Exploring Female Leadership: Obligation or Opportunity? A Female Leader’s Role in Growing Female Talent: Part 2

It’s been a few months, so let’s recap what we’re looking at here. We want to know if females in leadership roles have an obligation to be role models and mentors for younger women looking to follow in their footsteps. I am certain, despite my best efforts in Part 1, some of you are still thinking:

Why do we care?

We all know, and have come to despise, the statistics that point out just how unequal women are in the workforce. Even those of us who are blessed enough not to feel that stigma, we know there are masses of other women out there who do, on a daily basis. So, put plainly, we care because it matters. We need a way to enlist the masses of young women entering the marketplace, especially those with degrees seeking leadership positions. Without their buy in, nothing changes. We continue to lose. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sore loser. Graceful, sure, but I don’t like it.

But, isn’t it everyone’s job?

Absolutely. It is the responsibility of ALL leaders to mentor, sponsor, and develop those they lead. No one would ask, or expect, that you only spend your time on other females. We aren’t looking to tip the scales in the complete opposite direction by ignoring the needs of males and only focusing on females. But it is crucial that aspiring females have female mentorship.

Don’t believe me? According to an article in Forbes, “Businesses promote those who add quantifiable value to their company’s development”. I think we can all agree on that, it makes sense. All employees, regardless of gender, earn merit based on their individual contribution.

Where do most managers get a majority of their training and, by proxy, add the most value? On the job stretch assignments. How does one get a stretch assignment? As much as we’d like to say they are earned and handed out based on skill level, talent and work ethic, they aren’t. They are given to the person who asks for them, who has the guts to say “Hey, I am here, I deserve this”, whether they do or not. We already know from every research article or book ever written on women in the workplace that women are less likely to ask for opportunities than men. And even if they do, we also know from Part 1 that without a credible mentor, women are often overlooked in favor of their male counter parts.

Women with female mentors not only gain the benefits of having a successful mentor, they have a support system that truly understands. As Sheryl Sandberg points out in her book Lean In, we live in a world where a female’s delivery is more important than almost anything she does. If you’re too feminine, you aren’t taken seriously. If you’re too masculine, you’re disliked. How do we expect half the young women entering this arena to navigate their way through without guidance? How can we as female leaders expect a man to be able to supply gender specific advice productively? Despite their best intentions, there is one thing women have that men in this situation don’t – experience. Real life, unadulterated, reality based experience. Experience is the best kind of knowledge, and if knowledge is power, female leaders possess a tremendous amount.

Knowledge Transfer – The True Value of a Leader

If any of you have been following the World Cup (if you haven’t, you should!), then you know they have dubbed this one the “World Cup of Substitutes”. There have been more goals scored by substitutes in this World Cup than any in history. In fact, one of Team USA’s crucial goals in the game against Ghana was scored by a player fresh off the bench. Not to mention, this player, John Brooks, is only 21. He is not seasoned and certainly wasn’t expected to be their “pinch hitter”. What’s the point of mentioning this? It’s simple – the strength of your bench and transfer of knowledge is a competitive advantage. This is true in sports, and it is true for leadership.

When we think of female leadership in this context, the likelihood of our bench being a strong one is slim. Not for lack of skill, talent or drive, but for lack of knowledge and coaching. Do you think the older more experienced players on Team USA, the ones who have seen the World Cup before, just said “Good luck John, see you on the field”? No way! They gave him advice, they shared their experiences, he asked them questions and they answered. On the bench or on the field, our future leaders need that same type of support. The true value of any leader is best seen by who follows in their footsteps.

Stepping Out of Your Egosystem

According to the Harvard Business Review, your Egosystem is comprised of your performance goals and the self-worth you find based on the recognition and validation you receive from achieving those goals. In essence, you perform well, you are recognized, and are then driven toward even higher performance next time. This is an important place to be during your career, especially at the beginning as an individual contributor. Indeed, we already agreed businesses promote those who add value; your high performance directly benefits the business, so you see advancement.

Things are a little different once you’re a leader. Your focus has to shift from an Egosystem to an Ecosystem. Ecosystem motivation is the understanding that you are a part of a larger whole. Under his view, you would seek to do what’s best for everyone, not out of some sense of altruism, but because it’s also what’s best for you and the organization as a whole. Sound like what a leader is supposed to do? That’s because it is. One of the most difficult transitions to make is the one out of your Egosystem and into the Ecosystem. As a leader, things are no longer solely about you. What’s good for your people, in particular your high performing females, is good for you.

Have an Opinion?

The next two parts of this series will be getting in the meat and data of this topic. I would encourage you to contribute your own thoughts and opinions by clicking here and taking the survey. Don’t worry, we won’t publish any personal information, we’re just interested in what the data tells us. Whether you agree with me or not, your input is valuable and most definitely appreciated!

Senior Female Leader? Let YOUR Voice Be Heard

I am actively seeking senior level female leaders for phone interviews. After all, it’s you we’re discussing – your contribution is essential! If you are interested in participating and having your voice heard, please contact Liv Hadden. Any information you’d like to remain confidential and/or anonymous absolutely will.

Let’s see what the data tells us!