My Journey as a Woman in Leadership

Introduction:

Birmingham 2022 holds a unique place in my career to date as it’s the first experience I’ve had where executive-level leadership roles were held by women for Transport.?

This makes it both brilliant and frustrating when you realise just how rare it still is. It’s been an entirely formative experience to be part of a changed dynamic and to be able to share experiences and reflect on how society and the workplace can continue to improve the journey and how we can create more equal opportunities and pathways for women in Transport.

I started my career in Transport 10 years ago, joining London 2012 and have been part of delivering six major multi-sport events from a Transport perspective: London 2012, Glasgow 2014, Toronto 2015, Ashgabat 2017, European Champs 2015 and most recently Birmingham 2022. Before that transition I worked in people management and in between times I’ve consulted on major projects and programme work in capital transport.

The Challenges I Have Faced as a Woman in Leadership:

Transport is still very much a male dominated industry, where females comprise only 19% of the workforce. So, it’s, unfortunately, no surprise when progressing through it to find yourself on the receiving end of gender bias/outdated stereotypes.

I’ve heard and experienced a few classics to date, they include…. “a woman, in charge of Transport?!”, “let’s not be asking the lady about vehicles lads”, “that’s a big job for small shoulders”, “use your big girl voice Jenni” and ever the favourite “ah, you’ll be taking the notes then” - when attending a meeting where I was the only female.??

This was more of a direct feature in my earlier work for Transport but there are still some pervasive and antiquated biases and stereotypes when it comes to addressing, working with, and integrating women into the management and leadership landscape. Most women I have worked with can recount multiple experiences of their own, the good news is this seems to be diminishing. But it is a slow burn and the lack of women in leadership is part of the reason for that.?

A favourite quote (Billy Jean King) “you can’t be, what you can’t see” still rings true. And the less of women in an industry the slower progress is likely to be.

Overcoming the Barriers:

Overcoming barriers and challenges has been part of my ongoing development for me and I wouldn’t be where I am now without support.

The importance of a growth mindset is key. Support outside the workplace, particularly when it comes to confidence, self-worth/knowing your value and resilience is as important as finding support in the workplace.?

I’ve landed on my feet on both counts, but I have worked with colleagues who haven’t had those support mechanisms available and subsequently this has been detrimental. Also adopting a positive mindset has a significant impact on the outcome you are looking for.?

The Benefits of Women in Leadership:

Networking and sharing experiences with other women have directly informed my own development and having good allies, mentors, and leaders (male/female/non-binary) has improved the way I work and created opportunities I would otherwise not have had.

During my time on the CWG, I was a mentor for one of our WMCA apprentices and it was as important an education for me as it was for her. It’s also one of the most direct ways to support upcoming colleagues on their leadership journey. We often think of leadership in terms of seniority, but I’d advocate for developing opportunities to develop and practice leadership behaviours, and capabilities as early in someone’s career as possible.

Studies have shown that having more women in leadership teams builds a broader perspective, more reflective of society and leads to progressing beyond some of the bigger barriers; gender pay gap, increased innovation, a healthier culture, and improved performance.?

Encouraging Women in Leadership

It’s clear that society, organisations, and individuals are positively impacted by encouraging more women into leadership roles. And there’s plenty of data and research points us towards the benefits of increased equality when it comes to representation.

There are a growing number of initiatives and programs in place to encourage and develop women in leadership and we need to be as proactive as possible about involving ourselves and our colleagues (all) in progressing the endeavour.

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Conclusion:

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) should be tenet of any leadership role and team. Opportunities and support for women in Transport is increasing all the time and I’m encouraged to see better representation, education, and policies/initiatives in play.?

Cultivating progressive workspaces where opportunities are created equally and fostering a culture that encourages honest discussion regarding equality – beyond policy – creates a positive impact for all and can be built on as teams develop and leadership figures move on. Part of the job of supporting and representing women in leadership is to try to leave a good platform for upcoming colleagues, more opportunities and increased access to those opportunities.