Growing women leaders in your organisation

When my mother was a young girl she complained to her dad, my lovely grandfather, about being excluded from something by boys (this would have been back in the ‘50s). He said to her ‘Louise, what’s really the difference between you and the boys?  You both have brains– use yours!’ My mother has never forgotten that intervention and frequently reminded me and my sister of it as we were growing up. 

So I was brought up in a family where women were just expected to do well and to achieve their dreams.  There was never any question really.  But what that didn’t prepare me for was the fact that much of the rest of society didn’t think like my grandfather. 

Once I grew big boobs, a big belly and a big bum I quickly came to realise that those attributes led many men (and some women) to assume that I didn’t have the 4th ‘b’ – a big brain. 

My relationship with leadership 

I consider myself now to be a reasonably decent leader – but it has not been a straightforward journey. I’m very aware of my own flaws in my leadership but like many women navigating the workplace, I have experienced sexism, misogyny, sexual harassment and exclusion in a way that men simply haven’t, and my sense of my own ability has sometimes been damaged because of how I’ve been treated simply for being a woman. And sometimes that treatment was by other women. 

But I was lucky in the early part of my career to have quite a few senior women leaders around me who were role models and mentors. Although the truth is that was pretty rare in most organisations at the time. 

There is still work to be done 

Women still do face barriers in leadership – both from those they report to and those who they lead to be honest.  But I also think an enormous amount has changed. There are more of us in those positions, society’s expectations around how work works has changed and there are movements to equalise parenting between genders, work on understanding gender bias, and a spotlight on issues that women face. All of that is helping. 

How to make sure your women feel supported through the PET method 

We need to Promote, Enable and Talk women up.   

We need to suggest they apply for jobs, and put their names forward ourselves for senior roles. Parliament is now around 41% of female MPs, which means someone supported these women into standing – so we are definitely getting there. 

Create an environment at work where men can support their partners and families 

We need to create workplaces that equalise the pressure on parenting so that the men in our workplaces are given the space and encouragement to take care of their kids, with flexible working for them as well as women. This gives women the space to thrive in their careers because the burden (or blessing?) of running a home is shared. Our new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has already insisted on setting aside time for his family. If he prioritises it, so can we in workplaces.  

Leadership teams and managers need to be active allies for women in their organisation 

We need to point out every time women say something useful or brilliant in a meeting and reference them in our conversations with other colleagues. Studies show that even today strong, confident women can be viewed with disapprobation – so it’s not enough for them to stand up for themselves – they need others to stand up for them too. Men and women both.   

Make it your mission to empower your staff members and send them to our new conference 

Our upcoming Women in Leadership conference will help to inspire and empower your staff, especially those who are early on in their careers. 

We have deliberately not excluded men because although I had strong women role models, it was usually the men who held the power of promotion or appointments to roles and if I hadn’t encountered a few male allies along the way, I don’t think I would be where I am now. So we want to encourage men to be part of the conversation because they are an important part of progress. 

So come and spend a day with other women, and some men, and get encouragement, support and new ideas!