to support women manage their careers and paid work roles in the context of their broader life choices, most effectively.

Our programs, included below, are designed to build awareness, insight, confidence, and capability. We use a variety of delivery formats including both electronic and in-person and tailor our programs to your organisation and the seniority of participants.

Our programs.

  • Career resilience and success for women.


    This 2-day program positions women to maximise their career potential. It is the cornerstone program of Kalmor’s offerings for women and provides grounded, informed and highly pragmatic learnings on how to secure and maintain career success and satisfaction. It assists women to fully identify their career aspirations and core strengths. It highlights potential career pitfalls and provides strategies and techniques for ensuring career resilience.


    Topics Covered:
    • Career and personal planning: an aspirational future creates more opportunities.
    • Women, leadership, perceptions, and power.
    • Strategies for strengthening career.
    • Establishing presence and gaining credibility.
    • Leveraging personal strengths.
    • Using 'the rules of the game' to fulfil career goals.
    • Common career pitfalls and how to avoid them.
    • Negotiating, influencing, and impacting in organisations and industries.


    Outcomes:
    • Clarity about personal values as a context for career.
    • Clarity about personal aspirations as a context for career.
    • Deep insight into steps which can be taken to move substantially closer to aspirational roles.
    • An understanding of personal strengths and how to capitalise on them.
    • Depth of insight into the norms, cultural signals, and drivers for career success and satisfaction.
    • Confidence in interactions, negotiations, and career-related transactions.
    • Awareness of techniques and tools that can assist with career success.

  • Contact the Kalmor Institute for a program outline.

  • Pre-parenthood program.


    This program assists women manage their career effectively from pre-pregnancy through to childbirth and beyond. It offers tested and practical strategies to maintain confidence at this potentially vulnerable time and provides best practice approaches for career planning and protection, making the transition to parenthood as enjoyable and smooth as possible. This program is suitable for men who wish to understand the maternal experience and are also interested in optimising the experience of transitioning to parenthood.


    Topics Covered:
    • Common pitfalls for women who become mothers and how to avoid them
    • How to make sure your career is robust before you get pregnant
    • Key factors for successful maternity leave and return-to-work negotiations
    • Your legal rights during pregnancy, maternity leave and as a parent
    • Managing your career through maternity leave
    • What to expect after the birth
    • Preparing your relationship and home life for children so as to make it easier to maintain your career
    • Flexible work options and how to effectively manage them.
    • Childcare options, engagement and how to make them work

    Learning Outcomes:
    • Increased knowledge of what to expect through the transition to parenthood
    • Awareness of the key success factors for maintaining career during this transition
    • Confidence to manage the challenges presented by pregnancy and maternity leave
    • An understanding of the choices associated with motherhood and career and confidence to make and execute these choices
    • An understanding of the legal entitlements and obligations of women as they relate to pregnancy, maternity leave and parenting
    • Confidence and skills to negotiate maternity leave and return-to-work conditions to ensure the best outcomes for the woman and the business

  • Contact the Kalmor Institute for a program outline.

  • Contact the Kalmor Institute for a program outline.

  • Moving women out of support roles into Profit and Loss roles.

    This program positions women to maximise their career potential and their long-term career goals by moving out of support roles and into P and L roles. It provides strategies and techniques for ensuring career resilience and success in senior roles, specifically in managing a business. It provides women with the insight, skills, and confidence to succeed in profit and loss roles and provides guidance on where further skills and knowledge to support this can be sourced. It assists women to build their network and establish an environment around them which caters to their career and commercial success, long term. It also assists women to position themselves powerfully as potential senior leaders, as well as role models and positive influencers for other women.

    This program is designed to follow on from the 2-Day Career Resilience and Success program.

    Topics Covered:
    • Managing a business
    • Key financial management principles
    • Board and senior team functions
    • Commercial Savvy and the commercial environment
    • How support role capabilities transfer to P and L roles
    • Access to further knowledge and skills development
    • Establishment of the shadowing exercise
    • Progress to date
    • Celebrate the wins
    • Address any barriers and concerns
    • Review of the shadowing exercise
    • Presence and leadership

    Program Outcomes:
    • A high level of confidence to secure and maintain senior roles within the organisation, particularly P&L roles
    • Awareness of the key concepts involved in running a business
    • Clarity around career aspirations and identification of the steps to get there
    • The confidence and skills to promote and position oneself powerfully inside the organisation
    • A network of support and the skills to leverage off this network
    • An insight into the role and responsibilities of senior managers within the organisation
    • Awareness of board and executive team functions

  • Contact the Kalmor Institute for a program outline.

  • Contact the Kalmor Institute for a program outline.

“The feedback from these programs is consistently excellent. The women attendees are energised and inspired by the facilitators and case studies, and often set up informal networks after the completion of the course. The programs are integral to our diversity goals.”

Director, Diversity, Top 10ASX Company.

“It has been over a year since I attended your Career Resilience for Women program… I can honestly say it is the one program than has had the greatest impact on my career to date. I have applied several ‘tools’ to my professional life since then and feel they have greatly improved the way I am perceived as a professional.  I am taken more seriously and take myself more seriously; and I like the results. It has also assisted me in providing guidance to my own staff, particularly the females.”

Program participant, multi-national petroleum company.

Coaching and on-on-one work.

We offer four session coaching programs for women.

These programs are highly tailored and vary in their objectives which may include, for example:

  • life and career direction clarity;

  • addressing life and career barriers and concerns;

  • dealing with difficult behaviours in others;

  • working through important transitions; and

  • dealing with people who are antagonistic, toxic, or bullying in either professional or personal contexts.

Coaching and one-on-one work is provided in person, by phone and/or by on-line platform. Our coaches are exceptionally experienced and have worked at all levels, including executive level and with a wide range of people and circumstances.

We also offer four session coaching programs for men who might value support with issues associated with leading a diverse work force.

Presentations and speaking engagements.

We offer presentations for large groups, including leadership forums and conferences, for women on the topic of career management and for mixed senior groups on the topic of leading inclusively. Our presentations are designed to be highly engaging as well as informative and may include some form of audience participation.