Finance Monthly. 49 Bus i ne s s & Economy participants an inclusive space to highlight important issues about gender, race, ethnicity and foster curiosity positively. Crafting important industry conversations is also an essential part of our work as we move towards a diverse and inclusive future where female leaders can flourish with purpose, and inclusive and authentic leaders can thrive through the power of human connection. In your opinion, how can we nurture female leaders? Nurturing female leaders is about giving them the right structure and support that they need to become the best versions of themselves and succeed in their roles as leaders. Instead of treating women like they need rescuing or fixing, they need to be given the same opportunities as everyone else to thrive. As one of my clients says, “I’m not an activist. I’m just being honest.” Having conversations about diversity and inclusion and gender equality must be conducted with honesty and respect for everyone at the table. The truth needs to be shared and feedback needs to be given – otherwise, nothing changes. Bringing women into the conversation, regardless of their role or grade, is necessary to help an organisation articulate what is actually needed in its inclusion strategy. The people at the top often make the poorest assumptions about what is needed. Including all perspectives and valuing everyone’s opinions can help decision-makers make the right decisions and initiate the right (often simple) adjustments. What’s more, encouraging a culture of allyship between women is a great way for them to inspire and empower each other as they progress in their careers. It’s not about shining a light on one woman’s success. It’s about emphasising that there’s room for all women to grow and progress. Women also need a trusted source of advice to impart experience and support to help them find their voice. This can be a role model, mentor, coach or sponsor within or outside of the organisation. But it is really important that this is someone that ‘looks’ like them or that they can aspire to be. If you can’t see it, you can’t be it! However, what happens when you can’t find female role models in your organisation especially role models of the minority groups? This indicates there’s a lack of normalisation for senior female leaders. What does it look like to lead in this organisation if you are female??? When there’s no one to role model behaviours, we end up thinking that we need to replicate more male behaviours. This in turn then feels inauthentic for many women and drains their energy, which can lead to a lack of confidence and imposter syndrome and they leave – and so the balance never improves. That’s why having equal access to the right advice, such as a mentorship program available to all female employees, or reverse mentoring to all males, can help women grow in an inclusive environment. Such programs can also empower women to become mentors and encourage aspiring female leaders to work on their career progression. What are the common challenges that women face and need help with? Having coached hundreds of women and supported various organisations around the world, many of my clients often start the conversation with “I’m unhappy”, “I’m exhausted/ burnt out” or “I’ve lost my direction”. They think they are isolated in their thoughts and challenges and need to be “fixed”. But none of that is true. We just need to have the right support system that can empower us define our own success, be who we want to be and do it with “Women are essential to the success of any business. We’ve repeatedly seen how organisations perform much better when they leverage diversity at all levels.”
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