The aphorism “know thyself” has been attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, but according to Asahi Pompey, managing director, Compliance, Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, the advice is still critical today.

 “Know your strengths and weaknesses,” says Asahi. “Do a realistic appraisal of yourself — almost a gap analysis. Where could you develop greater expertise? What is your comfort zone?”

Asahi is enthusiastic about striving for excellence in all she does. “You have to take full responsibility of an issue, as complex as it may be,” she says. “Owning the issue is not only about how it may affect my project, but how it will affect everyone else, how it affects the franchise or organization.”

Asahi is always ready to give advice to women at various stages of their career. For women moving up the ladder, she says, “I think as people get more senior, they think they need to have all of the answers. But it’s important to also ask questions – thoughtful questions that probe for risk or identify gaps. This is a huge value-add. Be a thoughtful voice.”

Having a good network is also very important, says Asahi, especially across gender lines. “It can be complicated to build that network, it’s challenging to find cross-gender mentors and sponsors, but it’s important,” she says.

Regarding work/life balance, Asahi argues that “It’s a choice you have to make every day…We have to ask, ‘Am I happy with this, or could I have done this a little different?’ The steps or choices we make in our day, every day make a big difference.”

Asahi enjoys spending time with her family when she is outside the office. “I am super passionate about my little boys,” she says. “I go home, and get on the floor, and crawl around with them. My life away from work is really focused on my two boys—they’re my biggest hobby right now.”

Moms at this investment banking, securities and investment management firm often adjust their hours to pick up their kids from school, work from home when children are ill or compress their schedules to get an extra day off. But going into the office doesn’t have to take time away from personal matters, either: In New York City and Jersey City, NJ, women utilize on-site childbirth education classes, lactation rooms and medical clinics and work with an employee assistance program rep to find dependent care. And moms at all sites can contact a health advocate to track down autism support groups, cancer specialists and more. The firm’s Women’s Network hosted 65 events in 2010, including a flexibility fair.

Chairman & CEO Lloyd Blankfein

Head of Human Capital Management, Managing Director Edith Cooper

Women managers/execs 28% 

Women among top earners Not tracked 

Women hires in 2010 34% 

Average weeks of fully paid maternity leave offered 16 

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 80%

In its third year on our list, this leading bank continues to make major investments in the future of its multicultural employees. To ensure that it has a strong pool of recruits from which to choose, management works with at least 30 diversity organizations (such as the National Society of Black engineers and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs) to find top talent. After being hired, analysts and associates of color attend welcoming events and training held just for them, where they receive valuable guidance from bank leadership. Selected African-American and latino associates also participate in career development seminars through catapult, a yearlong initiative that teaches how to increase their professional profile, impact their team and achieve success. Other initiatives further boost the fortunes of multicultural female analysts, associates and VPs.

Chairman & CEO Lloyd Blankfein
Global Head of Talent Management & Chief Diversity Officer Edith Hunt

At Goldman Sachs, multicultural women represent…
14% multicultural women
1% of corporate executives
2% of senior managers
Not tracked top earners
16% of the company hires
11% of the company promotions
Not tracked company losses
14% of participants in mentoring programs
26% of participants in affinity groups

In 2009, working mothers used Goldman Sachs’s lactation rooms more than 11,000 times.

In 2009, after internal surveys found that its employees sought greater work-life balance, this investment banking, securities and investment management firm sprang into action. It already offered a backup-care center at headquarters, which permitted 20 annual visits by kids ages 6 months to 12 years. Then it added 10% more spaces to its infant transition program, which allows 40 visits per year. Maternity leave had been established at 16 fully paid weeks, but growing interest in adoption inspired a panel at the firm that outlined these benefits: eight weeks of fully paid adoption leave, $5,000 in aid and the services of an adoption consultant. College coaching was extended to kids of all ages, on-site health screenings and vaccinations were expanded, and comprehensive physicals were introduced for all employees.

Chairman & CEO Lloyd Blankfein

Global Head of Human Capital Management, Managing Director Edith Cooper

Women managers, senior managers and corporate execs 27%

Women among top earners 21%

Women on board of directors 20%

Women corporate executive hires in 2009 0%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year* 54%  

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year* 2%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement 7%

Do formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance? Yes

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

Goldman Sachs associates can sign up for its Women’s Career Strategies Initiative, a five-month program that helps them prepare to be VPs.

Opportunities abound for women at this investment bank, thanks to a wide array of new programs. Female analysts and associates are now eligible for a three-day leadership program, called Ascent, that is designed to help multicultural women set goals, find mentors and gain a deeper understanding of corporate culture. The unique EMPower program for African-American and Hispanic vice presidents was launched to help women in the upper echelons maximize their relationships with their managers. And the two-month Rules of the Road program, aimed at a diverse group of vice presidents, helps them hone people management skills and build better networks; in 2009, 40% of the program’s participants were multicultural women. Through the bank’s Loft Series, African-American, Asian and Hispanic associates and vice presidents meet quarterly with senior leaders who share their insights into success. Championing recruitment and retention of multicultural women is the firm’s Office of Global Leadership and Diversity; however, managers are held accountable, too, with a diversity scorecard that factors into their compensation.

