Women and Leadership in the Canadian Forces Karen D

KAREN D. DAVIS Editor WOMEN and WOMEN ANDLEADERSHIPINTHECANADIAN FORCES WOMEN LEADERSHIP IN THE CANADIAN FORCES Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class IvanPhoto: Petty Lightwood Lieutenant-Commander Marta Mulkins, Commanding Officer, HMCS Kingston, July 2003 - Dec 2004, on the bridge. “...This volume profiles perspectives and voices that have been largely invisible in the professional development culture of the Canadian Forces, and as such is long overdue... Women and Leadership in the Canadian Forces: Perspectives and Experience is an important resource for all who are committed to increasing their knowledge and developing the capacity to lead in the future.” Brigadier-General (retired) Sheila Hellstrom, CD PERSPECTIVES & EXPERIENCE Edited by Karen D. Davis WOMEN and LEADERSHIP IN THE CANADIAN FORCES WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP IN THE CANADIAN FORCES: PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCE Edited by: Karen D. Davis Copyright © 2007 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence. Canadian Defence Academy Press PO Box 17000 Stn Forces Kingston, Ontario K7K 7B4 Produced for the Canadian Defence Academy Press by 17 Wing Winnipeg Publishing Offi ce. WPO30287 Front Cover Photos: Provided by Canadian Forces Combat Camera Back Cover Photo: Petty Offi cer 2nd Class Ivan Lightwood Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Davis, Karen D. (Karen Dianne), 1956- Women and leadership in the Canadian Forces : perspectives and experience / edited by Karen D. Davis. Issued by Canadian Defence Academy. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-662-46296-5 (bound).--ISBN 978-0-662-46297-2 (pbk.) Cat. no.: D2-210/1-2007E (bound).-- Cat. no.: D2-210/2-2007E (pbk.) 1. Canada--Armed Forces--Women. 2. Command of troops. 3. Women and the military--Canada. 4. Women soldiers--Canada. 5. Canada--Armed Forces. I. Canadian Defence Academy II. Title. UB419.C3D38 2008 355.0082’0971 C2007-980286-9 Printed in Canada. 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A special thank you to the contributors to this volume. You have generously shared your knowledge and experience, thus exemplifying an important responsibility of leadership – contribution to the professional development of others. Also, my sincere gratitude is extended to each of you for the confi dence and trust that you have placed in me through your commitment to this book. It has been inspiring to work with you, and just as I have, many others will learn from your example. The opportunity to produce a volume such as this is rare. The end product represents the effort, time, commitment, abilities, guidance, and leadership of many. In particular, the opportunity, leadership, and coaching provided by Colonel Bernd Horn, the Director of the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, made this volume possible. His expertise, insight, and skill as a writer and editor, along with his commitment and encouragement, ensured that an idea became a reality. A sincere thank you is extended to Mélanie Denis for her enthusiasm, creativity, expertise, judgment, and assistance with photos and design elements of this book. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. Phyllis Browne and Justin Wright for their expert and timely review of some of the material. I would certainly be remiss if I did not acknowledge the meticulous attention to detail and expertise that was applied to both the copy-edit process and the fi nal design of this volume by Captain Phil Dawes and his staff at the 17 Wing Publishing Offi ce. Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the fi nal product. In Memory of Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Deborah Ann Andrews 1952 - 1997 & Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard 1980 - 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ....................................................................................................iii Preface .........................................................................................................v Introduction ..............................................................................................vii Chapter 1 Gender Integration – An Asymmetric Environment Major Anne Reiffenstein .........................................................................1 Chapter 2 Embracing Challenge and Opportunity: 30 Years of Progress Commodore Margaret F. Kavanagh .....................................................11 Chapter 3 Building Trust and Credibility at Home and Abroad Major (retired) Sue Forgues ...................................................................15 Chapter 4 Command at Sea: July 2003 - June 2005 Lieutenant-Commander Marta Mulkins ...............................................35 Chapter 5 “There’s No Hell Like Tac Hel!” Major Jamie Speiser-Blanchet ..............................................................45 i TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 6 Canadian Forces “MAMS” – Mobile Air Mobility Support – Women Traffic Technicians at Work on Domestic and Deployed Operations Major Deanna Manson .........................................................................59 Chapter 7 From Ocean Ops to Combat Ops: A Short History of Women and Leadership in the Canadian Forces Lieutenant-Commander (retired) Karen D. Davis ................................69 Chapter 8 Gender and Leadership in the Canadian Forces Combat Arms: Perspectives of Women Leaders Dr. Angela R. Febbraro .........................................................................93 Chapter 9 Leadership and Women: Should We Be Leading ‘Like a Man’ or Adopting Women’s Ways? Lieutenant-Commander Lynn Bradley ...............................................139 Chapter 10 Special Program for Female Selection to Canadian Forces Command and Staff Course Dr. Irina Goldenberg and Lieutenant-Commander Gordon AuCoin ..157 Contributors ............................................................................................179 Index .......................................................................................................185 ii FOREWORD It gives me great pleasure to introduce this unique leadership volume, Women and Leadership in the Canadian Forces: Perspectives and Experience, the fi rst book to come off the Canadian Defence Academy press that focuses exclusively on the contemporary leadership experiences of women in the Canadian Forces. The contributors to this book share success as leaders in the Canadian Forces as well as a commitment to passing on their triumphs and lessons-learned in the hope that others will benefi t. The volume spans the last three decades of women’s contributions and thus puts a spotlight on the growing opportunities for women to serve and lead in the Canadian Forces. It highlights the enthusiasm with which women have embraced the opportunities, and excelled in spite of the obstacles encountered along the way. Importantly, several chapters in the book also offer insight into some of the social, psychological and organizational processes that are relevant to the experience of women and men in the Canadian military today. I expect that some will question the publication of a volume that includes only the experiences of women. After all, gender integration has been considered, by many, to be complete since the end of the 10-year period spanning 1989-1999, when, as a result of the 1989 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal direction, the Canadian Forces was closely monitored in its activities related to the employment of women. The material presented in this volume illustrates the signifi cant capabilities and contributions that women bring to the Canadian Forces; however, it also serves as a caution against taking the current status of women in the Canadian Forces for granted. The experiences of the contributors underscore some of the challenges that persist even though “gender integration” has come a very long way. For several decades, many have understood the importance of accessing a full range of opportunities for women to contribute to the Canadian military, and as such have contributed countless hours preparing briefi ngs, appearing before committees, participating in organizations such as the Association for Women’s Equity in the Canadian Forces and as members of initiatives such as iii FOREWORD the Minister’s Advisory Board on Gender Integration. This volume provides powerful testimony to the vision that many of us worked toward throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. This volume also profi les perspectives and voices that have been largely invisible within the professional development culture of the Canadian Forces, and as such is long overdue. The success of the Canadian Forces is dependent upon all of its leaders, and the organization can ill afford to exclude the contributions of any of them. Through the leadership experiences shared in this book, those with similar experiences or facing parallel challenges can move forward with increased confi dence in their capacity to lead, and those with very different experiences can enhance their ability to lead diverse teams facing diverse challenges. Thus, this volume begins to address a gap that represents a call to all leaders in the Canadian Forces to ensure that they share their perspective and experiences so that others may become better prepared to meet the challenges of the future. The Canadian Forces thrives on the contributions of many gifted leaders, including those who have shared their experiences in Women and Leadership in the Canadian Forces: Perspectives and Experience – an important resource for all who are committed to increasing their knowledge and developing their capacity to lead in the future. Sheila

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