You Don’t Have To See It To Be It (but it helps)
Dear friends -
On this last day of Women's History Month, I thought it would be appropriate to write about women's leadership. I gave a keynote to 150 women this morning, and it always reminds me how much women have to offer.
Women are incredibly talented, knowledgeable and skilled. And women around the world are leading the way with effective, ethical, and empathetic leadership. Having said that, we still face a tremendous leadership gender gap.
Here's the latest stats.
Women make up 47% of the workforce, 52% of all management and professional occupations, and 60% of bachelor degrees in both the U.S. and Europe. But when you look at the number of female CEOs running our biggest companies (the S&P 500), its a paltry 8%. This means that there are 459 male CEOs at these companies. From this perspective, we have a long way to go.
The reason we don't see more women leading has nothing to do with women's competencies. It has to do with our perceptions of women as leaders, workers, mothers and wives -- and a variety of barriers throughout one's career.
These include gender bias and biased beliefs about what a leader looks like. It includes breadwinner and caregiver responsibilities. It includes lack of access to informal networks, mentors, sponsors, and role models. And it also includes limitations that women sometimes put on themselves. Men can experience these barriers too, but women experience them to a greater extent.
Let's look at role models.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of male leaders that men can emulate, admire and respect. When we see someone who "looks like us" it's somehow easier to see a path to success and it makes us believe that we, too, can do it. For women, there are few female role models, especially in business. If you're a woman of color, there are even fewer role models.
Most of us have heard the phrase "if you can see it, you can be it."
But what do you do if you can't see it?
Many women look to the media or their personal lives for these role models. It could be a character from a movie or TV show that we admire. It could be a teacher or coach that we've learned so much from. It could be someone in our own family who inspires us on a daily basis.
You can adopt the mindset that "you don't have to see it to be it". In addition to the media and personal lives, you can pick up different leadership styles from men and create your own style. You have to find a way to become it. What messages do you want to inherit from other people, and what messages do you want to write for yourself?
It certainly helps to have role models to make our path a bit easier, but you don't always have to see it to be it. Remind yourself that you can be your own kind of leader.
One final note for Women's History Month. Madeleine Albright passed away on March 23, 2022. The news was overshadowed by the Russian-Ukrainian war so it didn't get much media attention. As a U.S. Secretary of State and Ambassador to the UN, she was a female trailblazer and role model for many women.
She is famously known for saying, “There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." This quote has been repeated by hundreds of people around the world, including heads of state and celebrities, and it spurred a collective shift in mindset for many women. May you rest in peace, Madeleine.
Until next time, Dr. Shawn https://www.drshawnandrews.com/
