With the Baby Boomgeneration about to begin retiring andthe smaller Generation X in line toprovide replacements, a pressing taskfor many organizations is to ensure asupply of executive talent that will beready to step into leadership roleswhen called upon.

Under these circumstances, diver-sity takes on critical importance.With fewer people available for theworkforce, the pool of potential lead-ers could be insufficient unless itdraws on not just the traditionalsource—white men—but also onwomen and all races and ethnicities.

Although organizational diversityhas improved in the past two decades,problems remain. In the case of gen-der diversity the number of women inprofessional and managerial roles hasincreased notably, but women are stillseriously underrepresented in thesenior executive ranks. The mostrecent Catalyst Census of WomenCorporate Officers and Top Earnersof the Fortune 500 (published in July2006) found that more than one-halfof companies in the Fortune 500 hadfewer than three women corporateofficers. Only eight companies in theFortune 500 were led by a womanCEO in 2005, and none of these com-panies were among the Fortune 100.Fully 75 percent of Fortune 500 com-

panies reported no women as topearners. According to the censusreport, “Some companies have yet tounderstand the compelling businesscase for diversity and women’sadvancement or to take meaningfulsteps to develop and retain women

leaders.” In recent years many womenhave left the corporate world, frus-trated by what they view as limitedoptions in that environment.

If an adequate leadership pipelineis to be created, companies need tosignificantly improve the advance-ment of women to senior positions.The current slow advancement hasbeen attributed to many things—flawed selection processes, organiza-tional expectations that favor males,and even gender discrimination andsexual harassment. I believe that solu-tions to this problem lie in under-

standing what actions are needed todevelop talented women. During thespring and summer of 2006, I talkedwith high-achieving women at majorU.S. companies and universities tosee what they believe can be done todevelop and advance talented women.

I asked these women about thecompetencies leaders need to be suc-cessful, the developmental experi-ences that contributed to their ownachievements as leaders, perceiveddifferences in leadership developmentfor men and women, and advice forwomen who want to advance. I alsoasked them to suggest actions thatorganizations and managers can taketo develop talented women.

The developmental actions sug-gested by the interviewees can bedivided into four areas: actions thatcan be taken by organizations, byboth men and women, by men specif-ically, and by women specifically.

ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIONSOrganizations can take a range ofactions to provide better developmen-tal opportunities for women.

Sponsor Women’s Networks. Enablingwomen to get to know each other bet-ter across divisions or global func-tional teams increases the communi-cation channels needed to get workdone. The companies of several of thewomen I spoke with sponsorwomen’s networks. One intervieweesaid, “The networking groups consistof both junior and senior women so

L I A • VO LU M E 26 , N U M B E R 5 • N OV E M B E R / D EC E M B E R 20 0 6

16

In Focus/Diversi ty

An Action Plan for DevelopingWomen Leaders

Anna Marie Valerio

Editor’s note: In Focus is an occasionalseries that takes close looks at specifictopics of importance to leadership andleaders.

If an adequate leader-

ship pipeline is to be

created, companies

need to significantly

improve the advance-

ment of women to

senior positions.

they can learn from each other.” Saidanother: “We do a women’s programto create the network and give partic-ipants a view of themselves as lead-ers. The network is global and goesacross functions and levels.” Anotherinterviewee said: “Earlier in mycareer I wasn’t clued into the sub-tleties of office politics that menknow. Organizations can benefit fromprograms that enable women to buildtheir relationships and networksacross departments.”

Provide a Feedback-RichEnvironment. Women often do notreceive timely, realistic feedbackabout their work performance. This isdifferent from the experience of theirmale counterparts, who often receiveinformal feedback on their perfor-mance from male colleagues.Organizations have many tools attheir disposal—including mentoring,multirater feedback, personal feed-back from the boss, and executivecoaching—to help women gain arealistic picture of their strengths andareas that need improvement. As oneinterviewee said, “Anything that canhelp women open their eyes abouthow they are perceived is importantfor companies to implement.”

Make Diversity a RequiredConsideration in PromotionDecisions. Organizations can ensurethat during talent reviews of women,accountability for diversity goesbeyond the human resource depart-ment or the other women in theroom. One interviewee said that dur-ing talent reviews, “I’m expected tobe the one looking out for theadvancement of women candidates.My male counterparts in the roomrely on me and another female man-ager to raise the issue of promotingthe women in the department. Theywill not speak up about it, eventhough we are supposed to havediverse candidate slates. There maybe reluctance by male bosses to be ashonest [as they are about the men]

because they are concerned aboutsexual harassment [complaints].”

Training for managers may needto address such issues as the impor-tance of diversity to the financial suc-cess of the business and ways to holdcandid dialogues with others in theorganization to promote talentedwomen.

Provide External Stretch Assign-ments for Women. Speaking at pro-fessional and industry meetings andserving on nonprofit boards can build

confidence and provide deeperinsights into organizational politics.Such engagements also offer womena chance to develop wider networksof people outside the organization.“Serving on a board gives youinsight into how things work at highlevels,” one interviewee said. Someinterviewees said that giving presen-tations to external groups was per-sonally helpful because it expandedboth their knowledge and their abili-ty to influence others.

