As a leader and mentor, Heather Cox has a profound impact on Capital One’s associates. Indeed, her passion for developing talent shows up in several ways.

As Executive Vice President, Card Operations, Heather is dedicated to helping others develop their skills and careers. She has several formal mentoring relationships with female executives and informally coaches a number of associates. She has also led an effort to help more than 600 managers grow the skills and knowledge to lead others to great results.

Heather noticed that often, smart women with good ideas came across as apologetic when presenting new ideas. She believed these women could be more influential with a more direct approach. In response, Heather spearheaded an initiative to help leaders in her organization develop more effective communication styles.

Heather often shares her leadership development story with Capital One audiences at All Hands and Town Hall meetings, and she was interviewed for Capital One’s Leadership One-on-One video series.

Heather is always open to new opportunities for learning, and says mentoring is symbiotic. She has a mentor and a coach, and as she mentors female executives and other associates, Heather says she learns how to communicate more openly, and learns from them.

Heather also shares the personal side of her evolution as a leader. “One revelation for me occurred when I became a mother,” she says. “It was no longer about me. It was a turning point in my journey, when I realized that the emotional side of leadership is as important as getting the results. Helping others develop, both personally and professionally, yields great results.”

Given the fast-paced rhythm of the financial industry, it’s no surprise that flexible schedules are increasingly popular with this bank’s associates, at least 85% of whom adjusted their hours at some point last year. To make remote work more feasible, the bank provides many of them with laptops, mobile phone numbers and videoconferencing gear. It has also stepped up training of its business managers, who are learning the best way to lead virtual teams. Women who work virtually share their experiences in an online flexible-work forum. To make life easier for in-office workers, the bank offers free shuttle rides between two major campuses and maintains pretax accounts, in which they can save $1,500 annually for parking and bus or train expenses.

Founder, Chairman & CEO Richard D. Fairbank

Chief HR Officer Jory Berson

Women managers/execs 39% 

Women among top earners Not tracked

Women hires in 2010 58% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 5 

Allows new moms to “phase back” into work with reduced hours? Yes

Offers affinity group for new mothers? No

Offers backup childcare? Yes

Employees working flexibly 85%

Performing millions of complex transactions every day keeps call center associates, tellers and other hourly employees at this leading bank constantly on their toes. To reward their efforts, management gives full-time hourly workers (those who put in 33 hours per week) an impressive amount of paid leave each year, starting with 20 days off and ten paid holidays (leave is prorated for part-timers). Expectant mothers may take another 16 job-guaranteed weeks off to welcome a child, with eight fully paid; when it’s time to return to work, they can phase back in on a reduced schedule for one month. If employees choose to adopt or foster a child, they may request six paid weeks off, plus $5,000 in aid per adoption. To maintain balance, many hourly workers swap shifts and opt for nontraditional hours; call center associates, for example, often work nights and weekends and spend weekdays with their kids. Free on-site family health clinics and free fitness centers in McLean and Richmond, VA, and Plano, TX, help hourly employees stay energized on even the busiest days.

Hourly workers 59%

Chairman & CEO Richard Fairbank

Chief HR Officer Jory Berson

Female hourly workers 74%

Work hours required for family health insurance 20

Job skills training during work hours for hourly workers Yes

Encourage breaks so nursing moms can breast-pump Yes

Average annual paid time off taken by hourly workers 18 days

Minimum job-guaranteed maternity leave offered to hourly workers 16 weeks

Minimum paid maternity leave offered to hourly workers 8 weeks at full pay

13 diversity councils at Capital One Financial support the advancement of women and people of color.

Raising a child with special needs can be a Herculean task, sapping the energies of even the most dedicated moms. To help those grappling with this challenge, in 2009 this bank introduced Autism Spectrum Connection, a networking group with information about area doctors, hospitals and schools. In April, members hosted an autism awareness panel on various treatments and educational options. To make therapy more affordable, the bank just added unlimited coverage for applied behavior analysis to its medical plans and bumped up its coverage of speech, occupational and physical therapy from 60 days to 120 days annually. Anyone who works at least 20 hours per week is eligible for health insurance; at three campuses, health centers treat kids over age 2 for free.

Founder, Chairman & CEO Richard Fairbank

Chief HR Officer Jory Berson

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 39%

Women among top earners 35%

Women on board of directors 10%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 22%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* N/A  

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* 0%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement Not tracked  

Do formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance? No

*Percentages reflect number of women participants versus company’s total female workforce.

At Capital One Financial, “mentor walks” pair associates and leaders to brainstorm ideas while exercising.

Rewards abound for the parents employed by this bank, famed for its “What’s in your wallet?” slogan. Female associates with a year’s tenure can take up to four months of job-guaranteed leave to have a baby, with the first two months fully paid. Foster and adoptive parents are eligible for six paid weeks off, and there’s a $5,000 adoption benefit. New parents can return to work on a 50% schedule for the first month, but the McLean, VA–based bank’s Flexible Work Solutions program, which enables associates to work off-site, builds in flexibility. In 2008, on-site health centers at headquarters and in Richmond, VA, began treating employees’ family members (even those without health insurance) for free, saving associates $243,000 last year. In emergencies, an associate crisis fund doles out $2,000 grants to cover unexpected costs. Talk about multitasking: “Mentor walks” foster brainstorming while exercising.

Founder, Chairman & CEO: Richard Fairbank

Chief HR Officer: Jory Berson

Women managers/execs: 39%

Women among top earners: 26%

Women on board of directors: 10%

Women corporate executive hires in 2008: 33%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year: 18%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year: 25%

Women promoted last year who used a formal flexible work arrangement: 21%

Formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance: No