Rethinking
Carla Miller - Leadership Coach
Women and
the Workplace Women leaders across the globe are experiencing the Influence Gap. This is a systemic problem, not a problem with women. We quite simply hold fewer positions of power and so we aren't at the table for the decisions that matter. Carla Miller, Leadership Coach shares her thoughts on what can be done about the Influence Gap.
It’s an unlevel playing field Our leadership skills are equal to those of men yet we are less likely to be encouraged into a leadership role. Men are twice as likely to be promoted or selected for leadership training, while a study published in The Leadership Quarterly showed that 'Men were encouraged to step forward and ‘claim their space’ as leaders and women were advised to take a narrower focus by developing specific areas of expertise and appeasing colleagues.' Men tend to rate themselves as better leaders than women do. But in reality, people often rate female managers more highly for leadership effectiveness. We can be judged for stepping into our authority. An article in the Harvard Business Review on the unseen barriers to women rising into leadership roles shared that 'integrating leadership into one’s core identity is particularly challenging for women, who must establish credibility in a culture that is deeply conflicted about whether, when, and how they should exercise authority.'
closing the Influence Gap
We struggle to get our voices heard. It’s not about getting a seat at the table – we need to be heard when we get there. Research conducted by RADA in Business found that only 8% of women find it easy to make their voice heard and women are 12% more likely than men to feel uncomfortable when meeting with board members or senior management. We are trying to succeed in a working culture that was designed for men, by men and as a result only one in five women feel a strong sense of belonging in the workplace. This makes it harder for us to share dissenting views.
Senior women are often ‘Onlys’ According to the McKinsey & Company Women in the Workplace 2020 report: Seniorlevel women are also nearly twice as likely as women overall to be “Onlys”—the only or one of the only women in the room. That comes with its challenges: women who are Onlys are more likely than women who work with other women to feel pressure to work more and to experience microaggressions, including needing to provide additional evidence of their competence. As we look to the future of work we must address gender inequality, and recognise the fact that it intersects with other biases like age and race meaning many women face additional barriers to success. Once you see yourself as the leader you are, it’s time to learn how to step into your authority so that you are seen as a leader by others too.