Examine Programs and Policies.Organizations can review policies—particularly those related to reloca-tion, flextime, and reduced hours—to see if they might be obstacles tothe advancement of women. Oneinterviewee said that at one time in

her organization, high potentials hadto relocate frequently to have achance of advancing in the hierar-chy. The organization’s policy wasloosened to include visits, ratherthan just moves, to other locationswhere important learning could takeplace. Several interviewees spoke oftelecommuting success stories andsaid organizations can be moreopen-minded about flextime andreduced hours so that both womenand men can perform their jobs withmore flexibility. Some of these solu-tions may also result in greater costeffectiveness.

Companies can also consider pro-grams that enable easier reentry aftera hiatus from work. Women whohave taken time off for child rearing,for example, can be offered training,internships, and part-time work expe-riences. Just as companies offer new-hire orientations, they can offer train-ing to update returning managers onrecent changes in the company andthe industry. Successful reentry canalso be facilitated by programs thatallow people to ease back into full-time schedules. Part-time work,reduced hours, or internships of oneto six months can refresh previouslylearned skills and give families timeto make adjustments as they integratework and life activities.

Send Women to External Devel-opment Programs. External programshave traditionally been a way for tal-ented managers to enhance theirdevelopment and therefore improvetheir potential for advancement.Some of these programs include bothmen and women, and some are ex-clusively for women. Several inter-viewees said there are benefits tosending women to both types ofprograms.

The discussions in leadership pro-grams tailored exclusively for womenare different from those in mixed-gender programs. Women are eagerto hear how other women deal withissues of work-life balance, a topic

L I A • VO LU M E 26 , N U M B E R 5 • N OV E M B E R / D EC E M B E R 20 0 6

17

Speaking at professional

and industry meetings

and serving on nonprofit

boards can build confi-

dence and provide deep-

er insights into organi-

zational politics.

that receives less focus in mixed-gender programs. As one intervieweeexplained, “For women, the opportu-nity to talk with other women and getvalidation about what they are experi-encing is important.” Attending bothtypes of programs gives women avariety of learning experiences thatcan help them negotiate the complex-ities of their societal roles as womenand as leaders.

Offer Inclusion Training. Helpingmanagers learn behaviors thatinclude rather than exclude otherpeople can be valuable. For example,in reverse-mentoring programs,senior male managers are mentoredby more junior females to help themen understand issues facingfemales and avoid making erroneousgender-role assumptions detrimentalto women’s careers.

One interviewee said that despitehaving two teenaged children, shestill traveled around the world—much to the surprise of her CEO,who did not think she even wanted totravel. “He couldn’t believe that Ihad two kids and I traveled globally,”the manager said. “Once he under-stood that I wanted to travel and wasable to do so, he said it opened hiseyes about what women were capa-ble of doing.”

Another interviewee said that cre-ating a culture of inclusion raisesexpectations that more women willbe included in events.

Set Up Child-Care Facilities.Organizations can set up on-site ornearby child-care facilities withextended hours so that employeeswho have to work late won’t have toworry about needing to pick up achild before the facility closes. Asone interviewee explained: “Whenex-pats go to a foreign country, com-panies are willing to spend a greatdeal on perks such as cars, maid ser-vice, and so on. Why not earmarksome money for child-care facilitieshere in the States?”

DUAL-GENDER ACTIONSIn addition to actions that organiza-tions can take to foster a climate ofleadership development for women,there are actions that managers, bothmen and women, can take to developtalented women.

Help Female Managers DevelopTheir Networks. This theme wascommon among all the interviewees.Managers can support talentedfemales by giving them the support todevelop their networks. Such actionscan take several forms—for instance,bringing a talented woman into themanager’s own network inside theorganization and encouraging partici-

pation in women’s networks.Bringing a female into the manager’snetwork can be achieved both formal-ly and informally by having thewoman accompany the manager tomeetings, lunches, and dinners andintroducing her to others. As oneinterviewee said: “Men often take forgranted their access to power. Theyneed to open the door and includewomen in the power structure.”

Send Talented Women to BothInternal and External TrainingPrograms. Women’s networks are notas extensive as men’s, but formaltraining programs expand women’sopportunities to network. Whetherthe programs are internal, external, orboth, they offer chances to beexposed to the latest ideas and to

L I A • VO LU M E 26 , N U M B E R 5 • N OV E M B E R / D EC E M B E R 20 0 6

have conversations with others onjob-related topics. In the words ofone interviewee: “We’re still con-fused about what a successful femaleleader looks like. There are so manymore male role models than femalerole models. It’s harder for women tobe clear about how to develop theirskills.” Sending women to varioustraining programs gives them theopportunity to interact with differentleaders and to see which models ofleadership may work for them.

