The overall number of women in senior corporate ranks has barely budged lately.
Last year, women held 16% of Fortune 500 corporate officer jobs. That was a rise of just 0.7 percentage point from 2002, according to a survey by Catalyst, the New York research group. The survey also found that women made up only 6% of the top five earners among corporate officers, a rise of 1.2 percentage points in the same period. These are smaller gains than Catalyst found in prior surveys, done every three years over the past decade.
Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
Some women may be missing out on the executive coaching that equally experienced men get at work.
A recent survey by Novations Group Inc., a consulting and training firm in Boston, found that at 20% of companies offering such coaching, women receive it less often than men, while women get more coaching than men at only 5% of businesses that offer it.
Senior management (usually men) typically chooses who receives coaching, often selecting up-and-comers to whom they relate best, says Deborah A. Felton, a director of consulting in New York for Novations.
What are women managers missing out on?
Developing a pressure-proof demeanor.
Eliminating fidgeting and other subtle behaviors, such as finger tapping, that can detract from a person's authority.
Tending to concentrate so much on getting the job done that they may neglect big-picture thinking.
Not being able to point to where they made a difference.
Not finding time by handing off some tasks to others.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, November 20, 2006