you did you know that companies with the most gender diverse executive teams outperformed their competitors by a huge 21 percent so it begs the question why aren't companies rushing to follow that trend to embrace it to increase their productivity I will try and explain some of the challenges that women leaders face on the way to their senior leadership roles through my own and some of the other women leaders journeys before I then go on to share some key insights as to how women can work smarter rather than harder to get to those positions my first
degree was in law during which I had two daughters during the course of this degree I was having interviews to get a solicitors training contract and I had four interviews and one of the interviews I was at the firm's partner asked me you have a daughter your husband might want an heir at that point in the interview I knew I wasn't going to join that firm but subconsciously that day a seed was sown for what we now know as gender equality and determination I could not help but wonder would I have been asked the same
question had I been a man anyhow I went on and received three or four some reputable firms and went on to qualify as a solicitor and many years of working later and two more children later our diversified into management and over the years I have reflected was this because at an early stage I was made to feel that somehow having a young family is not conducive to having a career in the legal profession maybe maybe to me my family came but what exactly was it that made me feel that I had to make a choice
it had to be one or the other I have maintained my practising certificate as a lawyer throughout my working life because given my journey this was important to me going forward more recently at a Institute of Directors women leaders event I attended as part of my Executive MBA the panel seemed to be of the thought that girls by a certain age start to feel that they're somehow less than boys and then they're told if you work hard you can be just as successful this took me back to my experience almost twenty years ago if no
more and made me think it triggered that thought process can girls of today really become senior leaders of tomorrow by just working hard I wanted to know how working smarter had played a part in the women leaders journeys and given my own leadership experience and the fact that my entrepreneurial song throughout has told me to work smarter rather than harder and I have three daughters who are all at different stages of their professional careers it was no surprise that this topic was really close to my heart so I decided to look deeper the hope for
me was that I would be able to isolate what it is that women leaders do differently and pass those golden nuggets of advice to girls and women who are still in the leadership pipeline so what did I find I found things are improving from my time but this ideal birth effort of organizations institutions and the UK government the progress in improving gender diverse leadership remains painfully slow women represent almost 50% of the world population as they do in the UK yet the employment figures for women in the UK are almost 71 percent compared to the
80 percent for men and these figures declined drastically for women when it comes to senior leadership positions of CEO and chair in fact there are just six years in the top 100 footsie companies earning just 4.3 percent of the total income of the hundred CEOs now this radical disparity indicates that the challenges women face have either remain unidentified or if there have been identified they haven't been successfully resolved admittedly there are initiatives the 30 percent Club Davis review Hampton Alexander review these are working towards gender balance boards all steps in the right direction but the
fact that there's been a marked increase in non-executive directors that have women would indicate that companies are getting around these targets by following the trend but missing the spirit the true spirit of the initiatives now true gender balance McKinsey's research shows would add up to a colossal 28 trillion dollars worth of economy to the global economy the fact the fact that this amount is equivalent to the US and China economies combined what is stopping the world utilizing such an invaluable untapped resource it was found the challenges women face are multifaceted they are personal they're organizational
and they are societal one of the key challenges women face is that of lack of self confidence now evidence shows and research has shown that women are as ambitious as men but they lack the confidence in the fact that they can succeed so they end up taking less risks compared to men and this lack of self-confidence it was felt emanates from the deep-rooted societal norms of what girls are bringing should be like if they speak too much about themselves they're showing off this lack of self belief turns the positive cycle of belief action result into
a negative spiral which sees women talking themselves out of exploiting opportunities another key challenge women face is that of work-life balance women are toned by the double burden in fact this is one of the main reasons why majority of the women in the 71% of the employed population remain in the lower half of the leadership ladder they will stay in the same job father an employee for better opportunities to further their own careers because it suits the family yet another hurdle they face is the notion of presenteeism meaning people working visibly hard at what they
