Jul

Can a Woman be Your Next CEO?

Q: Can a woman be your next CEO?

A: YES!

I think the real question here is whether or not there are any women in your organization who are prepared to be the next CEO. Unfortunately, the answer to that question frequently is “no.” According to the U.S. Labor Department, 46.8 percent of workers are now women. Although women have made steady strides into the management ranks, they still rarely reach the top echelons. Only 2.4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, according to a survey released in December 2010 by Catalyst Inc., an advocacy group that works to improve career opportunities for women. And 13.5 percent of women at Fortune 500 companies are executive officers. Source: Workforce.com

Q: What skills do women need to be considered for a top leadership positions?

A: They need the same skills that every great leader must possess.

Collaboration and team work. Women need the ability to develop and/or surround themselves with other great leaders. They must abandon the desire to do everything themselves. Women need to create a team of great leaders who compliment their own skill set.
Effective communication skills. The greatest leaders are those that can communication with all levels of an organization and interact regularly with key customers, industry experts, community leaders, and more.
Strategic goal setting and execution. This is a critical piece of the puzzle for any organization. A top leader needs to possess this skill in order to keep a company from floundering.
The ability to provide effective performance feedback. This is a skill that takes practice but is critical in order to help others be successful in their roles and as a part of the organization.

Q: What personality traits do successful female leaders possess?

A: This question is a little more difficult to answer but there are some similarities that great women leaders share.

Driven and confident. This can be a delicate balancing act. Sometimes, these traits can be seen as intimidating–both to other women and male leaders–but in general, this helps women survive in what tends to be an ego-centric environment.
Intelligent and innovative. Female leaders need to be continuous learners and regularly demonstrate innovation, whether that be through new processes, products, or general problem solving.
Dreamers. Think big! The sky is the limit and female leaders are regularly thinking about what their perfect world looks like and how to make it become a reality. This little girl is already a dreamer and we need to encourage and embrace her thoughts.

Do-ers. Successful female leaders are willing to take risks in order to make progress. Their moves may not always be the right answer, but they learn from those mistakes, admit when they are wrong, and continue to move forward.

Q: How can we work together to increase the percentage of women in top leadership roles?

A: The good news is that there are a lot of things we can do to help.

“Identify” top performing females in your organization. Talk with them about their career/personal goals and listen to what they say. Put together a plan to support their goals, both in the short and long term.
Be a mentor/find a mentor. On occasion, just having some one to bounce ideas off of or discuss tough workplace situations/solutions can be incredibly valuable.
Provide leadership & development opportunities for identified female leaders. Skywalk Group, a certified Targeted Small Business (Women-Owned) is offering a Leadership & Development Public Workshop for Women in April 2011. As I mentioned above, many of the necessary leadership skills require practice and a deeper understanding in order to be successful.
“Promote” other women in the workplace. Look for development opportunities and challenging assignments that can be provided to women to help them advance their careers and knowledge.
Be flexible and supportive. Generally, female leaders are juggling a lot. They have family commitments, community responsibilities, personal hobbies, and more. It is important to allow them to do the things that they need to do and jump back in the game when they are ready and able to do so.