Closing the Leadership Gap: Advancing Women in Leadership

The 2023 McKinsey Women in the Workplace report reveals that women, particularly those in leadership, are leaving their jobs for more supportive environments. This trend highlights significant challenges women face, especially at the Manager and Director levels, where progress remains slow.

SuperFriend got in touch with Poppy Griffiths, Director and Founder of UnlimitU High Performance Coaching, which supports women’s leadership success, to ask what her take was on this data, and this is what she told us…

What workplace trends are holding back women’s leadership success?

In Australia and globally, there remains a weak or ‘leaky’ middle pipeline of female talent, impacting most women’s career progression. It’s a common statement repeated by women; ‘until I see people like me in the C-Suite, I’m never going to feel like I can get there or that I really belong’.  According to SuperFriend Indicators of a Thriving Workplace Survey 2023, for females, the age group at which there is the highest proportion of those in Senior Management roles is 25-34 years (40% of females in senior management are in this age bracket), after which it drops off (during peak child-bearing and caring years). Males peak at 35-44 years for senior management roles with a similarly high proportion in the 45-54 age group, seemingly not as impacted by those child caring years.

What this translates to when we look at the gender comparison for each age group is that the proportion of females in senior management positions only approaches that of males in the 25-34 year age group. There is a huge gender gap for all of the other age groups. Furthermore, in the Indicators of a Thriving Workplace 2024 (Wave 2 data collection), almost double the proportion of males (288 of n=1529) at 19% identified as being in senior management, relative to 10% females (157 of n=1554).  

This disheartening reality continues to drive an exodus of talented women from organisations, and some of the most common factors influencing this are…

• • Lack of job flexibility: Nearly 40% of women would consider leaving their jobs without flexible work arrangements, which are crucial for balancing career and life responsibilities. For women, flexibility isn’t just about the location of work, it’s also about how and when they can work. For example, being able to work flexible hours, have job share arrangements, or work a compressed work week.
    
    
  • Unrecognised future potential: Women are often hired or promoted based on past accomplishments, unlike men who are hired or promoted for their future potential. For every 100 men promoted from entry into manager positions, only 87 are awarded to women. This "broken rung" keeps women from advancing beyond managerial roles. It’s no surprise then why women are increasingly becoming disgruntled as they are overseen for the potential and ambition they bring to the table.
    
    
  • Workplace microaggressions: Women are twice as likely to experience microaggressions and are more likely to hear negative comments about their emotional state, which can harm their confidence and may lead to higher burnout rates. Microaggressive behaviour reduces psychological safety and trust in organisations. Those that face it begin to self-shield, avoid doing the things needed to be promoted like taking risks, speaking up, thinking big, to avoid being perceived as difficult or aggressive.

So, the workplace is not necessarily set up to help women progress. We need to be thinking about multiple ways to change this storyline. Firstly, empower all women to champion their own leadership ambitions. Secondly, as leaders, find ways to support both men and women’s ongoing career growth. And thirdly, as organisations take ownership for policies and initiatives that promote success for all.  

Ways women can champion their own leadership ambitions:

1. 1. Keep asking for promotions: don’t hesitate to ask for advancement opportunities. When you don’t ask, you often don’t get. Be bold in speaking your desires.
      
      
   2. Focus on relationships: build relationships with influential people who can support your career. Find quality leaders who want to and will advocate for you.  
      
      
   3. Speak up: share your goals and ambitions to gain support from colleagues and leaders. Sharing ambitions highlights the potential you have to share.
      
      
   4. Demand flexibility: advocate for work arrangements that suit your needs. Be innovative with your leaders and organisation about what this can look like so it’s a win-win for all.
      
      
   5. Combat microaggressions: speak up against demeaning behaviours, both for yourself and others.  
      
      
   6. Know your strengths and impact: focus your time and energy on these things. Know what you naturally do well, this will bring the best of you to the table.
      
      
   7. Identify & close skill gaps: identify the skills areas you’d like to keep building. Ask people what things you need to invest in to make that next step up. Then invest in your development to enhance your career prospects.

How leaders can support career progression for all:

1. 1. Be a mentor and sponsor: actively support women’s career growth. Find out what those you are supporting are passionate about, identify what they are good at, and help them succeed in these areas.
      
      
   2. Call out microaggressions: banish dismissive and demeaning behaviours when you hear and see it. Create a safe and inclusive work environment for everyone.
      
      
   3. Focus on outcomes: prioritise results over rigid work processes. Zero in on what needs to be delivered together, and less about where and how the work is being done.
      
      
   4. Promote wellbeing alongside results KPI’s: recognise that employee wellbeing is as crucial as performance targets. Be aware of what behaviours you role model as a manager or leader for those you work alongside and or lead.
      
      
   5. Allow people the time to connect informally: consider if people have ample focus time to find flow in their job roles. Be aware of people’s right to enjoy time away from work with friends and family, their right to enjoy a regular good nights sleep without work demands regularly creeping into their life around the clock.
      
      
   6. Foster belonging: build a culture where everyone feels valued and heard. It’s not about fitting in, it’s about everyone being able to bring their best selves to the team, so collectively the team is greater than the sum of its parts.
      
      

How workplaces can promote success for all:

1. 1. Keep investing in and optimise flexible work: establish clear expectations within teams and the organisation and encourage norms and open communication when it’s working and when it’s not. Measure the impact of flexible arrangements.  
      
      
   2. Integrate personal goals in reviews: ensure personal goals as well as team results KPI’s are included in performance reviews. Include contributions to culture and DEI in performance evaluations.
      
      
   3. Audit DE&I program impact: consider if they are they having impact, if the right things are in place, and not just a tick in the box initiative. Ask your people what their pain points are, then work together to solve these challenges. 
       
   4. Tailor career programs for women: support women’s career advancement with targeted programs. Track the promotional outcomes of women who are participating in these programs.
      
      
   5. Expand networking opportunities: offer diverse networking events to build connections. Provide lot’s of different types, styles, times for people to come together formally and informally to build their relationships.
      
      

Advancing women in leadership begins with a bright spotlight on the key factors that are currently holding back women’s success, and then a commitment from everyone; women themselves, male and female team leaders, and their organisations, need to invest in everyday tangible ways that enable career progression every step of the way. From early career, to manager, to senior manager to executive and beyond, a culture of success for all is celebrated. 

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