Building Women in Leadership Needs a Strategic Focus

It is no secret that women have traditionally been grossly under-represented in leadership positions across industries. In 2018,women held only 20% of all senior roles in India as per a study by a Grant Thornton study titled ‘Women in Business: Beyond Policy to Progress.’ Globally too, the share of female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies reached an all-time high of 6.4% in 2017, with 32 women heading major firms. But even this number fell to a dismal 4.8% in 2018 after several high-profile women leaders quite their roles. 

On the bright side, the industry is quickly waking up to the need to improve representation of women in their leadership teams. Study after study has shown that companies perform better financially when they have more gender-diverse teams, thanks to the diversity of view points and access to a wider talent pool. 

Several organisations have ‘Women in Leadership’ as a core focus area as part of their"Diversity and Inclusion” initiatives. Leaders and HR professionals alike are finding ways to encourage more women to take on leadership positions. 

However, creating more women leaders cannot happen in isolation. Instead, it requires more holistic and mindset changes within the organisation. Such an initiative involves changes in both the culture and people processes. Talent Management of women in leadership finds its roots across areas such as employer branding, recruitment, leadership development programs, leave and attendance policies (maternity, menstrual, miscarriage, adoption), rewards and recognition, and compensation philosophy.

For instance, most organizations tend to place disproportionate emphasis on visibility (i.e. time spent in the office) as opposed to results delivered on the ground. Leadership programs may be too rigid an may not tailored cater to female leaders.

Here are some measures that organizations can take to encourage more women to move up to leadership positions:

Avoid Pre-emptive Bias

It is best not to tag any role as 'not meant or possible or viable for a woman' based on preconceived notions. Women are often open to take up roles that involve round-the-clock work or considerable physical stress or financial or legal risks too. Let the onus be on women to accept or reject any role. 

Recognize Value Created

Create a workplace that 'values' a woman for her contribution to the big picture. Also, ensure that the workplace is conducive to allowing her to create value.

Emphasize Safety

The employer must take the responsibility to create a safe, secure, and harassment free environment that allows a woman to express herself, mingle with all, work at odd hours, without any fear or limitation.

Empower Through Visibility 

Provide women leaders the much-needed visibility both within and outside the organization. Create opportunities for woman leaders to be a part of relevant platforms to network and grow.

Culture of Encouragement 

Encourage women across levels for their intellect, ideas, and decision making; whether at the team level or at the board level. Most women are eager to create a positive impact within their organizations, so a word of encouragement and a minute of time to be heard goes a long way in encouraging women to grow.