To transform leadership, we must increase the number of women leading. So how do we do it?

March 8, 2022

We’ve known for well over a decade that more women at the leadership table leads to better outcomes. Despite this knowledge, progress on gender equity in our workplaces remains slow. We can no longer afford to go slow.

The gist:

Here is the Smart Company framework “for building your own gender equity strategy, that focuses on how we attract, recruit, develop and retain women.”

Step 1: Attraction

• Have a Gender Equity Strategy in place. When women can see an organisation has gender equity as a genuine priority, they are more likely to consider a future there.

• Build your organisation’s reputation as an employer of choice for women and promote what it has to offer.

• Manage a variety of recruitment strategies. For exmaple, setting gender targets, training to eliminate unconscious bias, and creating placement opportunities.

• Step 1: Selection

• Educate and train your managers around embedded stereotypes and assumptions;

• Ensure women are included in selection panels;

• Implement a standard of gender-blind resume-screening;

• Mind your language – verbal and non verbal. Candidates will be looking for clues about your values and culture. Is it inclusive, respectful, objective or dismissive, aggressive or narrow-minded? and

• Are women consistently unsuccessful in selection processes, or not accepting job offers? Review what factors are at play, including asking candidates for feedback.

A leadership competency framework that outlines the capabilities that will drive success;

• An objective and standardised evaluation and assessment process for leadership candidates;

• Setting gender targets, underpinned by plans of action to meet those targets; and

• Leadership development that looks beyond senior levels and accelerates women in the emerging phases of their career.

In terms of process, it’s about making development opportunities more inclusive and accessible, including:

• Consideration of timing, mode and location of training;

• Providing support around family commitments;

• Encouraging and supporting internal and external networking for women; and

• Training leaders to dismantle stereotypes about the work women can do.

Step 4: Retention

• Do women feel empowered to contribute?

• Are women equitably rewarded, see real opportunities for advancement, and feel engaged with the organisation [sic]?

• Is there an inclusive culture, where diversity is truly valued and supported, and where people feel like they belong?

• Are you, as a business leader, modelling the culture that effectively embodies these principles?.

[This is an extract from the whitepaper ‘Transforming Leadership – The art of increasing the number of women leading’ published by Dattner Group. You can download the full document at Dattner Group – Transforming Leadership.]

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