Yesterday I caught up for coffee with a female executive who is keen to take responsibility for the women’s agenda in her workplace. She works at a senior level in her organisation, to a male CEO who is supportive of women. There are only two women in the senior management team but the next group of leaders contains a healthy mix of men and women. The challenge seems to be in retaining the female millenials in that mix, many of whom seem convinced that it’s not possible to juggle a career and a young family.
This executive has been so inspired by the ideas discussed on Women’s Agenda that she has decided to lead the charge on this. There isn’t a department or executive focused on the retention of talented female executives in her organisation. Her key objective is to unite and inspire the women in the organisation in order to retain them.
She was seeking my advice on getting this initiative off the ground in an organisation without a strong female-forward culture. We discussed successful companies with male champions of change and agreed that it would be positive to involve men too. I offered up the names of some experienced industry leaders who could help with the structure and process of setting up such a group.
I have known this woman for some years and I have never seen her so animated as when she was outlining her intention to drive the agenda for women in her workplace. It was as though a light had been turned on and she had discovered her mission in life.
It is extremely rewarding to deliver positive outcomes for women in an organisation. It’s been a driving force for me too so I understand this woman’s passion. Even a small win can make a difference.
Most large corporates are fortunate to have HR departments and diversity leadership. Small to medium enterprises will be unlikely to have a dedicated resource so there may be no one leading the push for gender-equal conditions in most organisations. It then falls to individuals to step up and help create change where it is needed.
Women in leadership roles who feel rewarded by lowering the ladder for other women when they have nothing to gain otherwise are the true heroes of the modern organisation. The executive who joined me for coffee is one such woman. She is effectively taking on the responsibility for future-proofing the gender diversity pipeline of the company’s next generation of leaders.
Who is responsible for the women’s agenda in your workplace?