Do you consider yourself a leader? If you are a women answering that question the majority of us would answer with a humble no to not seem too boastful even if we were, or a no because we do not see ourselves as one even if we are, or no as we will give credit to our team, or simply no because we currently are not leading and do not see the possibilities to be in a position to lead. Yet, there is a small fraction of women who would say ‘Yes!’ without hesitation, with confidence, and without any explanation or apologies.
Women’s Leadership in the Work World
The truth is each and everyone of you can be a leader, you have the potential to be an incredible leader, and are already practicing a variety of leadership skills in many areas of your life. The facts are there have been some cultural standards or rather gender inequalities in the work place that have created some ceilings on women advancing in the workplace. It is not imagined, it is real. In fact the World Economic Forum reported that it will take another 117 years until the year 2133 when the gender pay gap is closed for women and men being paid equal for the same work. Only 4.4 % of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies are women.
Women Leaders Increase the Bottom Line
Early this year both the Toronto Star and the New York Times posted the results of a study conducted by Peterson Institute for Economics that stated companies that went from 0 to 30 percent women representation in leadership roles increased their profits by 15%. Companies that want to boost their bottom line, need to promote more women to executive positions. With the results of this study, it is evident that any business that wants profit should adopt new hiring practices to reflect the benefits associated with gender diversity in executive leadership positions.
The responsibility of creating more women leaders not only lies in the hands of the companies, but in each of us. We need to learn to lead, feel comfortable leading, own our power, see ourselves as leaders, and step up to the plate in believing in ourselves and our worth knowing we can contribute.
You may have heard that men apply for jobs when they only meet 60% of the qualifications whereas women wait until they are 100% qualified. What do you interpret from this statistic? What does this say about women and the way we think different from the way men think? Does it have to do with knowing or believing in our capabilities to do a job and learn as we go? Is it that we like to be organized and prepared? Is it a confidence factor in our abilities or a cultural norm we have inherited where boys always risked more?
Stepping Up to Lead
It is an exciting era we are living in as things are changing for women in business. When I was growing up I remember my grandma bragging that my brother would be Prime Minister one day and my other grandma would say my cousin would be leading the country. The thought was exciting to me and I always smiled. Today I look back and reflect at the era they grew up in and what was possible in their minds; they would be shocked to learn today that their is a possibility for the first female president in the U.S. In retrospect now, although I did not take any offense whatsoever, I wonder what unconscious messages were delivered to my beliefs about what I could or could not do or become.
We need to be a part of and lead the way in the change. Unfortunately there are a lot of barriers still ahead for us and there are many life demands that make becoming leaders more challenging for women.
The GAIA Women’s Leadership project lead by Elizabeth Cronise Mclaughlin is leading the way in empowering women leaders. She has developed programs tailored to support the complexities women face in the work world. One such program was the GAIA Women’s Coaching program. She has now trained coaches around the world in her 9 Point Pivot wheel methodologies that will give women the leadership and communication skills they need to feel confident. I will be one of the only coaches in Canada soon to be certified as a GAIA Women’s Leadership Coach.
It has been amazing to see the profound changes in the women I have coached with her practices. Whether you are just starting out with your career or advanced already in the corporate world, leadership coaching is in my opinion an essential career tool. It not only helps women advance in their company, but it also helps them become better communicators, more efficient, confident, aligned, and happy in their business and life.
We need to see ourselves as leaders. We need to prepare ourselves to lead. We need to step up to leading. We need to become the leaders the world needs us to be, for our families, children, and for future generations.
What will you do to become a better leader? Leave a comment below.
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