Research from neuroscience tells us that men and women intuitively approach business problems differently. While men are more factual and logical thinkers, women are more likely to act based on emotion. This doesn’t mean men don’t have the capacity to share emotion and women don’t have the capacity to be systematic and logical. It just means that men have a natural propensity to one while women are more likely incline towards the other.
So what does this mean for businesses that are actively seeking to put more women in leadership roles?
It means we have to educate both sexes differently to develop what they don’t know.
When our firm is brought in to work with organizations looking to support more female talent stepping into leadership roles, a core part of our solution is to work in conjunction with the executive leadership team to help women (and men) to better understand their own roles and job function within the context of the organization’s goals.
We train them in effective problem-solving.
We teach strategies for utilizing their diverse experiences and backgrounds to drive new innovation initiatives and improve upon current ones.
And we challenge them to think systematically while still leading with heart.
This helps them in 6 key ways:
- To be better advocates for themselves, their teams, and their organization
- To contribute to their organization securing a more strategic market position
- To fast-track their own careers and develop professionally
- To be better prepared for more senior leadership roles within their organizations
- To recognize the internal barriers that could be holding them back
- To ensure they get rewarded for their contributions through increased pay, promotions, or both
And leaders, what do you get out of it? Here are just a few benefits. You’ll be….
- Building internal competencies in problem-solving, creativity, and innovation
- Maximizing your training investment in women
- Leveraging approximately 50% of your workforce
- Increasing employee retention and reducing attrition costs
- Showcasing your support for diversity and inclusion initiatives
- And let’s not forget the impact all of this has on your bottom line (we’ll help you calculate it if you’re on the fence about the true value you’re receiving)
So, if your vision is to have more women in leadership positions but your organization is not quite hitting the mark, making this small but significant adjustment in your training approach might just be the key to a higher return on your investment.
Want to strategize about furthering your organization’s women’s initiatives? Reach out to us at www.sandbox2boardroom.com