Goodbye Command and Control, Hello Listening
It is easy to pay lip service to inclusion, but concrete actions are what make the difference. "It is often associated with the word 'diversity', but this is a fact, while inclusion is an act," explains Paola Angeletti, Bocconi alumna and Chief Sustainability Officer at Intesa Sanpaolo. "It’s not enough to just welcome everyone if you want to create an inclusive work environment, you also need to know how to value people. Incidentally, for companies today this is not only a matter of ethics, but a cost-effective choice: in a world where talent is scarce, excluding anyone who does not conform to our paradigm represents a waste of resources."
Paola Angeletti has developed this awareness through the various stages of her professional career: from her first experiences in consulting and investment banking, to a transition to M&A at Intesa; from the responsibility of all the Group's foreign banks, to that of the entire HR – including organization, safety, health and internal communication – as COO. As well as her current role as CSO, where she is in charge of initiatives ranging from improving environmental impact – the Group has set specific targets for both its direct emissions and so-called 'financed' emissions – to artistic and cultural initiatives (Intesa has opened four different museums over the years) and those with a significant social impact. She is also involved in activities that aim to promote an environment conducive to innovation, through meetings and building relationships between companies and startups.
Her management experience has allowed Paola to have a clear vision of what leadership means and whether or not there is a more purely female leadership model. "I would like men to be asked this question as well, every now and then. I work in my role as a person, not as a woman," Paola points out. "However, if I look back, I remember that when I was appointed to the C-level I was the only woman, while today there are five others," she says. What has also made a difference has been her commitment to trying to create the right conditions for more talented women to emerge. "With the Golfo-Mosca law, we have achieved great results as a country in increasing the presence of women on boards. However, development has been much slower in management. Here what is needed is to create a pipeline, the right conditions so that talented people do not get lost along the way."
Regarding leadership styles, she adds: "I don't think there is a purely female leadership style that is different from a male style. I think some styles work better than others," she explains. A more strictly 'command and control' style, for example, "has now gone out of fashion, although today it is making a comeback in certain circles," Angeletti points out. “In today’s constantly evolving world, this style is not useful for successful companies, because it only ensures results in the short term." And here we return to the topic of inclusion: "Leadership that prepares a company for change must instead be based on listening and engagement. So it is easier to produce innovative ideas."
In light of all this, Paola would like to give some advice to young women: "Opportunities do not fall from the sky. You have to have a good dose of self-confidence and you have to get involved. Above all, we must no longer think that opportunities happen only to men or people with powerful connections. You have to throw yourself into the mix."
