You already know this: women add much more to your executive board than the requisite leadership, industry skills and exceptional intelligence. Study after study has revealed that putting a woman on your board will statistically pay your organization back in greater revenue, team performance and employee satisfaction. Some studies postulate it's because of the innate nurturing aspect of women as a whole. Others point to personality studies which suggest women are more collaborative. These may be true. But now we have a new study that not only makes intuitive sense, it shines a light on how valuable the exceptional women leaders are today and why now, more than ever, is high time to put more women on your executive board.
According to this new study, today's executive women dance on the razor's edge, to overcome the paradoxical challenges of women at the c-level. This dance, while arguably fueled by years of unfair, sexist and old-fashioned dynamics, likewise supports a single insight about today's women executives: they are simply remarkable. We'll let activists, experts in psychology, sociology and gender equality take on the argument for societal change. The point we’re making is simple: now is your chance to take advantage of this unique time in business history, and not miss out. Act today. Bring onto your team, your board or your new company, the brilliant talent in our midst: the executive woman.
Here's why:
1) You Cannot Afford NOT to Add Today's Executive Women to Your Team. Sound dramatic? Perhaps. But with the workforce approaching gender parity, and her unparalleled talent still underutilized, you still have a chance to capture her availability right now. The question becomes: what's holding you back? Industry leaders, like GE, fast-growing companies, like Eventbrite, and others, have already taken action. They took a stand to eliminate bias and ensure hiring pipelines are upscale and leverage gender-equal teams and already are seeing real results.
2) She's Worth It. Dig into your organization's budget and pay her what she deserves, or more. She'll make the difference. Research tells us she over-delivers upon expectations, builds greater team unity and ultimately adds to your bottom line. It's that simple.
3) When She Succeeds, You Succeed - It's a time for celebrating the powerful impact of women. The global business community loves it. So be sure to celebrate her as she succeeds. Society, your colleagues and your customers will celebrate, too.
The time is now. So take action. Set those goals/initiatives in place for 2019. Don't miss out. Here's to the best year yet.
This guest blog post was written for Sit at the Table sitatthetable.org and first appeared on December 18, 2018. Sit at the Table aims to raise awareness and promote collaborative, competent and effective gender balance on advisory boards, board of directors and executive c-suite, empower more qualified women to take action, and drive the message of equality and efficacy into corporate boardrooms worldwide.