In Focus/Diversity
An Action Plan for Developing Women Leaders
Anna Marie Valerio
Leaders in
Action VOLUME 26, NUMBER
5 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
2006
With the Baby Boom
generation about to begin retiring and the smaller Generation X in line to
provide replacements, a pressing task for many organizations is to ensure a
supply of executive talent that will be ready to step into leadership roles
when called upon.
Under these
circumstances, diversity takes on critical importance. With fewer people
available for the workforce, the pool of potential leaders could be
insufficient unless it draws on not just the traditional source—white men—but
also on women and all races and ethnicities.
Although
organizational diversity has improved in the past two decades, problems remain.
In the case of gender diversity the number of women in professional and
managerial roles has increased notably, but women are still seriously
underrepresented in the senior executive ranks. The most recent Catalyst
Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners of the Fortune 500 (published in July 2006) found that more than
one-half of companies in the Fortune 500 had fewer than three women corporate
officers. Only eight companies in the Fortune 500 were led by a woman CEO in
2005, and none of these companies were among the Fortune 100. Fully 75 percent
of Fortune 500 companies reported no women as top earners. According to the
census report, “Some companies have yet to understand the compelling business
case for diversity and women’s advancement or to take meaningful steps to
develop and retain women leaders.” In recent years many women have left the
corporate world, frustrated by what they view as limited options in that
environment.
If an adequate
leadership pipeline is to be created, companies need to significantly improve
the advancement of women to senior positions. The current slow advancement has
been attributed to many things — flawed selection processes, organizational
expectations that favor males, and even gender discrimination and sexual
harassment. I believe that solutions to this problem lie in understanding what
actions are needed to develop talented women. During the spring and summer of
2006, I talked with high-achieving women at major U.S. companies and
universities to see what they believe can be done to develop and advance
talented women.
I asked these
women about the competencies leaders need to be successful, the developmental
experiences that contributed to their own achievements as leaders, perceived
differences in leadership development for men and women, and advice for women
who want to advance. I also asked them to suggest actions that organizations
and managers can take to develop talented women.
The developmental
actions suggested by the interviewees can be divided into four areas: actions
that can be taken by organizations, by both men and women, by men specifically,
and by women specifically.
ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIONS
Organizations can take a range of
actions to provide better developmental opportunities for women.
Sponsor Women’s Networks.
Enabling women to
get to know each other better across divisions or global functional teams
increases the communication channels needed to get work done. The companies of
several of the women I spoke with sponsor women’s networks. One interviewee
said, “The networking groups consist of both junior and senior women so they
can learn from each other.” Said another: “We do a women’s program to create
the network and give participants a view of themselves as leaders. The network
is global and goes across functions and levels.” Another interviewee said:
“Earlier in my career I wasn’t clued into the subtleties of office politics
that men know. Organizations can benefit from programs that enable women to
build their relationships and networks across departments.”
Provide a Feedback-Rich
Environment.
Women often do not
receive timely, realistic feedback about their work performance. This is
different from the experience of their male counterparts, who often receive
informal feedback on their performance from male colleagues. Organizations have
many tools at their disposal—including mentoring, multi-rater feedback,
personal feedback from the boss, and executive coaching—to help women gain a
realistic picture of their strengths and areas that need improvement. As one
interviewee said, “Anything that can help women open their eyes about how they
are perceived is important for companies to implement.”
Make Diversity a Required
Consideration in Promotion Decisions.
Organizations can
ensure that during talent reviews of women, accountability for diversity goes
beyond the human resource department or the other women in the room. One
interviewee said that during talent reviews, “I’m expected to be the one
looking out for the advancement of women candidates. My male counterparts in
the room rely on me and another female manager to raise the issue of promoting
the women in the department. They will not speak up about it, even though we
are supposed to have diverse candidate slates. There may be reluctance by male
bosses to be as honest [as they are about the men] because they are concerned
about sexual harassment [complaints]" Training for managers may need to address such issues
as the importance of diversity to the financial success of the business and
ways to hold candid dialogues with others in the organization to promote
talented women.
Provide External Stretch
Assignments for Women.
