Leadership W.0 - Reimagining the workplace for more women leaders

A couple of months ago, I spoke at an Annual Summit of a global think tank in Oslo on how to improve gender balance & the percentage of women in leadership positions & boardrooms. When I was invited to give this talk, it set me thinking about school results time every year, when news media is splashed with vindicating victorious stories of young girls earning laurels at school and college, trumping the boys in their class by significant margins. Even in higher education institutions and universities, the percentage of boys and girls studying is almost comparable ( except in very niche areas). This balance starts changing already at entry levels in the workforce and gets far worse as we rise up the leadership ladder. According to a August 2017 Financial Express article, In India, women make up 42% of new graduates, but only 24% of entry-level professionals. Of these, about 19% reach senior-level management roles. Women hold only 7.7% of board seats and just 2.7% of board chairs. A 2016 report from McKinsey also found that women made up 37% of entry-level roles in tech (compared to 45% in the overall sample), and only 25% advanced to senior management roles. Just 15% reached the C-suite. In 2015, women held only 25% of executive, senior-level and management positions in S&P 500 companies. All these numbers are a far cry from the United Nations goal of making gender equality a reality by 2030.

This is also my personal experience. If I see my Linkedin connections, more men than women from my graduating batch are in leadership positions today. Knowing them all, I can bet that “capability” has definitely not been the only factor why the women didn’t make it.

Though we live in times where organisations are increasingly talking about creating gender neutral spaces and giving women equal number of opportunities in positions of leadership, the implementation perhaps is less than satisfactory. As this dialogue about creating more women leaders gains momentum, the moment of truth has arrived for most organisations to rethink their founding values and create a homogenous space for women leaders to emerge and sustain. It is as much about getting rid of discrimination as it should be about valuing talent and skill above all else.

This churning process will hopefully open avenues for an equally competent workforce to shine, while also setting the precedent for work spaces for the next century to come. Drawing from my own professional experience of the past two and a half decades , here are a few of my recommendations on what we need to do as a global leadership community to address this issue urgently.

1.      Pound the Perception and Prejudice

Recently, I met a Ex Head of State of a country and we were talking about the Indian External Affairs Minister. In our conversation he referred to the EAM as a “he”. Also when I told an Indian CEO female friend about the Prime Minister of Norway opening our World Summit on Ethics in Sports in Oslo, she asked me how was “his” speech! I had to remind both that the people they were referring to were both women not men. In my articles on leadership when I write about a leader as “she”, I often get messages from readers that there is a typo. These are anecdotes, but symptomatic that our prejudice may be much deep rooted than we think. It reflects in stereotyping women as homemakers in advertisements, while showing the man as the breadwinner. More often than not, we associate leadership traits with men. It is a notion so deeply ingrained by society and all of us are responsible for it in some way. It is slowly changing, but a lot needs to be done.We need to pound away this perception and prejudice in every aspect of life - at home, school, college, work and in the community. If in our mind a woman can occupy a leadership position, it won’t be long before she occupies it in a chair.

2.      Intentionality of Leadership

Globally, organisations, governments and industries are talking about diversity at the workplace, maintaining the gender balance and bridging the pay gap. But still studies continue to show worrying trends that only a sliver of women reach the top. In order to remedy this situation, organisations have to walk the talk, and in effect enable a conducive atmosphere for women to thrive and progress at every level. Existing leaders have the responsibility of exhibiting an “intentionality” for equality in their leadership action. Demonstrate that they mean equality by their thought, word and deed. It has to reflect in the policies and the culture of the organisation. It has to reflect in the hundreds of decisions made during appraisals, feedbacks and promotion discussions. Leaders have to be aware of their own perception and prejudice in influencing work places. Diversity initiatives in many multinational institutions, in a way compel decisions towards equality. This may be a good starting point, but unless it becomes organisational culture, we won’t progress much. A great inspiration for me is the Founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, who has always stood for gender equality at every level. His principles are also reflected in practice- as many crucial wings of the Art of Living, which he founded, are being headed by women.

 3) The Double Whammy Decade

The two decades in a woman’s life, spanning from 25-45 years are crucial. It is during this time, that she progresses in her professional career. It is also during this time that she has to deal with the most demanding personal life situations- child birth and child rearing. A time when the professional clock and her bilogical clock work exactly opposite to each other. I can recount at least twenty of my exceptionally talented female friends and colleagues, who simply fell off their professions due to the impossibility of balancing their two worlds. Of those who coasted through, a very good percentage made it to the top. I see this in many companies that I work with for the TlEX program too. As biologically the woman is the primary care giver, the punishing demands of these decades, land up on a woman’s lap.. But should women really be paying the price for managing both work and family?

Though organisations are becoming more and more sensitive to these needs, a huge turnaround can happen based on the intentionality of the leadership. Flexible working hours, day care, concierge services, tuition at work are some of the services many companies are offering. Paternity leave is also becoming a practice. Often I see, women having to make a choice between their career and family. Organisations can do more to change this.

4. Platforms, Networks, Mentorship

It is essential for women to make an effort to be part of networks and communities that can help them expand their horizons, learn from peers and get a chance to share their stories. I often see women shying away from “networking”. There are innumerable opportunities that exist for it today. Women can be part of virtual platforms via Linkedin and other social media. We can be part of networks in our companies, communities. I have always found it very energising and empowering to be a part of networks like this. So many more vistas of possibilities open up. I also encourage women to write, talk about their challenges, share their successes. Today we are in a world which enables us to be a author, speaker and artist, all from our phone and computer. Use this to make your voice heard and to hear from others. I would also advise women to seek out mentors to help themselves through the challenges of their professional journeys.

 Organisations can facilitate this a lot internally. When I was with Citi, I was part of the Diversity Initiative through trainings and workshops. It was very fulfilling. The Art of Living hosts a biennial women’s meet called, ‘International Women’s Conference’ ehrre close to a 1000 women from 100 countries come together to deliberate on a variety of issues and opportunities. It is an amazing experience of energy and enthusiasm. In Sri Sri University, we have a Women’s Leadership Forum called Charchika, to encourage young girl students to find their voice!

5) The Glass Cliff

The optimistic rise in the ambitions of women has acquainted us all with the notion of Glass Ceiling. After having broken the glass ceiling and wading their way through to the male dominated bastions, women are facing a challenge of another kind- ‘The Glass Cliff’. The term coined by two academicians at University of Exeter sought to explain the phenomenon of woman ascending the ladder of power and leadership only when a crisis emerges, at a time when the chances of failure are the maximum.

 And as their theory would reveal, it is only when a male leader is failing that the choice to bring in a female is inevitable, banking on her skills. This pattern shows how essential it is to normalise the leadership of woman at the top, rather than subjugating them to leadership roles in a crisis, which can run the risk of ending careers.

I am the foremost advocate of talent above gender. Capability above consideration. However if we seek gender equality as a defining goal for workplaces, now is the time to look at ways we ( men and women) can make this happen.