Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article in the Atlantic, Why Women Can’t Have it All, has reignited crucial issues of advancement and balance that women continue to face in the workplace. As a male executive in business for over forty years, I have worked with many women who have consistently performed at the highest level, often more capably than some men in their companies, only to be turned down at times of promotion. Smart women, energetic and wise women who advised me at key times on internal relations, were not approved for promotions.
This is simply not good business. Women add tremendous value to culture. I am glad that Slaughter and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg are shining the spotlight on these issues. I feel very strongly that now is the time for men in leadership positions to recognize that the old boys’ club has suppressed women’s advancement in business. Promoting women is essential to the growth of our companies – to all of us! It is time for us men to get in gear and sponsor women.
Ilene Lang, President of Catalyst, a not-for-profit organization founded about 50 years ago to help women and girls gain equality, and still doing very important work, reports that men are promoted based on their potential, while women have to prove themselves again and again for that promotion. The men and women I have mentioned this to have all said, “So true!”
A study also conducted by Catalyst shows that companies that have at least three women on their board of directors have 16% higher financial results. While that’s good to note, in practical terms, having three women on a board is unlikely to have much effect on organizational culture. The women on these boards have little interaction with anyone except the most senior executives. How then, can they influence culture change on the ground?
What if more women were in the C-suites? How much higher would results be? A lot higher than 16%. Twice that? More? Why not, if talented women are developing cultures?
In my work, I have often hired women over men because I have found that women are more dutiful and thoughtful in preparing their work. Given similar assignments, it is always the woman who begins the work early, plans the project stages, and turns it in on time. Often the man procrastinates and pulls it together at the last minute, turning in an inferior product. Women deliver value to clients by being prepared and serious about their work.
Just last week a CEO at a Fortune 500 company told me his most reliable senior executive is a woman. When she tells him she will finish the work today, or by such and such time, she always delivers. The men in his C-suite don’t deliver as consistently.
The COO at another big company told me he values his senior executive, who is a woman, for her strong work ethic, and because she is tuned in to the people in the organization. He often seeks her out for her counsel on internal relations.
Many executives don’t promote women because they presume women will leave to have children. While some, certainly not all, women take time off to raise their children, in today’s world, with technology available, businesses can and must be nimble in order to retain talent. Mothers can certainly stay involved with email, messaging, smart phones and Skype. Ask the team how they envision themselves sharing client service and work, and let the team come up with the solution.
The results we get as leaders are based on the actions we take plus the quality of our relationships, both external and internal. If we want to have sustainable outstanding results, we must genuinely care about all of our people, involve them, ask for their ideas, and help them succeed and advance in their careers, or we will lose their enthusiasm and loyalty.
Relationships are best built with conversations – yes, personal conversations – asking questions, listening, exchanging ideas and demonstrating genuine care. And let’s face it, women are just better than men are at conversations and relationships.
And women are also better at being inclusive. I have observed that women are more apt to seek input, how others think and feel about an issue. In my view, they benefit the company by making informed decisions.
I believe Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, is a great example of collaborative leadership. Ms. Sandberg says, “I talk about my hopes and fears and ask people about theirs. I try to be myself. Honest about my strengths and weaknesses, and I encourage others to do the same. It is all professional and it is all personal, all at the very same time.”
Still, the question of balance is critical to the success of women in business. How can women with families advance to the top? To me, it’s about work efficiency. I am an advocate of working smart, not long. The contest of who works the longest hours is just old school. In my experience, many women have mastered the art of multi-tasking by working extremely efficiently while at the office. Still, most companies continue to expect women to work late. And most leave polices make it very difficult for any family with working parents to lead balanced lives. Every time a talented woman has to leave her position because she can’t sustain an 80-hour schedule, the culture suffers a huge loss.
This is my call to action. I am sending this paper to my colleagues in C-Suites across the country. As men in leadership positions, I feel we must be fair and do the right thing! We must all work toward a proportionate share of women in leadership positions. We must make it a corporate goal and give incentives to managers who sponsor women. It is time to allow flexible scheduling so we can retain highly capable women. I want to open the doors to the old boys’ club! Women reflect the diversity of our client base. They bring expertise, efficiency and inclusive leadership to the workplace, and thus add tremendous value.
The time is now. Mentoring and sponsoring women will vastly improve the quality of internal relations, invigorate our cultures and maximize financial results, year after year.
Guide to Women in Leadership
Organizations with women in their executive suites regularly out-perform others. Yet rising female executives (and their mentors) are frustrated at how hard it is to break through the glass ceiling. In this extensive guide, Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel into higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
