If you're feeling incapable as a woman in the workplace these days, you're not alone.
A poll by Roper Public Affairs shows that three out of five women working in the high-tech industry want to leave because of a perceived glass ceiling - a perception that they are less knowledgeable and qualified than men. At a time when 50.3% of all managers and professionals are female, women still comprise fewer than 2% of Fortune 1,000 CEOs and just 7.9% of Fortune 500 top earners. The glass ceiling remains unbroken.
Most employers don't realize they're pushing some women out of their jobs.
The Center for Work-Life Policy's Hidden Brain Task Force produced a report, "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success," that was published in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) in March 2005. The article notes that "pull" factors, such as the demands of young children and aging parents, often combine with "push" factors, such as a lack of opportunity at work, to make women head for the door.
The main problem is that the prevalent notion of a committed employee---one who can work long hours, travel and be accessible 24/7---doesn't match many women's lives, says Lisa Levey, senior director of advisory services at Catalyst. The HBR article says, "The trick is to help them maintain connections that will allow them to come back....without being marginalized for the rest of their careers."
"In focus groups, we heard the disappointment and discouragement of women who had reached senior levels in corporations only to find the glass ceiling still in place, despite years of diversity initiatives," the HBR article reported.
Since the culture at most companies has been shaped over time by male executives, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to gender-based differences in communication styles.
A report, "Women and Men in U.S. Corporate Leadership: Same Workplace, Different Realities?", by Catalyst found that 81% of women said that "adopting a style with which male managers are comfortable" is an important or very important strategy to advance one's career.
Communication styles rooted in childhood training or unconscious beliefs can be tough to change. A first step is becoming aware of how you talk at work.
Our perceptions represent the way we see the world works and they also strongly influence those we live and work with.
Catalyst asked 296 executives of both genders to rate by percentage the effectiveness of female and male leaders on ten different leadership behaviors. Both genders said men are better at networking, influencing upward and delegating. "Women as well as men perceive women leaders as better at caretaker behaviors and men as better at take-charge behaviors," says Ilene Lang, president of Catalyst. "These are perceptions, not the reality."
Do these 10 terms describe you?
Professional, credible, assertive, capable, intelligent, direct, articulate, politically astute, self-confident and self-marketer?
If not, it's makeover time.
Seeing ourselves clearly does many things:
• It allows us to control impulses and select the most appropriate behaviors.
• It shows us how to avoid reacting in negative and potentially self-limiting ways.
• Knowing our strengths and limitations makes us more understanding of others.
• Gaining an understanding of issues reduces conflict in ourselves and in others.
Being aware of the affect of our personality and default behavior on the people in our life helps us to engineer a better communication and leadership style. People seek out personal coaches for an infinite variety of reasons, but there are two typical categories: people navigating some significant transition in their life or career and those who have some inkling that something, like their leadership style, personality or assumptions and beliefs, are holding them back.
Driving the trend for executive coaching makeovers is the business reality that managers need help to address difficult performance or behavioral issues in a time when there is a constant need to stay competitive. Eighty percent of Fortune 500 companies now offer executive coaching. By hiring external coaches, companies can assure their people of the confidential nature of learning through a one-on-one approach. They have also found that coaching is essential for creating change and moving people towards their highest productivity and potential.
In their role as executive and personal development coaches, Barb McEwen and John Agno see a number of highly skilled women executives who are in need of some fine-tuning when it comes to be recognized and supported for their abilities. McEwen says, "These are intelligent, committed and hard working women. They are valued for their technical expertise but miss some of the nuances or "invisible rules" that are required to be chosen for further advancement."
Coaches McEwen and Agno have assisted numerous women executives to take a look at ways in which they can improve. They have helped them focus on their communication and listening skills, hone their leadership abilities, learn to manage and delegate more efficiently; key into the importance of influencing up, gain improved negotiating skills, deal with difficult people and handle conflict better. In the process, these women executives have become more politically savvy, able to recognize and appreciate gender, cultural or generational issues, and at the same time gain new personal insight.
Perhaps, the women managers you know are ready to start doing things slightly different in order to achieve the success they deserve. If so, please suggest that they get a "taste" of an executive coaching makeover by joining Barb McEwen, Certified Master Executive Coach & Organizational Strategist and John Agno, Certified Executive & Business Coach, in one of their women-only teleseminars. The link for full details, including all Weekly Topics, can be found at:
http://www.executivewoman.info
This makeover experience is an ideal opportunity for both companies and individuals.
