My 3 year old granddaughter, Aubrey, has always had firm ideas about things. What she wants to do and who will do it with her. Where everyone should sit, including the coveted seat next to her. How things are done and what things must be lined up exactly “just so.” And most of the time, being a good natured grandmother, I comply. But I must admit at times I find myself telling her to stop being so bossy. And each time I do, it gives me pause. For I have to wonder if I am reacting to being told exactly what and when to do things by a toddler or if I am subtly reinforcing the notion that girls should be more passive and nice – and that bossy girls are not OK.
Sheryl Sandberg confesses in her book Lean In that as a child, she would much rather organize the play than play. And she, too, reports being chastised for exhibiting traits that would be seen in a young boy as strong, assertive and evidence of natural leadership.
The September 2013 issue of Harvard Business Review caught my attention with the headline: Emotional – Bossy – Too Nice: The biases that still hold female leaders back – and how to overcome them.
What isn’t Working
A summary of credible research on gender and leadership point to the following:
- On average, women make up 53% of entry level employees and 40% of managers – yet only 24% of Senior Vice Presidents and a paltry 19% of C-suite executives.
- A Harvard Business School experiment asked college students to rate equally qualified job candidates for the same position. The information packets including information that both were parents, one a father and one a mother. While fathers were not penalized at all, mothers were less likely to be recommended for hire and even if so, offered $11,000 less citing assumptions they were less competent and committed.
- Pay disparity is greater than the norm in sales roles, with women earning only 62.5% of male peers in insurance sales, 64.3% in retail and $66% in real estate. The conclusion – women are typically given inferior accounts and denied support staff, mentors and other performance enhancing aids provided to their male counterparts.
- A number of studies show a trend of providing women more positive feedback and less constructive criticism, a form of “benevolent sexism” that women must be handled with care. The outcome: lower standards for women resulting is fewer promotions to higher level ranks.
- In spite of women being rated equal to, and in most cases above, their male peers with 360-degree feedback on 16 leadership competencies, Zenger Folkman found that although women were found to excel in 12 of the 16 traits (and the higher the level, the wider the gap) – the higher the level the more likely men held a disproportionate number of the roles.
While the issue focused on women, we know that the results would be similar if the focus was on race or age or any other diverse population.
What is Working
The HBR series ends with a summary of “Practices that Make a Difference.” Here is a quick summary – you can click here for the full text.
- Measure diversity and inclusion Makes sense. What is measured matters. Hard to make progress when you don’t know where you stand.
- Hold managers accountable How companies did this varied from inclusion on performance management goals to hiring to having regular reviews of progress by area and putting diversity on the table in leadership meetings.
- Support flexible work arrangements Being in the trenches as both a working parent and a working child of aging parents, this is a make or break factor for many. I’ll work hard and long – but the ability to have some flexibility in how I do that makes a world of difference.
- Recruit and promote from diverse group of candidates Think differently, go to new sources, and move outside your recruiting comfort zones – for women and other minority talent. Attracting and sourcing talent is a foundation step that must be supported by the others on this list.
- Provide leadership education Ensure that your leadership development programs include women and minority participants. Find ways to identify and nurture emerging talent – either in our out of house. Doing so grows skill, confidence and visibility.
- Sponsor employee resource groups and mentoring programs Affinity groups (young professionals, ethnic minorities, women, LGBT) can provide a sense of belonging and resources across the organization. Being in the minority can be lonely – and affinity groups and mentors help.
- Offer quality role models And quality is the key – no tokens here.
- Make the chief diversity officer position count Your organization may not be big enough to have this role – but ask yourself the question of exactly who is leading this effort? Who is holding the leadership team accountable for progress? Who is promoting new efforts in this important effort.
No surprises here, all just good management practice. And it is clear that organizations that can create workplaces where all talent – no matter what gender, race, ethnic or sexual identity, or age – can bring forth their best, will be the best situated for success. However, I must admit that the work is long and hard – and progress is slow. But it is too important to waiver – for Aubrey and others like her, for our organizations and for our future.
So, I’d love to hear. What is your organization doing to tap into the potential that diversity and inclusion bring?
