Understanding Women
Part 1 - Perspectives from Lean-In and how we can make a difference!
90% of Fortune 500 CEOs today are men!
Only 52 Women are at the helm of affairs in the Top 500 companies. Though the divide is still significant, it has improved 10X over the last 20 years.
In a historic mandate in 2018, SEBI mandated Top 500 Indian companies by capitalization to appoint at least 1 independent women director on the board.
Things have changed and ever improving.
As of January 2024, women make up 20% of all directors on Indian company boards.
Here I would like to bring in perspectives from Sheryl Sandberg's book 'Lean In' that articulates the challenges women face in their professional and personal life.
Managing Career, Motherhood and Parenting – Preparing for bearing children, managing family and career simultaneously – the multitude of responsibilities tilt the load towards women. Mostly women end up as a default choice to manage kids and family. To overcome this Sheryl recommends women do discuss and share parenting responsibilities with their spouses.
Men still run the world – Data affirms it too. It is evident that with men leaders predominantly run organizations and it requires a herculean effort for women to make that effort to see themselves at the top. She herself is a great example of how to do it despite all odds.
Negotiation – Whether it is negotiating with her spouse or negotiating compensation women have not been aggressive as men. Their subtleness needs change to challenge status quo and fight for greater equality.
Inner obstacles – Sherly articulates that women hinder their progress with lower expectations and lower self-drive. Strong will power and self confidence can be tools to overcome this.
Imposter Syndrome – By nature, women are shy of taking credit for their accomplishments. They fall prey for imposter syndrome. A greater self-worth is achieved by giving credit to oneself for every small achievement.
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In a recent Mckinsey survey conducted across 27000 employees across 276 organizations debunked four myths of women and elucidated that fact that-
Voices of Sheryl and McKinsey speak on similar lines on what women face in the workplace that hinders their progress to the top. As we move forward from the challenges to solutions I will bring some of my experience to draw a picture.
“Don’t think about making women fit the world - think about making the world fit women.” – Gloria Steinem
In my career spanning over 23 years I have had the privilege of working with many women leaders – some as peers, some as my team members and some tall exec leaders. They have all been unique in their own right showcasing different qualities and strengths. As I worked closely, collaborated and delivered on numerous assignments with them I could gather some insights on how they expected their peers, managers and teams to respond.
Don’t treat them different – In a team of men and women they do not expect an additional courtesy, nor do they appreciate a differential treatment. They want to be treated as equals and rightly so. As you take critical decisions, allocation of key assignments they want to be given equal and fair chance.
Remove Unconscious bias – There are preconceived notions on things like stretch, ability to take stressful tasks, taking additional responsibilities, taking risks etc, which needs to be eliminated in the decision making. I remember once I inherited an additional portfolio without a portfolio leader. I had five portfolio leaders at that time managing their own portfolios and had to assign this one in the interim to one from the five. I threw it open to all the five and it was not at all surprising to see a women step up to pick up this additional workload.
Build Trust – Open communication with the entire team (women and men alike) and creating an atmosphere of giving equal opportunities enables in building trust. Transparency, fairness and consistency in your behaviour is critical. Be inclusive – listen and encourage ideas from both men and women alike. As you get them to work on complex assignments, allow them to take risks (without the fear of failure). Solve their problems as they approach, support them to navigate through critical phases. Seek feedback and act on it. Offer equal flexibility and opportunities to both men and women alike.
Don’t give the impression that men run the world –Include them in team decisions equally and while building strategies and taking key decisions. Appreciate diverse perspectives, creativity and contrary ideas. Reason and come to a consensus articulating risks and dependencies. Provide a platform for them to raise concerns and share feedback.
Constantly recognise their contribution – Acknowledge, recognize and reward their contributions equally and regularly alongside others. Women have demonstrated unparalleled strength and resilience in the face of adversity throughout history. There are many women leaders who have led multi-national companies to success. Keep encouraging them to scale newer heights.
Give them space to perform – Create an environment where they feel secure and empowered. Provide them with new opportunities that enhance their skills. Provide training and mentorship equally and encourage them to seize opportunities. Delegate, for them to solve higher and complex problems giving them necessary authority and accountability. Get them to take risks without fear.
I started this with Sheryl’s book and will end this with her quote: “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”
I look forward to your views from your experiences.
"Where there is a woman, there is magic." - Ntozake Shange
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