do in senior roles women see this as too much hard work too much commitment not forgetting their double burden carrying duties and it is no wonder they feel more comfortable in team roles yet another key hindrance in succeeding to successful with senior leadership positions is that of gender prejudice in the business world there is a prevalence of pink manager think male mindset managers assumed to be charismatic confident assertive and competitive it's no wonder women are confused society on the one hand expects them to be soft and nurturing and yet as leaders they expected to be
decisive and tough one example in action of gender prejudice deep rooted gender prejudiced was when a woman CEO was at an important meeting surrounded by other CEOs who happened to be old mayor and she got asked if she would like to pour coffee for everyone now this stick to the clan mindset makes workplaces uncomfortable and inhospitable for women they do not want to play the politics game and they leave net result the organization loses its diversity and the resulting productivity and for women well they're just blocked from getting to the next rung of that leadership
ladder these are some of the key challenges that I have described the list is by no means exhaustive and it doesn't account for the extra layer of challenges that women face if they belong to a certain ethnic group or if they have a disability so how can women work smarter to navigate the labyrinth of these challenges to break the so-called glass ceiling working smarter is a subjective concept meaning different things to meet different people it can mean streamlining processes based on evidence it could be collaboration focusing on key tasks it could mean having the right
tools for the job you're doing for women leaders working smarter meant having a positive mindset and determination why because it builds on that lack of self confidence and the barriers for them just become excuses to create new opportunities it has been said that women will apply for jobs that fulfill all their criteria and yet men will apply even if they're fulfilled just a few so applying that positive mindset it could be said that women actually don't lack self-confidence they judge what is right for them and they make a discerning choice because they're as much choosing
the organization as the other way around having a mentor was considered to be smart because the objective viewpoint can heighten self-awareness which can in turn help strategize ways of gaining confidence role models having a strong role model seeing women who look like you being promoted is a huge confidence booster having a sponsor who can put you forward when the opportunities arise within the organization is working smart teamwork having people who complement your skill sets around you because you cannot be good at everything that's a fact is working smart this also helps with collaboration within your
team networking is another thing that women aren't naturally good at because they're too busy with their caring duties or rushing back after work and don't get the time this is key because not only does it help you with heightening awareness regarding trends and opportunities within your own organization your own sector but other industries giving you the edge knowing when the opportunities arise giving you options now working smarter is not exclusive of working harder but since people who work the hardest don't get the top jobs you have to work out whether the input is worth the
output utilizing synergies so that your work and home life balance each other and juggle well so that each benefits from the other is key evidence has shown that women have a unique combination of skill sets both interpersonal and worth a key Attucks attributes that help them achieve this balance being authentic being true to yourself is thought to be working smarter why because it saves you the hard work it takes to fit into an organization whose values conflict with your own women generally have an inclusive and transformational leadership style they don't drive their power from the
authority of the role or the title but from their values and their enthusiasm now to move those behaviors and to change their values to gain rewards or to avoid punishment or to please others it's not smart because all it's doing is it is delaying that inevitable clash of values for a future date wasting everybody's time so what can women and girls do which is smarter rather than harder as a key takeaway for the future firstly be aware of your own unconscious bias and limitations develop that self confidence by seizing the opportunities in taking risks without
fear measure the outputs rather than the inputs stay inspired by finding yourself a strong role model adopting the attitude if she can do it I can do it too get yourself a mentor who will keep you on track develop strong networks join discussion groups have a sponsor in the organization who's going to put you forward get comfortable in I rather than me stay true to your values and the right organization will value you for them remember strong leaders can be vulnerable and don't forget to look after yourselves as a matter of priority and additionally don't
forget once you are at the top don't forget to look after and look out for women who are still in the pipeline remember your own journey now skills for women are no better worse than men they are just complementary so great teams need great men and great women working together to deliver great results the fact that there is strong evidence that exists showing that gender diversity improves not just good decision making but also productivity for the organization this should be a green light for women not to wait for external interventions but to take charge take
ownership by sitting at the design table and getting your voices heard by being the change you want to see thank you [Applause]
