Closing the gender leadership gap is an imperative for organizations that want to perform at the highest levels. Leveraging the full talents of the population provides a competitive advantage; companies with more women in leadership roles perform better, and employees on diverse and inclusive teams put in more effort, stay longer, and demonstrate more commitment. To change the numbers, gender bias and stereotypes have to be understood and counteracted.
What are some ways manager can change the views of your staff and begin to close the leadership gender gap in your organization? Using these eight tips, you can really change the dynamics in your own organization:
- Change the Likeability Penalty
- Evaluate Performance Fairly
- Give Women Credit
- Get the Most Out of Meetings
- Share Office Housework
- Make Work Work for Parents
- Make Negotiating a Norm
- Support Mentorship & Sponsorship
Tip #1: Change the Likeability Penalty
Situation:
Success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women. When a man is successful, his peers often like him more; when a woman is successful, both men and women often like her less. This trade-off between success and likeability creates a double-bind for women. If a woman is competent she does not seem nice enough, but if a woman seems really nice, she is considered less competent. This can have a big impact on a woman’s career. Ask yourself: Who are you more likely to support and promote, the man with high marks across the board or the woman who has equally high marks but is just not as well liked?
This bias often surfaces in the way women are described, both in passing and in performance reviews. When a woman asserts herself—for example, by speaking in a direct style or promoting her ideas—she is often called “aggressive,” “ambitious,” or “out for herself.” When a man does the same, he is seen as “confident” and “strong.”
Solution:
Listen for the language of the likeability penalty, particularly when making hiring decisions and evaluating performance. When you hear biased language—such as “bossy,” “pushy,” and “shrill”—request a specific example of what the woman did and then ask, “Would you have the same reaction if a man did the same thing?” In many cases, the answer will be no. Remember that you can fall into the same bias traps, so think carefully about your own response to female coworkers.
Tip #2: Evaluate Performance Fairly
Tip #4: Get the Most Out of Meetings
Tip #5: Share Office Housework
Tip #6: Make Work Work for Parents
Tip #7: Make Negotiating a Norm
Tip #8: Support Mentorship & Sponsorship
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Reprinted from LeanIn.org
