Engaging line managers in women's development

IWD 2024

International Women’s Day is fast approaching on 8 March 2024 and this year’s theme from UN Women is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’.? You may also have come across an alternative theme of ‘Inspire Inclusion’ from an organization called International Women’s Day that tends to dominate the IWD marketing.

Obviously I’m a big proponent of investing in women (you know where to come if you’re looking for a women’s leadership programme or a series of workshops) but whichever theme you choose I’d encourage you to use this opportunity to develop the men and leaders in your organisation to be effective allies.? Allies have the power to change women’s everyday experiences in the workplace and that creates real change.

• 96% of organisations see progress when men are deliberately engaged in gender inclusion programmes
• Women are given feedback that is less actionable and does not prepare them for leadership roles
• Women receive higher performance ratings than men yet are rated lower for potential as confidence is often mistaken for competence

We can help you develop allyships skills in your organisation through:

• our Allyship Toolkit which in just 10 minutes gives your employees practical allyship actions they can take in meetings and when giving feedback.? Find out more here.

• Our allyship keynote ‘Closing the Influence Gap’ which has been delivered at Deloitte, Atkins Realis and Thresholds and received rave reviews.? It’s an engaging upbeat 60 minute talk that uses stories and stats to shine a light on how gender bias shows up at work and what we can all do about it.

I have a couple of virtual speaking slots left for the week of IWD so book a call if you’d like to book me to speak at your IWD event.

You may also want to share some of my podcast episodes with your team including…

• Gendered Ageism at work with Dr Lucy Ryan
• The brutal impact of parenthood on women’s careers with Jess Heagren
• Understanding the authority gap with Mary Ann Sieghart
• Why women are not getting the feedback they need to succeed

It takes more than a women’s leadership programme

This article shares both the positive impact of women’s leadership programmes and also the need to engage line managers in the process.? It shares 4 recommendations for managers of participants in women’s leadership development programmes…

1. Be clear about why she was selected, what you want her to get from the program and what support she can count on from you.
2. Meet regularly during the program to hear her takeaways and help her apply them within your organization. Use these conversations as opportunities to learn, expand your gender intelligence, and show up as an inclusive leader. Collaborate with her to mitigate gendered headwinds to advancement.
3. Purposefully build her developmental network by connecting her to potential mentors and sponsors in the organization and be a vocal and public advocate for her taking on stretch assignments including promotion opportunities that leverage both her potential and demonstrated competence.
4. Give her ongoing career-related feedback when you see her stretching into new leadership behaviors or reverting to comfortable habits. Be sure to get feedback from her about how you are doing as an WLDP sponsor and inclusive leader.

New website

We’ve now rebranded as Carla Miller Training to reflect the fact the company has evolved beyond me delivering everything.??

We’ve also got a new website where you can find details of all our services plus insights and podcasts.

Best wishes

Carla