I recently read an interesting statistic that indicated while roughly 60% of university graduates are women, globally only about 30% go on to hold senior leadership positions. That made me wonder, what do those women who make it to the top have that every other woman lacks?
Here’s another statistic that may give an intriguing insight: Women tend not to apply for a position if they aren’t fully qualified for it. If they have 50% or even 60% of the requirements listed in a job description, they tend to assume they are unqualified and don’t dare put their name forward.
Men take a different approach. If they lack some of the qualifications for a posted position, they apply anyway under the assumption that whatever skills they lack can be picked up on the job. The sheer number of men in leadership positions seems to suggest that’s a successful strategy.
Another factor that seems to tip the scales is clear ambition. Women who want leadership positions need to go after those jobs whenever they become available instead of waiting humbly for them to be offered. The failure to act decisively allows those doing the hiring to assume that a woman is disinterested, unsure of herself or maybe even less deserving.
That one I discovered through personal experience. In my case, leadership was never a goal. I was happy doing what I was doing and figured my career would advance commensurate with my skills and experience. So when those positions were posted, I didn’t put my name forward. Later I noticed that leadership roles were being offered to male co-workers with less experience and who often hadn’t expressed an interest in the job.
So again I ask, what does it take for a woman to attain a senior leadership position?
Without a doubt, a basic knowledge of how to lead teams, a clear vision of where she wants to go and what path she needs to take to get there. But, more importantly, she needs to have the confidence and the ambition to go after jobs she’s not 100% qualified for because chances are whoever lands those jobs will also lack some of the requirements. The difference is the successful candidate didn’t hesitate.