Give Women Challenging Assign-ments with Sufficient Support.Among the key developmental expe-riences that contribute to the leader-ship skills of talented women areheading up big projects, managing alarge number of people, leadingglobal task forces, interacting withsenior leaders, and being visible tothe senior team.

One interviewee said that “beingin charge of a cross-functional tech-nology project pushed me outside mycomfort zone.” The benefits of theseincreases in responsibility wentbeyond just heightened knowledge.The interviewees reported a boost inself-confidence and learning throughexperience that they could do the job.As one said: “My job involved theentire rebranding of my company.My interactions with ad agenciesgave me a sense of confidence in myabilities because my recommenda-tions were taken. It prepared mebecause people were taking meseriously.”

In giving women challengingassignments, however, it is importantto enable success. Because womenmay not have extensive networks,support such as training, mentoring,and help in building new relationshipsshould be provided both before andduring the challenging assignment.

ACTIONS BY MENThere are two things that men in par-ticular can do to contribute to the

18

Creating a culture of

inclusion raises expec-

tations that more

women will be included

in events.

development of the women theywork with.

Ask Questions to Understand thePerspective of Women. As one inter-viewee suggested, male managers cangain perspective by asking the ques-tion, “What things are you facinghere that I need to be aware of?”When assumptions are made basedon female stereotypes or expectedfemale behaviors, erroneous judg-ments may result. It is simply goodbusiness practice for managers tounderstand the situation that eachdirect report faces, in order to makefair and appropriate decisions andavoid losing talented employees. Oneinterviewee said: “Male managersshould take the time to find out moreabout the people who work for them.They need to know what makes thetalented women tick, what their needsare, and how to accommodate themin order to retain them.”

Overcome the Reluctance to ProvideWomen with Feedback About TheirPerformance. Unlike females, malesoften receive informal feedbackthrough their conversations with col-leagues. Sometimes a friend of amale colleague or direct report isenlisted to provide difficult or con-structive feedback. However, for avariety of reasons male managers areoften reluctant to have difficult con-versations with women. But mostwomen would rather receive impor-tant feedback so they can take correc-tive action than have their careersplateau because they never receivedthe opportunity to improve. As oneinterviewee said: “Give womenstraight talk. It is important forwomen to hear about the negativereactions of others, as men do.”

ACTIONS BY WOMENThere are a number of things thatwomen in particular can do to con-tribute to the development of otherwomen.

Share Experiences with OtherWomen. Women want to hear thestories of how female managersaccomplished what they did andhow they managed to get wherethey are. There are still relativelyfew women at high levels in organi-zations, but what these women havelearned can provide other womenwith blueprints and examples ofhow to advance. Managerial devel-opment is assisted by seeing andexperiencing the varying styles of

different managers. When femalemanagers share their experiences,other women are able to think aboutwhat might work for them. Oneinterviewee said: “Female managershave an obligation to explain towomen how they succeeded. Forexample, other women were inter-ested in hearing about what it waslike to be the first pregnant womanat this level in the company, so Italked about it with them.”

Recognize the Greater Prevalence ofDiversity Among Women. Severalinterviewees said it’s important forfemale managers to not judge otherwomen whose life experiences,demeanors, and even dress may bedifferent from their own. “Femalemanagers need to be more supportiveof different styles,” said one inter-viewee. “They often don’t have muchtolerance for different styles, but

being more flexible would be help-ful.” Greater tolerance resulting fromnonjudgmental attitudes could allowmore women to be accepted in execu-tive positions.

Provide Realistic Feedback. Neverunderestimate the power of awoman’s feedback. The intervieweessaw the action of women giving feed-back to other women as critical tosuccess. Said one interviewee,“Female managers can make them-selves available and offer their talent-ed women unbiased, unabridgedfeedback.”

Another interviewee noted thatsome types of feedback are more eas-ily given from one woman to another.“There is a reluctance to talk aboutphysical appearance and presence,but it counts,” she said. “Even men-tors are reluctant to tell someone thatthey need better grooming.”

ENSURING A PIPELINEOver the years a number of businessarguments have been made in sup-port of diversity—for instance, thatit promotes effectiveness and cre-ativity. But the following argumentmay be the most compelling: iforganizations are to survive in thewake of the upcoming generationalshift, they must ensure that theyhave an adequate pipeline of leaders,and that will happen only if womenand other underutilized sources ofleadership are recruited, retained,and developed.

Anna Marie Valerio is president ofExecutive Leadership Strategies, LLC.She holds a Ph.D. degree from CityUniversity of New York.

Editor’s note: The author intends tocontinue talking with executives, bothwomen and men, to capture their ideason best practices for developing talentedwomen. To take part in this research,contact Valerio through her Web site, atwww.executiveleadershipstrategies.com.

L I A • VO LU M E 26 , N U M B E R 5 • N OV E M B E R / D EC E M B E R 20 0 6

19

When assumptions are

made based on female

stereotypes or expected

female behaviors,

erroneous judgments

may result.