Speaking at
professional and industry meetings and serving on nonprofit boards can build
confidence and provide deeper insights into organizational politics. Such
engagements also offer women a chance to develop wider networks of people
outside the organization. “Serving on a board gives you insight into how things
work at high levels,” one interviewee said. Some interviewees said that giving
presentations to external groups was personally helpful because it expanded
both their knowledge and their ability to influence others.
Examine
Programs and Policies.
Organizations can review policies— particularly those
related to relocation, flextime, and reduced hours— to see if they might be
obstacles to the advancement of women. One interviewee said that at one time in
her organization, high potentials had to relocate frequently to have a chance
of advancing in the hierarchy. The organization’s policy was loosened to
include visits, rather than just moves, to other locations where important
learning could take place. Several interviewees spoke of telecommuting success
stories and said organizations can be more open-minded about flextime and
reduced hours so that both women and men can perform their jobs with more
flexibility. Some of these solutions may also result in greater cost
effectiveness.
Companies can also consider programs that enable
easier reentry after a hiatus from work. Women who have taken time off for
child rearing, for example, can be offered training, internships, and part-time
work experiences. Just as companies offer new- hire orientations, they can
offer training to update returning managers on recent changes in the company
and the industry. Successful reentry can also be facilitated by programs that
allow people to ease back into full- time schedules. Part-time work, reduced
hours, or internships of one to six months can refresh previously learned
skills and give families time to make adjustments as they integrate work and
life activities.
Send
Women to External Development Programs.
External programs have traditionally been a way for
talented managers to enhance their development and therefore improve their
potential for advancement. Some of these programs include both men and women,
and some are exclusively for women. Several interviewees said there are
benefits to sending women to both types of programs.
The discussions in leadership programs tailored
exclusively for women are different from those in mixed- gender programs. Women
are eager to hear how other women deal with issues of work-life balance, a
topic that receives less focus in mixed- gender programs. As one interviewee explained,
“For women, the opportunity to talk with other women and get validation about
what they are experiencing is important. Attending both types of programs gives
women a variety of learning experiences that can help them negotiate the
complexities of their societal roles as women and as leaders.
Offer
Inclusion Training
Helping managers learn behaviors that include rather
than exclude other people can be valuable. For example, in reverse-mentoring
programs, senior male managers are mentored by more junior females to help the
men understand issues facing females and avoid making erroneous gender-role
assumptions detrimental to women’s careers.
One interviewee said that despite having two teenaged
children, she still traveled around the world— much to the surprise of her CEO,
who did not think she even wanted to travel. “He couldn’t believe that I had
two kids and I traveled globally,” the manager said. “Once he understood that I
wanted to travel and was able to do so, he said it opened his eyes about what
women were capable of doing.’’
Another interviewee said that creating a Culture of inclusion raises expectations that more
women will he included in events.
Set
Up Childcare Facilities
Organizations can set up on—site or nearby child—care
facilities with extended hours so that employees who have to work late won’t
have to worry about needing to pick up a child before the facility closes. As
one interviewee explained: “When ex-pats go to a foreign country, companies are
willing to spend a great deal on perks such as cars, maid service, and so on.
Why not earmark some money for child—care facilities here in the States?”
DUAL-GENDER ACTIONS
In addition to
actions that organizations can take to foster a climate of leadership
development for women, there are actions that managers, both men and women, can
take to develop talented women.
Help Female Managers Develop
Their Networks
This theme was
common among all the interviewees. Managers can support talented females by
giving them the support to develop their networks. Such actions can take
several forms—for instance, bringing a talented woman into the manager’s own
network inside the organization and encouraging participation in women’s
networks. Bringing a female into the manager’s own network can be achieved both
formally and informally by having the woman accompany the manager to meetings,
lunches, and dinners and introducing her to others. As one interviewee said:
“Men often take for granted their access to power. They need to open the door
and include women in the power structure.”
Send Talented Women to Both
Internal and External Training Programs
Women’s networks
are not as extensive as men’s, but formal training programs expand women’s
opportunities to network. Whether the programs are internal, external, or both,
they offer chances to be exposed to the latest ideas and to have conversations
with others on job-related topics. In the words of one interviewee: “We’re
still confused about what a successful female leader looks like. There are so
many more male role models than female role models. It’s harder for women to be
clear about how to develop their skills.” Sending women to various training
programs gives them the opportunity to interact with different leaders and to
see which models of leadership may work for them.
