Nurturing Women Leaders - Role of Ally's

We need more women in the boards and senior leadership team is what almost every CEO says. There is enough research to prove that having more women in leadership roles is not just good-to-do, but it has massive benefits for the business. There is no dearth of aspiration from women to pursue those roles. There are talent initiatives taken by HR teams to support this as well. However, we are not making enough progress as desired in this area. What are the reasons and how do we solve for it is what I am going to explore in this article

No one does it alone. All the leaders that we see are a product of ecosystem around them in addition to their internal drive and potential. Tim Gallwey in his book, “The Inner game”, talks about his coaching philosophy through an equation, “performance = potential – interference”. Building on the same, I see performance as a product of potential and the support enabled by the ecosystem. There are multiple stakeholders in this, Manager, Leadership, the Organisational systems, and aspiring Woman leader herself. When I reflect on why some of the women leadership programs fail to deliver, I find one or more stakeholders not fully aligned or committed in the pursuit. Let’s explore what each of these stakeholders can do differently and better becoming ally’s in this journey. 

What can Manager do as an Ally?

Manager is at the core of the culture that the aspiring women leader experiences. Women’s rating on managerial support has traditionally been lower than the male counterparts.

Points to ponder for a manager:

-         Am I aware of the (unconscious) biases that I have about women and their capabilities in general

-         Every individual is different. Have I put effort in understanding the various needs of my women colleagues

-         While making talent decisions is gender playing a role in the process?

-         What steps have I consciously taken to make women folks feel more included and belonged (eg: not discussing official stuff during smoke breaks with other male colleagues)

-         Am I acting as a mentor/coach who builds confidence (or) Am I gas lighting unintentionally?

-         Am I offering equal and challenging opportunities to women folks in my team?

Leaders as Allies

The powers that be (CXO & Top management) plays the most pivotal role in driving the DEIB agenda in the Organisation. The core beliefs of this team decides whether DEIB agenda is for EVP & lip service (or) it is a strategic lever for growth.

Points to ponder for leadership:

-         Have we re-examined the template for a successful leader? Is there one in the first place?          

-         Are we looking for women leaders to clone the male counterparts on leadership traits

-         Are we patient enough while evaluating performance of women leaders (or) Have we put a microscope on them expecting them to not deliver?

-         Differentiation vs Favouritism. Is there a case for giving women leaders slightly longer rope (support) as they start on backfoot considering our societal prejudices and compulsions

Organisation as Ally

They say, it takes a village to raise a child. Similarly for talent to thrive, the whole organisation’s systems will need to come into play. The organisation design, policies and talent management ethos need to work in tandem to create the ecosystem that creates successful women leaders.

Points to ponder for leadership:

-         Are the organisation policies inclusive keeping in mind the varied needs of women folks?

-         Do we have a case of women, who don’t want to pursue larger roles despite having the capability? This calls for some introspection

-         Do we have a program in place that supports aspiring women leaders through structured capability building, Coaching and mentoring.

-         Is the DEIB agenda of organisation understood in spirit at least by the majority in the system?

-         Have we invested enough in people managers to equip them with inclusive work practices?

-         Do we review the health of DEIB periodically and take corrective actions accordingly?

In an organisation many of these pointers might be working well and there may be some opportunities to improve. If all stakeholders become ally’s then we will surely have more women leaders having a seat at the table and build a more diverse and enterprising Organization.

On this International Women’s Day, lets renew our commitment to building an inclusive and progressive nation. Wishing everyone a Happy international Women’s day.