Jill Griffin* says that while new data suggest women’s leadership is shrinking, there are seven proven ways for women to climb to the top of an organisation.
We’ve all seen the headlines.
With a few recent exceptions, new data suggest women’s leadership may be shrinking.
New reports show the number of women in the boardroom of Fortune 500 companies fell by 25 per cent this year, after an all-time high in 2017.
But don’t let these bleak stats discourage you.
Instead, ask yourself these daring questions:
- How do you as a talented woman not become another statistic?
- How do you get yourself briskly moving through your organisation’s pipeline?
- How do you earn your way to the top?
Hard-won experience has taught me seven proven ways to climb:
- Seek out male mentors
Fact is, they are still in charge in high places.
Don’t let the #metoo movement discourage you.
Find smart, generous men in leadership positions and seek their advice and counsel.
Then take their advice, act on it, and report back.
Do this again and again.
Seeing your hard work and determination may turn them into your champion who will lobby for you and help you get a seat at the table.
This has happened for me and many women leaders I know.
- Get P&L experience.
From where you are now, how do you get in positions where you have profit & loss (P&L) responsibility?
These are “line” positions and are key to your rise.
Early in my career, I was promoted into a position that gave me P&L responsibility.
Little did I know how very helpful those insights would be when I became a corporate board director.
I have seen smart women lobby their way out of “staff” positions in their organisational charts into P&L jobs.
It can show management you are very serious about earning your way to the top.
- Say yes to “stretch” assignments.
The more challenging the better!
This is a proven way to distinguish yourself and rise out of entry level and mid-management positions.
Yes, there are risks in saying yes.
You may stumble a few times, learning as you go.
But isn’t that what leaders-in-training do?
- Fight the fear.
Many women, including myself, have suffered “Imposter Syndrome (toxic self-talk that questions whether you belong in a circle of “winners.”)
If this is truly haunting you and holding you back, get help now.
It could come in the form of a professional coach with a proven track record for teaching you coping skills, or a gifted therapist that helps you get to the root of your insecurity.
When she’s had a hard day, one top executive I know pours herself a glass of wine, slowly reads her impressive résumé, line by line, savouring each achievement — remembering the hard work it took.
And most of all, how much she has achieved and how far she has come!
- Be a team player.
Build your reputation as a person who is a real value to any team you play on.
We’ve all worked on teams with dreadful naysayers, pessimists and folks who don’t carry their weight.
Don’t be one!
Instead, help your teammates and be generous and kind.
Give credit to others.
Be one who is known for doing more than your fair share.
Build up your “goodwill” bank by helping others to climb too.
As the saying goes, “What goes around, comes around.
- Build your professional brand.
Follow your passion about a subject and do the work to build your brand around it.
- Get known in your industry.
A great way to do this is volunteer and ultimately accept leadership roles in your trade association.
This worked for me when the National Association of Board Directors (NACD) was starting a local chapter.
I became a founding member and worked hard on recruiting new members.
With the chapter now thriving, I am often ask to serve on or moderate panels.
* Jill Griffin is an independent public board director and founder of Jill Griffin Executive Learning.
This article first appeared at www.forbes.com.
