Strategy for Women to Climb Executive Ladder
By Berta Montoya
Societal norms and Self-description of leadership traits greatly influence the discrepancy of women reaching top-level leadership roles.
Cortney Baker (2014) shared multiple studies that consistently prove women possess the skills and qualities established as leadership traits, yet they must catch up to men in top executive roles. In a 2012 study, 7,280 leaders concurred that, like in many other studies, women outscored their counterparts in comparing 16 competencies that top leaders embodied most (Baker, 2014). Despite what the numbers show, women demonstrate the skill sets necessary for company advancement; the primary skill hindering their ascent to the top of the corporate ladder is the ability to implement a strategic vision. Women have proven to be visionaries, but they may express these traits differently than men. (Baker, 2014). This raises an intriguing question: must women conform to traditional notions of leadership, or can they redefine it to suit their unique strengths?
When women do display male-stereotypical behavior and traits, they are penalized as they are straying away and violating the standard of gender roles by many who endorse tradition. Women face a double-edged sword; if they exhibit male traits, they are not accepted by their peers, and when they do not show enough male traits, they are categorized as unsuited to a top executive role. When women do break the glass ceiling because they are nonconforming to the cultural definition of femininity, in leadership, they are labeled as either “too feminine or too masculine” (Sczesny et al., 2004). This struggle causes an internal conflict, and women describe themselves as less equipped for top executive roles.
A 2021 study of women’s underrepresentation in health care by Mariam Mousa and others found that organizations that promote the transfer of experiences and learning to the group improve talent retention, reputation, and learning, creating a more prepared and diverse workforce. Increased capability and heightened awareness of unconscious bias and organizational mitigation strategies encouraged women’s self-efficacy and reduced counterproductive thinking and behaviors that hinder leadership potential (Mariam et al., 202. p. 6).
Therefore, the strategy for women to climb to the top of the executive ladder is not to compare themselves to their male counterparts but instead to nurture and exhibit their styles and show without doubt the value they bring to organizations.Another idea is to teach and develop women to value their strengths and ignore gender stereotypes regarding what is believed to be the “right culturally accepted leadership traits and skills.”
One way for organizations to create awareness and unity is for corporations to understand that no human being will possess all the leadership traits in a job description. Instead, learn to value the different characteristics and strengths women bring to the organization despite global stereotypes.
