Trawling for diversity: The net benefits of promoting women

Leadership pipelines, succession planning and talent development are on-going organisational headaches. A recent McKinsey Insights article agreed, arguing that “Organisations should learn to hunt, fish, and trawl for the best talent.” The problem seems to be where they cast their nets – and what or who they are aiming to catch.

Most organisations (or at least those that don’t recruit inward, despite the costs and risks associated) rely on in-house programmes with pre-determined selection criteria. But are they looking for HiPos when they should try a different kettle of fish? Few organisations, McKinsey argue: 

[…] scan systematically for the hidden talent that often lurks unnoticed within their own corporate ranks. Sometimes those overlooked leaders remain invisible because of gender, racial, or other biases..

That selection and promotion are areas of life where (un)conscious bias is a contentious and troublesome issue is not news, even if that does not necessarily translate into corrective action. But the tendency to base criteria on ‘tried and tested’ leadership attributes may also be a growing issue, especially in times of rapid change and rising turbulence.

Echoing the findings of the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer (which we have previously commented on), the 2016 Ketchum Leadership Communication Monitor reports dismal levels of public support for the effectiveness of leaders. Unlike Edelman, it also explores the type of leadership that would be more appreciated. The findings also highlight behaviour as well as relative status, commenting that:

In parallel, while the world continues to look to male leaders to steer us through difficult times (61 percent for male over 39 percent for female), female leaders in 2016 continue to outperform male counterparts on a majority of the attributes seen as most important to effective leadership, including all of the top three: leading by example, communicating in an open and transparent way, and admitting mistakes.

Read more to find out ASK’s Women in Leadership coaching service, designed specifically to support women in facing the challenge of moving into leadership positions.

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