Deloitte
Deb DeHaas is chief inclusion officer and national managing partner, Center for Corporate Governance, Deloitte LLP. Deb drives Deloitte's strategy to develop a diverse workforce and foster an inclusive environment where leaders thrive. She leads the Center for Corporate Governance by setting the strategic direction and establishing board and C-suite relationships through innovative programs. As lead client service or advisory partner, Deb has engaged with boards to address timely governance issues.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
My mother was one of the major influences in my life and my career. I always admired her tenacity as the only female graduate in accounting at the University of Pittsburgh back in 1951. Her professor assumed it was just a matter of time before she'd quit--which, of course, she never did. Then she worked in Gulf Oil's accounting department, helping my dad through medical school. She went on to become our town's first woman councilman and first woman church elder. It's tough to say whether it was her influence or her genes, but her mentorship taught me that there were no barriers to achieving what I wanted.
How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at Deloitte?
When I started my career, the profession wasn't very diverse. Before I came to Deloitte in 2002, I had only worked for one woman in my entire career. One reason I chose Deloitte after Andersen folded, was because Deloitte had a great track record of helping women and people of color advance, and as I've taken on leadership roles at Deloitte, it has always been important to me focus on advancing this inclusive culture at Deloitte while helping our clients and society as a whole. That sense of responsibility comes from knowing I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today without those who not only opened doors for me, but showed me how to bring my authentic self to work, feel accepted and have the confidence to pursue what's important to me.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Deloitte?
While the Women's Initiative (WIN) at Deloitte was founded almost 25 years ago, a highlight for me was bringing together WIN with other talent priorities under the umbrella of Inclusion as Deloitte's first Chief Inclusion Officer. In 2013, we launched the Deloitte University Leadership Center for Inclusion which continues to bring together thought leadership, community outreach, and focused programming under the Inclusion Center for Excellence.
In the time that I've been with the firm, I've seen Deloitte produce a lot of firsts: first woman chairman (Sharon Allen), first Hispanic CEO (Joe Echevarria), first minority chairman (Punit Renjen), and first woman CEO of the Big Four (Cathy Engelbert). But the continuous evolution of the workplace, the marketplace and even the definition of diversity keeps us from resting on our laurels. There is a paradigm shift occurring where organizations can no longer rely solely on numbers or diverse leaders to define their success. Culture and environment are more important than ever, and inclusive behaviors and leadership are more significant drivers than innovative programs. We, like our clients, still strive for new ways to integrate inclusive leadership into "business as usual" practices.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
Working in audit in a multidiscipline professional service firm has been a great fit for me. It is great for engaging with a wide variety of people and having the breadth of opportunities within one firm to work on a number of different types of business. My first piece of advice is to seek out opportunities to reinvent yourself multiple times. Don't put yourself in one box. Take advantage of opportunities and experiences. Push your comfort zone to try new skills, new geographies, and new clients. Lastly, focus on building your network. Any job is somewhat transient, and you never know which of your peers will become clients, partners, or board members. Building and maintaining relationships is key.
What is the most important lesson you've learned in your career to date?
From my perspective, balancing the demands of work, family and personal commitments are among the most pressing challenges that professionals are facing today. Across gender and generations, the need for increased balance is cited as a necessity. Millennials, who now make up more than 50 percent of the Deloitte workforce, say job flexibility is a top priority. Once seen as mainly a women's issue, fusing careers and personal lives is now everyone's concern as gender roles in the home and at work are rapidly shifting. Men report increasing levels of work-life conflict. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both parents work in nearly 60 percent of married families with children. At Deloitte, we are recognized within the industry for our innovative approach to work life, but we know we haven't cracked the code. We are constantly looking at ways we can update our approach and help our people build predictability into their schedules. We're moving beyond programs and policies to a new mindset, behaviors and processes that support the integration of work and life, well-being and peace-of-mind.
