From classrooms to boardrooms: Advancing the gender equality conversation

In an era where South African women have become increasingly prominent in medicine, law and business, they are still significantly underrepresented in the technology sector. Only 20 percent of tech jobs globally are held by women. While some gains have been made to narrow the gender gap, interestingly, increased encouragement versus technical acumen seems to be the key to speeding up the take-up of technology careers by females.

You’ve no doubt come across articles and books discussing this issue. It’s been reported, for example, that more gender diversity, particularly in corporate settings, can translate to increased productivity, greater innovation, better decision-making, and higher employee retention and satisfaction.

Yet, even the most accomplished women have trouble envisioning their own potential. In fact, only five of the 57 female CEOs that responded to the Women CEOs Speak research study executed by Korn Ferry had always wanted to be a CEO. Two-thirds said they didn’t realise they could be a CEO until someone else told them, describing themselves as intensely focused on results rather than on their advancement and success. This underscores the importance of committed mentors and leaders of both genders, to help women envision their path forward.  

I personally have benefitted from strong mentorship by some of the best leaders both inside and outside of my industry. They exposed me to the power of diverse thinking, courageousness to lead and continuous learning as I navigated my journey to leadership, and often helped me envision an even bolder path forward than I imagined for myself

Now, as local managing director of a leading global company, I am passionate about paying that mentorship onward to the incoming generation of women in the workplace. I believe it is our responsibility as business leaders to foster an inclusive working environment that enables all employees to do their best work and serve the diverse needs of customers. It’s important that we promote gender equality as a business enabler in our respective organisations, and encourage dialogue and discussion among all employees to empower them to do the same.

The discussion starts at home

I realised the power of learning and the role of education at a young age. I remember being just 12 years old when I decided I would one day like to go to university and pursue a degree in commerce. This, of course, was during an era when this was the exception rather than the norm. But thanks in large part to the foundation provided by my parents, I never doubted my ability – and was encouraged to go against the grain.

I was reminded of this when I read Melinda Gates’ new book, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World. In it, Melinda explained how she and Bill worked actively to ensure the influence he had in his professional life did not creep into their home, where they were equals. She connected this example to the broader issue of gender relations in society, saying, “Until we have these conversations in our home, we don’t fully live them out in our communities and our workplaces.”

When I read this, I remember taking a moment to absorb these thoughts and feeling tremendous pride that Microsoft South Africa truly believes in the transformative power of diversity and inclusion. This is evident in the steady progress we’ve made to increase female representation in the company.

But this improvement is just a start. There is still work to be done at Microsoft, in organisations throughout South Africa and the rest of the world. Building diverse and inclusive employee populations is a long-term commitment which requires a deliberate strategy, and importantly success will not happen overnight.

Adopting a different kind of intelligence

As individuals, we should never stop learning from one another or teaching each other. Only by actively engaging different perspectives can we challenge and stretch our thinking, enrich our experiences and empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.

Key to this is a concept called gender intelligence. Similar to cultural intelligence, where our cultural values, beliefs, attitudes and body language inform the empathy and understanding we apply when interacting with others, gender intelligence understands, recognises and values the differences between men and women to inform our understanding of what makes each gender unique and valuable to our environment.

For example, studies show that prior to landing the top job, female CEOs worked in a slightly higher number of roles, functions, companies and industries than men leading companies of a comparable size. Women are also typically four years older than their male counterparts by the time they’re appointed CEO, and are significantly driven by the prospect of the company having a positive impact on its community, employees and the world around them.

In other words, women have had to work harder and longer to get to the same place. This needs to change.

By applying this gender intelligence in the workplace, we’re removing the subjectivity that sometimes influences our approach to women empowerment. We’re elevating the conversation in our offices, passages and boardrooms beyond the thinking that women should be developed simply to balance the representation of men and women in respective roles. Rather, we’re empowering women to harness those distinct attributes that they bring with them to any role, because it can be a key driver to enable any organisation to achieve more.

Deliberate dialogue makes the difference

By creating an organisational culture that acts with gender intelligence, we’re actively planting the seed for long-term transformation. We’re letting women know that our organisations are not simply talking about gender equality, we’re actively looking for ways to make it a reality.

This South African Women’s Month, I encourage men and women to elevate the conversation around gender equality. I have realised that life is a continuous learning journey of self-discovery. My message to women is to seek guidance and mentorship from other leaders, male and female, that you aspire to emulate. Learn from them, and teach others around you along the way.

And to men; you have an important role to play, you can become an alley to this journey. As leaders in many organisations, it is important that you uplift women to realise the potential they bring to the business. Encourage a consistent dialogue that will take all individuals in the organisation forward, as this humility and dedication to change will certainly translate to better outcomes for the business.