Give Women Challenging Assignments with Sufficient Support
Among the key
developmental experiences that contribute to the leadership skills of talented
women arc heading up big projects, managing a large number of people, leading
global task forces, interacting with senior leaders, and being visible to the
senior team.
One interviewee
said that “being in charge of a cross-functional technology project pushed me
outside my comfort zone.” The benefits of these increases in responsibility
went beyond just heightened knowledge. The interviewees reported a boost in
self-confidence and learning thorough experience that they could do the job. As
one said: “My job involved the entire rebranding of my company. My interactions
with ad agencies gave me a sense of’ confidence in my abilities because my
recommendations were taken, It prepared me because people were taking me
seriously.”
In giving women
challenging assignments, however, it is important to enable success. Because
women may not have extensive networks, support such as training. , mentoring,
and help in building new relationships should be provided both before and
during the challenging assignment.
ACTIONS BY MEN
There are two
things that men in particular can do to contribute to the development of the
women they work with.
Ask Questions to Understand the Perspective of Women.
As one interviewee
suggested, male managers can gain perspective by asking the question, “What
things are you facing here that I need to be aware of?” When assumptions are
made based on female stereotypes or expected female behaviors, erroneous
judgments may result. It is simply good business practice for managers to
understand the situation that each direct report faces, in order to make fair and
appropriate decisions and avoid losing talented employees. One interviewee
said: “Male managers should take the time to find out more about the people who
work for them. They need to know what makes the talented women tick, what their
needs are, and how to accommodate them in order to retain them.”
Overcome the Reluctance to
Provide Women with Feedback About Their Performance.
Unlike females,
males often receive informal feedback through their conversations with
colleagues. Sometimes a friend of a male colleague or direct report is enlisted
to provide difficult or constructive feedback. However, for a variety of
reasons male managers are often reluctant to have difficult conversations with
women. But most women would rather receive important feedback so they can take
corrective action than have their careers plateau because they never received
the opportunity to improve. As one interviewee said: “Give women straight talk.
It is important for women to hear about the negative reactions of others, as
men do.”
ACTIONS BY WOMEN
There are a number
of things that women in particular can do to contribute to the development of
other women.
Share Experiences with Other
Women.
Women want to hear
the stories of how female managers accomplished what they did and how they
managed to get where they are. There are still relatively few women at high
levels in organizations, but what these women have learned can provide other
women with blueprints and examples of how to advance. Managerial development is
assisted by seeing and experiencing the varying styles of different managers.
When female managers share their experiences, other women are able to think
about what might work for them. One interviewee said: “Female managers have an
obligation to explain to women how they succeeded. For example, other women
were interested in hearing about what it was like to be the first pregnant
woman at this level in the company, so I talked about it with them.”
Recognize the Greater Prevalence of Diversity Among Women.
Several interviewees said it’s
important for female managers to not judge other women whose life experiences,
demeanors, and even dress may be different from their own. “Female managers
need to be more supportive of different styles,” said one interviewee. “They often
don’t have much tolerance for different styles, but being more flexible would
be helpful.” Greater tolerance resulting from nonjudgmental attitudes could
allow more women to be accepted in executive positions.
Provide Realistic Feedback.
Never underestimate
the power of a woman’s feedback. The interviewees saw the action of women
giving feedback to other women as critical to success. Said one interviewee,
“Female managers can make themselves available and offer their talented women
unbiased, unabridged feedback.”
Another
interviewee noted that some types of feedback are more easily given from one
woman to another. “There is a reluctance to talk about physical appearance and
presence, but it counts,” she said. “Even mentors are reluctant to tell someone
that they need better grooming.”
ENSURING A PIPELINE
Over the years a number of business
arguments have been made in support of diversity—for instance, that it promotes
effectiveness and creativity. But the following argument may be the most compelling:
if organizations are to survive in the wake of the upcoming generational shift,
they must ensure that they have an adequate pipeline of leaders, and that will
happen only if women and other underutilized sources of leadership are
recruited, retained, and developed.
Anna Marie Valerio is president of
Executive Leadership Strategies, LLC
and affiliated with Heartland Management
Consultancy, Inc.
She holds a Ph.D. degree
