Imagine walking into a board strategy session to find that only one out of the nine board members and management team is a man. And not only that, but in addition to gender representation with women in the overwhelming majority, the racial diversity and disability inclusion are also part of the intergenerational collective. Immediately, you already know that you are plugged into a different kind of zone if the decision-making body is almost entirely the female lead.
You may be taken aback, pleasantly surprised, and maybe even shocked. Like you, I was never ready to encounter such a group because it simply hasn’t become the norm. So let’s talk about the world’s readiness for the female lead.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are part of a global dialogue that seeks to foster balance, a sort of harmony in the ways and places we work, learn, and live. This is a conversation that has been ongoing, albeit against some odds and culture-normative barriers. There is still a remnant and persistent sentiment in some pockets of business and society across the board that seeks to detract from, delay, or derail any call or action for leading ladies. We all know that resistance is futile hence many [people, movements, and organisations] are making strides with clear intent to advance the female lead, even embedding this thinking into regulatory policies as core compliance. But why is this still a challenge? Why does it seem that leaders and leadership are increasingly confronted [and some even confounded when asked] about their female readiness? If we are honest, business, government, and society in many parts of the world are slow to transform leadership levels, but not for a lack of knowledge, shortage of skills, or any such impediment. Female candidate leaders who are astute in business, politically savvy in government, and plugged in the service of communities abound in numbers. And yet the conversations on female leadership seem to broadly center on preparedness, and not enough on positioning and performing.
We’ve just entered the last quarter of the year and looking back the public agenda has and continues to spotlight women’s interests in various sectors and across industries. The recent month of August in South Africa was in keeping with the public commemoration of National Women’s Day, with a long list of platforms hosting events, conversations, presentations, and a plethora of interaction points about women’s empowerment. And as we look to November, again the conversation will be on women’s activism against gender-based violence. All good and well. But the annual spotlight and ongoing pop-ups on the state of women inevitably becomes about how women need more preparatory support with coaching, mentorship, personal development, training, and resources and tools. In other words, the future female is still the damsel in distress and not quite ready to take the lead. But there comes a point where preparation needs to meet action. So how do we activate and advance female readiness for leadership? By ensuring that we don’t put excessive focus on preparedness, to the detriment of positioning and performance. We need to level up on all three pillars.
- Ready: preparation with coaching
We need to listen to women with empathy, not just to respond but to truly engage. This is the avenue of coaching, where clarity helps women guide and lead with meaning and for impact.
- Set: positioning with sponsorship
We need to amplify women’s leadership through advocacy and allyship so that they are given the opportunity and space to influence. This can be in a number of ways such as thought leadership, promotion, and even adequate remuneration and fair compensation.
- Go: performance with mentorship
We need to advise women with strategic intent so that they lead, change, and impact with courage, creativity, and competency. Ongoing counsel is essential to help women circumvent career landmines and navigate their way to glass ceiling milestones.
The approach on supporting women leaders has to be about equally distributing the attention and investment in all three pillars. If we lean in disproportionately on one, we risk falling behind on the others and consequently having more women left behind when they should be forging ahead. Women are [ever] ready. The world is trailing behind.