..the hidden asset!

It is a common secret in business that women have an advantage in specific management roles. It is rather certain that the reason "given the fact that she is a woman; I probably do not have the chance" will be said by male co-candidates. Unfortunately, not in a good way and not for all roles.

In business, women tend to become KPIs that the company must meet if it is to be considered "politically correct". A couple of members in the Board of Directors, especially in non-executive roles and a few harmless global positions, are kept "satisfying" the indicators and try to prove that there is no discrimination against. Of course, there are a few good examples of women in strong leadership positions, but in my opinion, it is the exception to the rule.

It's simple, when there are specific and required management goals, where bonuses are directly related to the percentage of female presence in management, this is a great proof of the mentality today: "women in business management are still considered a minority".

In my professional life I have had the time and the evidence to understand that women are a huge, undervalued and underutilized asset. Many times, I wondered where are all these young girls with excellent grades in universities, how hard-working young ladies with so much passion for work and resilience to admire did not win the top positions in business, how did these people become KPIs?

Well, these people are not men. Although, it sounds funny, I doubt we have taken the time to really understand what that really means. They are much more patient than men, let's face it they are stronger, more sensitive, passionate about detail, persistent, loyal, multi-tasking and most importantly they still like it! So? Where is the catch?

The fact is that at some point in their lives, these people have to make their own decision, family or career. Although it is not easy and nowadays it is taken quite late, many women still choose family including for some of them the need to support their seniors. But where do their ambitions go? So many years of hard work, money spent, dreams, and why not patience, "flexibility and tolerance" in our aggression and provocative attitude become a loss, a sacrifice. How convenient! Women are perfect for low positions, but when it comes to real power and money, they suddenly become wives and mothers, and a good mother should stay close to her children, right? can no longer be dedicated, so "happy to be a KPI"!

As a man who enjoys executive positions in highly competitive industries, I must admit that this "unconditional equality" is the trap of the century as we kill at least three birds with one stone, one mother at home, one underpaid hard worker at work and one less candidate for promotion.        

Convenient but we can no longer afford it, neither socially nor professionally. In small markets, where the brain is the least expensive asset, women can be the secret weapon for growth. Even in mature markets, technology is replacing hands faster than ever before. It is not a question concerning inclusiveness, it is a necessity for properly use of a valuable underused asset in the economy, in business, the "gold reserve" that could win the war. The example of Israel, a small country surrounded by threats, without a fraternal nation close to it, the contribution of women in any aspect of life is amazing. In the Nordic countries, where they are all small, the contribution of women and their real independence are exemplary. And the success of those countries and their firms, under any circumstances, too!

Economy is about to booming. Having the right and loyal people, timely available, is everything in the business and it will be the ground of the real competition. All will start soon looking for more and more competent personnel, but the clever ones will recognize that to attract the “high-flyers” they must be also attractive. And that is not exhausted to few trainings. They should differentiate their offerings per need, skill set and talent groups, excluding noone, males, females, young or experienced seniors, working at home or at the office, on plant or on the field.    

Starting with women, instead of creating funny performance indicators that discriminate and make things worse, companies need to create the right environment for women to thrive in business. There is an undisputable fact, crisis and unemployment converted a lot of good companies into “galleys”. Long hours, with no extra payments and purpose, leaved a lot of women behind or made it impossible for them to follow.

Under the principle of “smart companies invest in attracting smart people”, firms which recognize that employees time is the most and only precious product for them to offer, they establish a “hard ceiling” of the hours at work. True, not the known guidelines to people just to avoid fines from the labor inspection authority.

Companies also that know the value of an engaged, loyal employee provide way outs for maternity or even paternity needs, such as facilities for kids inside or outside the company, focused allowances and pre-booked position to day nurseries, specialized insurance, online support platforms services and related professionals.

Smart management senses the change and turns it into an asset, promoting more and more “work at home” flexibilities. Successful firms, stop clinging clichés for “revolutionary” values like “doing the right thing” and “teaming” and taking action, basic and simple rules to ensure impartial, civilized and fair-minded management. Smart business offers pool of benefits targeted as enablers to both roles and people specifics.    

Years ago, in a business dinner, a colleague’s response to the question of “what you think it should be the next step for us to prevail in the market?” was simple and surprising, “just hiring exceptional people non-stop!”, it proved unbelievably right. In completely unprecedented circumstances, in hard efforts and risky transformations some women proved to me, once again, who is the hidden asset, who if has the chance makes the difference. Not a bad idea to start from them.