Closing the Gender Gap

I was in London recently speaking to a number of senior level HR leaders for various companies. The topic was about how to increase the level of Diversity and Inclusion within their respective businesses. I always enjoy having the chance to engage with leaders from other countries, it’s quite an educational experience.

As I spoke of the need for development initiatives to focus on Inclusion of everyone, I was struck by the level of emphasis that has been impressed on them regarding the development of women. With low representation of women in the C-suite and on boards, there is a lot of interest in doing something about it and discussion around how.

The Wall Street Journal recently convened a group of leaders to examine the causes of this disparity and identify key steps businesses can take to retain and develop female talent. (The key points are summarized in the article: The High Cost of the Gender Gap.)

As a husband, father of two daughters, and grandfather to a beautiful granddaughter, this conversation has extra special meaning. However, I find myself thinking: when are we going to get past this obstacle so that we can celebrate and leverage the excellent contributions that women have the capacity to provide?

We’re at a moment in time in our culture where it’s critical for leaders with all organizations to consider the following:

• Demonstrate a Capacity-Building Mindset which assumes that women have the potential to lead
• Be intentional about positioning women for key assignments versus assuming it will happen naturally
• Recognize that flexibility is a part of the equation but focus on outcomes more than process when assessing skills
• Don’t be afraid to sponsor high performing women with specific job assignments in mind