They just asked me to get coffee for the rest of the group
I was standing in the hallway at the office waiting for a meeting to end so we could grab the room. Just then, one of our senior leaders – a woman - walked out of the meeting with her jaw dropped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“They just asked me to get coffee for the rest of the group.”
Now, this is a woman who was in a tremendously influential position, has an Ivy League education, and has since exited the corporate world to become an incredibly successful entrepreneur. And they asked her to get coffee.
And by the way, this didn't happen in 1960 or 1970, this was just a few years ago. Sometimes, that’s what it's like to be a woman in the corporate world. Still. Today.
Women have come a long way in the corporate world. Yet, even now, only 6.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. In the 113th – 115th US Congress, women have held steady at ~19% representation, with a slight uptick to 23.7% in the current Congressional ranks. How do these statistics make sense when women represent more than 46% of the US workforce, and earn more bachelor’s degrees (57.3%), master’s degrees (59.4%) and doctorate degrees (53.3%) than men? Clearly, we’re not dealing with an education issue.
What, then, might we be dealing with? Not education. Not capability. Opportunity. How can we make sure that more women are in influential roles? To become a part of the system that changes the game? As Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg says “If you're going to change things, you have to be with the people who hold the levers.”
How can we move women from being underestimated, under represented and on the sidelines to a position of leverage? Here are four proven strategies that have worked for us and hold true across industries, and across the globe:
Work your tail off: There’s no way around hard work. Your ability to deliver results is paramount. The single biggest factor in your advancement is, in fact, in your control: do your job, and do it well. Exceed expectations.
Find a sponsor: Build your network and identify leaders who will advocate for you. Leaders who will open doors and remove barriers. Leaders who will put you into stretch roles, and who will support you along the way.
Be a constant learner: Make continuous education a priority. Take time to read, to listen to podcasts, to explore. It’s easy to get tunnel-vision in our jobs: make a conscious effort to bring the outside in. Explore other industries. Visit a museum. Take a walk – inspiration is everywhere!
Build your community: Find peers who will support you, and who will challenge you. Be supportive, be vulnerable, and be willing to give more than you get. Many of us spend more of our waking hours with our work colleagues than with our families. Find people whose values align with yours. Positive work relationships can increase collaboration, raise morale, and ultimately boost productivity.
Not sure where to start? Join one of our Leadership Immersion Retreats or talk to Nova about 1x1 coaching. We’d love to help you meet your goals!