Boss: Visual Values

Michael Hutak

8 March 2002
Australian Financial Review

Corporate art for legal offices; women versus women; phone etiquette via voicemail; promoting ideas for a better workplace.

News that Minter Ellison has appointed Sydney art consultant Amanda Love to crank up its corporate art collection begs the question: what is the value of art to an organisation? "Our clients come from all over the world," says ME partner, Lindsay Powers. "We hope to promote the artists we collect by exposing our clients to their work. Equally important, however, are our staff, who work long hours. We hope the art we display creates a stimulating environment, and that our dedication to Australian artists makes them proud to be a part of the firm."

Allen Allen & Hemsley, of Sydney, had one of the best corporate collections of contemporary and Aboriginal art in the country. After its merger with Melbourne's Arthur Robinson in 2001, the collection was scattered across 12 offices in seven countries. Group marketing manager Chris Fogarty cites three core benefits: "First, we are always asking our lawyers to come up with inspiring solutions, so we want to provide them with an inspiring environment. Second, legal firms typically have paintings of judges and racehorses on the walls, so because our collection is so eclectic it generates a lot of healthy discussion around the place. And third because we only buy emerging or unknown artists, it's a reminder for us all of the firm's commitment to community involvement."

Tough Love For Queen Bees

A new study has found a general bias, from both genders, against successful women, writes Michael Hutak.

Janne Chung, when senior lecturer at Edith Cowan University, Perth, conducted a study to discover whether the evaluation of a manager's performance is affected by the gender of the person doing the evaluating, and/or the gender of the person being evaluated. Her findings were published in the latest Australian Journal of Management (vol 26, no 2).

Thirty-three men and 24 women were asked to rate the performance of two managers - one male, one female - who had responded to two scenarios. Both managers had handled one scenario successfully, the other unsuccessfully.

When rating the female's successful scenario, both men and women were harsher than they were with the male's successful scenario. However, in the unsuccessful scenario, there was no such difference: both the female and the male manager were rated equally. This suggests a general bias against successful women.

Chung says the bias is enough to influence human resource decisions - such as hiring, remuneration or promotion - where competition is stiff. It may also cause frustration and lead to the premature exit of successful women, to the detriment of the organisation.

Chung, now an associate professor in accounting at Canada's top business school, the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, says a possible explanation for the lack of feminist solidarity among the women in the study is the "queen bee syndrome".

"Many senior women who have struggled to get to the top find they don't like competition from younger women," she says. 

Boss Magazine, Australian Financial Review

Get The Message?

Boss Magazine

Michael Hutak
391 words
8 March 2002
Australian Financial Review

There is no master plan to success in business! Getting started is what really counts . . . even wisdom doesn't matter nearly as much as getting started.

Fred DeLuca, co-founder of the Subway franchise, from Start Small, Finish Big (Warner Business, $29.95)

VOICEMAIL HAS become pervasive, but still we fumble with its use - mumbling, slurring, omitting, rambling and losing valuable business in the process. Don't waste people's valuable time is the first mantra of business communication, says Manhattan business consultant Hilka Klinkenberg. She founded Etiquette International in 1989 and advises major corporations like Sony, IBM, Andersen, Con Edison and Salomon Brothers on all aspects of social and business etiquette. Klinkenberg lists her top 10 voicemail tips:

* Think about what you have to say before you pick up the phone. A series of "ers", "aahs", and "ums" leaves a bad impression.

* Don't just speak clearly, speak clearly into the receiver. Don't cradle the phone under your chin while shuffling papers on your desk. And stifle any background noise - radio, TV, screaming kids, office parties and so on.

* Never slouch back with your feet on the desk. Poor posture changes the position of the diaphragm, making your voice sound lazy and disinterested. Sit up straight.

* Identify yourself. Nothing is more infuriating than messages of the "Hi, it's me. Call me back!" variety.

* Leave your contact number at the start and the end of the message. And say it slowly. Here's a tip: Write down the number yourself as you say it. Chances are your recipient will have time to do the same.

* Avoid telephone tag team by leaving as much relevant information as possible. Your recipient can then return your call prepared with the information you were seeking.

* Conversely, don't leave long-winded details about your day's itinerary. No-one cares. Just tell us when we can call you back.

* When you do leave a time to accept a return call, make sure you are there to take it.

* Change your own answer message to advise when you are on holidays or otherwise unavailable.

* Never leave bad news on voicemail. It's not just inappropriate, it's cruel. Breaking up with a lover via voicemail may be a convenient way out, but remember: they know where you live.