No More Superheroes
It's not easy—especially in today’s business environment. But she leads by example. In the process, she’s helping to create alternative pathways to power for tomorrow’s corporate leaders.
by Shermakaye Bass
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Throughout these junctures, Utter says her husband’s
support was critical. “You have to completely trust
and respect not only your partner but your
commitment to each other,” she says. But these
familial negotiations were far from easy, she
admits.
“How did my husband and I navigate those paths? Ouch! When I ponder the three or four biggest forks in the road, we always shared the upcoming dilemma pretty quickly and in real time,” she says. “There was a fair amount of discussion, although in short bursts—after the kids had gone to bed.”
These dilemmas were compounded by the fact that “you never had the luxury to get away for a weekend to ponder life,” she adds. “But Ward and I relinquished the decision to the other person—giving our blessings on whichever choice the other would make. We had to trust each other not to put our family goals at undue risk. So far, we haven’t been disappointed in each other.”
A Little Help from Her Friends
Her views and family values have segued into what’s become an extremely important part of her extracurricular professional life—mentoring other aspiring businesswomen.
In a commencement speech for the McCombs graduate accounting program in 2004, for instance, she boldly pointed out that women can’t have it all. At certain points in their lives, they have to set their own priorities and define success and work goals based on their own values and beliefs—not on someone else’s.
Utter promotes these same values in the Longhorn Women Leaders (LWL), an organization that emerged from a 2001 survey of University of Texas female graduates. Utter and Ellen Wood, BBA ’82, approached alumnae from 1965 to 2000 to learn about how women leaders make life choices and career decisions. What they found was that, despite their ages, all had similar expectations but varying outcomes.
As the chair of LWL, Utter makes time to visit Austin to speak with nearly 300 members about work-life balance issues. She is also involved in promoting women on a broader scale, serving on the boards of several prestigious national organizations, including serving as the Southwest region’s vice chair of the Committee of 200—a network founded by preeminent business women, such as the late Katharine Graham, former publisher of the Washington Post, and Sherry Lansing of 20th Century Fox, with the goal of mentoring and exploring opportunities for women in business. Utter is also a Steering Team member of the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force, a high-profile group that addresses work-life balance issues among high-powered women.
Utter, herself, has relied heavily on mentors throughout her career—several of whom have been men.
“My first boss, Rich Fairbanks at SPA, had a wife and children, and he taught me from day one that they were more important than any paycheck out there. When I saw a guy setting those priorities—that had a real impact on me,” she says.
“Then I went to Frito-Lay, and again, I had a great mentor—Al Carey, who is now a senior VP for PepsiCo, North America. He had children in Dallas, and he put his family first. He didn’t relocate to New York [as he moved upward in the company]; he stayed in Dallas. And he always supported me in putting my personal interests first.”
Utter’s focus has always been twofold, says Mara Swan, senior vice president for Manpower, Inc. Swan was head of human resources at Coors when Utter was moving up the ladder and is one of her mentors. “One issue is: How do I achieve the goals that I want to achieve for my company and myself,” Swan says. “And the other is: How do I help other women grow?”
As executives advance through the corporate ranks, Swan believes, women face more sacrifices in family life. “As a woman, you see yourself in multiple roles—a mother, a wife, a worker—and men traditionally see themselves in the one role of the worker.”
Utter’s mentors continue to help her navigate these unclear roles. “As I’ve continued to face junctures in the road, my mentors have challenged me and they’ve supported me.”
Despite keeping up with her family, mentors and career moves, Utter still has managed to immerse herself in civic and philanthropic work. She has served as the chair of Coors’ United Way Employee Giving Campaign. She is a Sunday school teacher at her church and she serves on various Methodist church boards and committees in her community.
And yet, Utter continues to help her female colleagues by pushing her ideas, even pushing the ideological envelope in the still-male-dominated corporate world. In the past five or so years, she has formulated some very specific philosophies about the fuzzy and sometimes frustrating line between business aspirations and business world realities.
“I think there have to be fundamental changes in order to have more women fit into these high-level corporate roles,” she concludes. “There have to be alternate pathways to power in the corporate environment—because in the last several decades in the United States there’s been sort of one path, and it’s pretty much the white males who have determined that path.”
Drawing New Boundaries
The path to power is paved with sacrifice. Sacrificing family commitments—whether it be caring for children or elderly parents. Males have to make those sacrifices, too, Utter says, but the guilt isn’t as pervasive for them. After all, a male high-level executive isn’t necessarily considered an exception to the rule or a superhero. Not so for women.