The benefits have broad business and talent implications. Professionals who have more control over the management of their own work-life integration report lower levels of stress and better health. This translates directly to measurable benefits for employers in terms of reduced absenteeism, turnover, and sick leave usage, as well as increased productivity during the workday.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
Through our various stages of our lives and careers, all of us -- male, female, people of different backgrounds -- will have something that comes up that causes us to need more time and energy or at least flexibility and support. That could be child care issues, taking care of an ailing relative, a new goal or a need for renewed inspiration in one's career. I have three sons, two of whom are currently in college and one in high school. My husband has been a phenomenal support as my travel demands ebb and flow. I am still able to make the soccer games and family events that truly matter as well as do things that I enjoy, such as singing in my church choir. I have additional support because of the environment here at Deloitte where flexibility and wellness are discussed openly. We know every person here is more than just the brains they bring to work every day. We realize levels of energy and engagement at work is connected tightly to the lives we nurture outside of work, so we encourage everyone, leaders included, to bring their full selves to work, personal commitments included, so everyone can work together to help each other be their best. Details as small as shifting hours earlier to accommodate school pick up, working from home to reduce long commutes, or mid-day exercise breaks go a long way to helping us calm our minds and energize our bodies as we work.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
Time and time again we've heard that work-life integration continues to be an issue for women in the workplace. Young professionals, especially women, expect career and family priorities to shift over time. It's part of their life plan. They expect to do it all, but not all at the same time. They want flexibility. And America's employers should consider giving it to them. But we're also hearing something else. More and more women are evaluating a workplace by the opportunities for professional and leadership development and clear paths toward the different ways they define success. Studies have shown that organizations with women who wield their influence in decision-making leadership positions experience greater business success. Organizations need to define effective leadership in ways that don't lean towards masculine traits. As an executive and a mother, I realize that job demands and skill sets will change over time. Organizations like mine need to value balance, offer flexibility on where, when and how work gets done, and provide mentorship so that young professionals truly can do it all. This can lead to a cultural shift that will help continue to change the entrenched focus on antiquated gender norms in our country while benefiting all working professionals, men and women.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
When I was 25 and had only been at Arthur Andersen for a few years, I was considering leaving and taking a high-level internal audit job at a company. I went to Joe Hinkel and Bob Kutsenda, both very senior partners, for guidance. They didn't want me to leave and laid out a plan for how I could achieve great success. They helped me see myself in a partner role, which I hadn't considered before. It was inspiring to me. One thing that stuck with me was that they looked forward to the day that we would be peers in the partnership. This meant a great deal to me and gave me a goal to set my sights on. Even though there were not very many female partners at that time, I knew I belonged in the partnership. It is still important today for men to be mentors and sponsors to women. Women with sponsors are 22% more likely to ask for stretch assignments and projects that put them on the radar of higher-ups. Sponsorship is key for all practitioners, and it is important to focus on the benefit sponsorship has on retention and advancement of high-performing individuals
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
Cathy Engelbert, CEO, Deloitte LLP: Last March, Cathy Engelbert assumed the role as Deloitte's new chief executive, making her the first woman to helm any of the country's major professional services firms. Her passion for leadership and innovation make her an exceptional leader for our firm and our 65,000 professionals. Fortune placed her as the highest ranking newcomer of their 2015 list of Most Powerful Women. While she receives a lot of attention for breaking though a big gender barrier, to me, she's not just a notable "female leader," she's a notable model leader. She has her finger on the pulse of our people and the marketplace, she engages and listens at all levels, and she translates her continuous learning into specific strategic directions that we can run with. She is demonstrating the kind of inclusive leader behavior that is foundational to our culture.
Billie Jean King has long been a pioneer for inclusion and social justice. King grew up playing tennis in the California public parks and won 39 Grand Slam titles during her career. She helped form the Virginia Slims Series and founded the Women's Tennis Association. Recently, Billie has formed the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to address the critical issues required to achieve inclusive leadership that will lead to significant changes in how women and men operate in the world. I am thrilled to follow her passion for four decades, and I am inspired by how she has maintained her impact on gender equity and breaking boundaries.
What do you want Deloitte to accomplish in the next year?
This election cycle has brought numerous issues around diversity and inclusion to the forefront - it's not just academics and pundits talking about diversity, gender and inclusion, but there are open conversations at kitchen tables, children's classrooms, and around water coolers. As an inclusion leader, I want to see all people engaged in these conversations, regardless of their demographic categories.
Traditional diversity frameworks have helped historically, but we are seeing a paradigm shift in the way people and therefore companies think about diversity and inclusion. Corporations can engage a modern workforce that doesn't identify itself by traditional demographic categories. Leaders can focus on engaging their people, creating an inclusive environment, and building a culture where employees can be their authentic selves. Our journey at Deloitte is not over, and we constantly look at new ways to innovate. By seeking out and engaging unique experiences and perspectives, we can serve as a strong influence on Corporate America... and we can make a more powerful impact on our people, our clients, and society as a whole.