Four steps to boost female leadership

But if this multiplicity of different and sometimes dissonant voices is so positive for businesses, the question is:

Why are there so many women in organisations but few in leadership positions?

The answer to this question is neither simple nor straightforward. The truth is that there are several factors that can undermine the possibility of having more women leading teams and companies.

First of all, the most obvious one: the balance between work and family life. The life context of women in societies, especially in Latin American ones, where there is still a very relevant female role in the family structure, can hinder a possible career advancement - and I'm not only referring to maternity issues, I'm also talking about the whole domestic dynamic. There are studies that show that, on average, women work three or four hours longer than men, if we take into consideration household chores. In other words, after a full shift of work, many women have the "part-time" housework. In addition, the harmony between professional and personal life is often managed differently by men and women, with the latter ending up giving up or compromising their professional career to sustain this balance.

On the other hand, there is a historical weight in the construction of many organizations, which still have at their base a more competitive, more virile, more masculine culture, often feeding internal competition among employees. Women are more predisposed to bet in more collaborative environments, sometimes in "cooperation" (studies prove that men tend to have, in their belief system, a more positive outlook regarding the results of competition in the workplace).

Finally, it's no secret that, largely for historical and social reasons, men have greater ease and more developed skills for networking, and are more comfortable going for coffee or dinner with relevant stakeholders , feeding a more active social network. In this way, they also end up being remembered more when it comes to making choices for leadership positions, sometimes just because they are "more present".

A journey of empowerment in four dimensions

At Nova SBE Executive Education, we have developed two programmes focused on these issues, especially dedicated to women: the Women's Leadership Program and the Promova Programme, developed in partnership with CIP - Confederação Empresarial de Portugal. In the latter, we talk about a growth journey in four dimensions, which may be interesting to explore to ensure this female progression in organisations:

1. Purpose

It is fundamental to find a purpose for our work and our life. At this stage, the important thing is to invest in self-knowledge - defining who we are, where we are going, what our dream is, our aspiration and the path we have to follow to achieve these goals. This projective capacity in relation to the future is essential to guide our journey in the world of work.

Then, it is important to synthesise all these discoveries and aspirations into a personal brand, capable of being announced and communicated to the labour market, so that others can also know who we are, what we believe in and what kind of leadership we will develop.

2. Transformation

After zooming in on our individual knowledge and aspirations, we need to zoom out and look outside. This phase of transformation, is all about context, in its various dimensions, from macroeconomics, to geopolitics, to globalisation issues, to the dimension of the various stakeholders' interests, which are often difficult or impossible to control. However, in order to make a real transformation in our careers and in our organisations, we need to constantly map these variables in order to subsequently be able to make a real impact on business.

3. Impact on business

In this third dimension, it is important that there is awareness and clarity about everything that happens from a relationship network with the various stakeholders, and deep down, with the governance of our companies. Then, we need to translate these insights into strategies and results.

This means that it's up to us to put ourselves at the disposal of the organisation's trajectory in order to achieve the results that are outlined, framing them with our purpose and the external context. However, to achieve this end, our companies need to be sustainable, capable of transformation and innovation, and to do so, we need to invest in the people who are part of the organisation.

4. Developing people

This fourth dimension has to do with the ability to develop other people as a leader. We need to understand that the goals that a leader sets are only achievable through the employees. For this reason, the leader has to be able to create a good team, feeding his talent pool, developing, nurturing, and caring for it, so that everyone feels fully active, productive, and empowered.

Only by empowering employees and this more human side can companies actually deliver the desired results.

In summary:

To sustain strong female leadership, it is crucial: to have a great knowledge of oneself and the brand one wants to leave; to be clear about the external context, which brings with it variables that are difficult to understand and incorporate into organisational strategies, but which have to be mapped; to make the organisation move towards a strategic challenge that is aligned with our purpose and the world; and finally, to nurture a team that feels empowered and strengthened to make the organisation happen.