That being the case, Utter says, “I believe our expectations of our gender-culture norms have got to change. I talk to a lot of guys who feel constrained, also. How can they take paternity leave? How can they take off to help a parent?”
“How did my husband and I navigate those paths? Ouch! When I ponder the three or four biggest forks in the road, we always shared the upcoming dilemma pretty quickly and in real time,” she says. “There was a fair amount of discussion, although in short bursts—after the kids had gone to bed.”
These dilemmas were compounded by the fact that “you never had the luxury to get away for a weekend to ponder life,” she adds. “But Ward and I relinquished the decision to the other person—giving our blessings on whichever choice the other would make. We had to trust each other not to put our family goals at undue risk. So far, we haven’t been disappointed in each other.”
A Little Help from Her Friends
Her views and family values have segued into what’s become an extremely important part of her extracurricular professional life—mentoring other aspiring businesswomen.
In a commencement speech for the McCombs graduate accounting program in 2004, for instance, she boldly pointed out that women can’t have it all. At certain points in their lives, they have to set their own priorities and define success and work goals based on their own values and beliefs—not on someone else’s.
Utter promotes these same values in the Longhorn Women Leaders (LWL), an organization that emerged from a 2001 survey of University of Texas female graduates. Utter and Ellen Wood, BBA ’82, approached alumnae from 1965 to 2000 to learn about how women leaders make life choices and career decisions. What they found was that, despite their ages, all had similar expectations but varying outcomes.
As the chair of LWL, Utter makes time to visit Austin to speak with nearly 300 members about work-life balance issues. She is also involved in promoting women on a broader scale, serving on the boards of several prestigious national organizations, including serving as the Southwest region’s vice chair of the Committee of 200—a network founded by preeminent business women, such as the late Katharine Graham, former publisher of the Washington Post, and Sherry Lansing of 20th Century Fox, with the goal of mentoring and exploring opportunities for women in business. Utter is also a Steering Team member of the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force, a high-profile group that addresses work-life balance issues among high-powered women.
Utter, herself, has relied heavily on mentors throughout her career—several of whom have been men.
“My first boss, Rich Fairbanks at SPA, had a wife and children, and he taught me from day one that they were more important than any paycheck out there. When I saw a guy setting those priorities—that had a real impact on me,” she says.
“Then I went to Frito-Lay, and again, I had a great mentor—Al Carey, who is now a senior VP for PepsiCo, North America. He had children in Dallas, and he put his family first. He didn’t relocate to New York [as he moved upward in the company]; he stayed in Dallas. And he always supported me in putting my personal interests first.”
Utter’s focus has always been twofold, says Mara Swan, senior vice president for Manpower, Inc. Swan was head of human resources at Coors when Utter was moving up the ladder and is one of her mentors. “One issue is: How do I achieve the goals that I want to achieve for my company and myself,” Swan says. “And the other is: How do I help other women grow?”
As executives advance through the corporate ranks, Swan believes, women face more sacrifices in family life. “As a woman, you see yourself in multiple roles—a mother, a wife, a worker—and men traditionally see themselves in the one role of the worker.”
Utter’s mentors continue to help her navigate these unclear roles. “As I’ve continued to face junctures in the road, my mentors have challenged me and they’ve supported me.”
Despite keeping up with her family, mentors and career moves, Utter still has managed to immerse herself in civic and philanthropic work. She has served as the chair of Coors’ United Way Employee Giving Campaign. She is a Sunday school teacher at her church and she serves on various Methodist church boards and committees in her community.
And yet, Utter continues to help her female colleagues by pushing her ideas, even pushing the ideological envelope in the still-male-dominated corporate world. In the past five or so years, she has formulated some very specific philosophies about the fuzzy and sometimes frustrating line between business aspirations and business world realities.
“I think there have to be fundamental changes in order to have more women fit into these high-level corporate roles,” she concludes. “There have to be alternate pathways to power in the corporate environment—because in the last several decades in the United States there’s been sort of one path, and it’s pretty much the white males who have determined that path.”
Drawing New Boundaries
The path to power is paved with sacrifice. Sacrificing family commitments—whether it be caring for children or elderly parents. Males have to make those sacrifices, too, Utter says, but the guilt isn’t as pervasive for them. After all, a male high-level executive isn’t necessarily considered an exception to the rule or a superhero. Not so for women.
That being the case, Utter says, “I believe our expectations of our gender-culture norms have got to change. I talk to a lot of guys who feel constrained, also. How can they take paternity leave? How can they take off to help a parent?”