Multicultural Women 14%
Chairman & CEO Lloyd Blankfein
COO of Human Capital Management & Chief Diversity Officer Edith Hunt

At Goldman Sachs, multicultural women represent…
1% of corporate executives
2% of senior managers
4% of the top earners
16% of the company hires
17% of the company losses
14% of participants in career counseling programs

Since 1995, 84% of female global general managers hired at IBM have been women of color.

In 2008, it launched a symposium for high-performing women of color, following established career development workshops that already prepared them for executive assignments. HR maintains targets for the representation of women and people of color in the exec and technical resources pipelines, and the firm offers these employees leadership courses at UCLA. It even ties its own managers’ performance ratings (which affect salary) to their emphasis on inclusion. This support for diversity extends into local communities as well: A major sponsor of the Tuck-WBENC Executive Program for female business owners, IBM collaborates with WBENC to ensure that each class encompasses multicultural women.

Multicultural Women: 9%

Multicultural Women Managers/Execs: 6%

Chief Diversity Officer: Ronald Glover

Hires who are multicultural women: 10%

Hires who are multicultural men: 21%

Multicultural women managers/execs: 6%

Multicultural men managers/execs: 12%

Top 20% earners who are multicultural women: 4%

Top 20% earners who are multicultural men: 14%

Multicultural women on board of directors: 8%

Offers formal compensation program to reward managers who specifically help multicultural women advance: YES

Rates managers on the number of multicultural women employees advancing: YES

Uses outside recruiter to focus on finding multicultural women candidates: YES

Offers support groups specifically for multicultural women: YES

Offers mentoring programs specifically geared toward multicultural women early in their careers: YES

Offers sponsorship program specifically geared toward multicultural women early in their careers: YES

The Goldman Sachs Multicultural Women’s Alliance is run by female managing directors and senior VPs from every business unit.

When a recent employee survey revealed that women of color can feel like “double outsiders,” grappling with issues related to both gender and race, this top investment bank was quick to respond. To foster a sense of community among its multicultural employees, it introduced the Loft Series for female associates and VPs—evening get-togethers at which African-American, Asian- American and Hispanic leaders can dish about everything from compensation to professional mobility. For the women of color on Wall Street, it also launched Brokering Change, a program featuring discussions about advancing in the financial sector, with guest speakers and career strategies workshops. Finally, last year the firm sponsored its first management training session designed to address the concerns of multicultural women. It was so popular that managers were waitlisted—and another session is being introduced.

Multicultural Women: 14%

Multicultural Women Managers/Execs: 7%

Chief Diversity Officer: Edith Hunt

Hires who are multicultural women: 12%

Hires who are multicultural men: 14%

Multicultural women managers/execs: 7%

Multicultural men managers/execs: 14%

Top 20% earners who are multicultural women: 5%

Top 20% earners who are multicultural men: 13%

Multicultural women on board of directors: 8%

Offers formal compensation program to reward managers who specifically help multicultural women advance: YES

Rates managers on the number of multicultural women employees advancing: YES

Uses outside recruiter to focus on finding multicultural women candidates: YES

Offers support groups specifically for multicultural women: YES

Offers mentoring programs specifically geared toward multicultural women early in their careers: YES

Offers sponsorship program specifically geared toward multicultural women early in their careers: YES

30% more women were promoted to partner at Goldman Sachs last year than in 2007.

Taking a few years off to raise a child is no impediment to success at this financial services firm, which makes it easy for stay-at-home moms to reenter the workforce. Its brand-new Returnship program provides eight weeks of retraining to former employees to help bring skills up to speed or fill moms in on what they need to know if they’re entering the industry for the first time. Participants get mentors and attend weekly meetings that brief them on networking and development strategies as well as recent market trends. All new hires can easily find backup care for children or adult dependents if they need it, since the New York City–based firm provides access to 1,474 child-care centers and in-home agencies (up from 273 in 2007). Working offsite is widely encouraged, too, as long as clients’ needs are met.

Chairman & CEO: Lloyd Blankfein

Head of Human Capital Management, Managing Director: Edith Cooper

Women managers/execs: 28%

Women among top earners: 16%

Women on board of directors: 22%

Women corporate executive hires in 2008: 0%

Women participating in management or leadership training in the past year: 73%

Women participating in formalized executive succession planning last year: 21%

Women promoted last year who utilized a formal flexible work arrangement: 2%

Formal compensation policies reward managers who help women advance: Yes