Women: Get Promoted Now! Here’s what we’re reading … and writing.
According to the most recent Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey and LeanIn.Org, released late last year, women are demanding more from work, and leaving their companies in unprecedented numbers to get it. It’s the “Great (post-pandemic) Breakup.” As a result, employers have a pipeline problem.
This excerpt from the introduction of the study is a cause for pause and action.
“Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rate we’ve ever seen—and at a higher rate than men in leadership. This could have serious implications for companies. Women are already significantly underrepresented in leadership. For years, fewer women have risen through the ranks because of the “broken rung” at the first step up to manager. Now, companies are struggling to hold on to the relatively few women leaders they have”.
The study confirms that women are just as ambitious as their male counterparts, so why are women jumping ship at such an accelerated pace? Women want more from their employers. There’s a disconnect between what women value – prioritizing flexibility, employee well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion – and what their employers recognize and reward. Additionally, women cite microaggressions such as being mistaken for someone more junior or having their judgment questioned, as recurring headwinds that make it harder for them to advance.
Here’s one more sobering data point, younger women are even more ambitious and place a higher premium on working in equitable, supportive, and inclusive work environments. They’re watching this churn of women leaders and are prepared to follow to find employers who better align with their expectations and priorities. If companies don’t act, they’re at risk of not only losing their current women leaders, but the next generation, as well.
We have been watching these studies since the inception of our company. As a matter of fact, it was the 2016 Women in the Workplace study that inspired us to start our highly successful LEADForwardsm programs for women leaders. In 2016 it was stated that at the current pace of progress gender parity would not be reached until 2095 (post-pandemic, that horizon has been extended to 2154 due to the outsized impact on women). We knew at that moment that we had to be part of the solution by adding knowledge value to women to expedite their leadership advancement. So, we set out to leverage our decades of executive leadership experience, “pay it forward” and do our part to accelerate closing the gender gap. Today, hundreds of women have benefitted from our expertise, the majority of which have fast-tracked their careers by applying their new-found understandings, skills, and tools.
Our recently published book, Women: Get Promoted Now! takes all our learnings, expertise and knowledge, and provides a step-by-step playbook for women on the “4 Must-Have Ingredients” to accelerate their career. Too often women are at a loss as to how to successfully break through the glass ceiling and navigate the inevitable obstacles that get in their way. Our approach empowers women to drive their own success. If you are a woman looking to level up your leadership, or you know of one, Women: Get Promoted Now! will guide you through how to do just that.
If you are an employer looking to elevate women leaders and support their development and growth, we share the same goal. Heed the call to action in the Women in the Workplace report. It’s a wealth of information and solutions. Likewise, if you would like to learn more about our resources and programs for women in leadership, we would welcome the conversation.
