In 2023, more than 10 percent, or 52, of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are women. While that represents an all-time high, there's still a shortage of women at the highest levels of leadership, according to Jennifer McCollum, CEO of SHRM company Linkage.
McCollum, author of the forthcoming book In Her Own Voice: A Woman's Rise to CEO (Matt Holt, 2023), addressed this topic at the recent SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2023 (SHRM23) in Las Vegas.
From the manager level on up, a gender gap emerges, according to new research from Linkage's Advancing Women Organizational Assessment. With few women in director and senior director roles, there will be even less gender diversity in upper management as a result, it found.
Societal biases do get in the way of women's advancement, but there are also internalized obstacles, McCollum said. For more than 25 years, Linkage has been tracking the unique challenges women face in attaining leadership roles.
In her book and during her session, McCollum identified the following ways women erect roadblocks to their own advancement.
Heeding their inner critic.
"This is the harsh interior voice that can prevent us from taking action," she said. "It's the voice that whispers, 'I shouldn't ask for that promotion or raise. I shouldn't speak up in the meeting.' "
Permitting internal bias to prevent them from taking action.
McCollum recalled how she nearly talked herself out of accepting her first CEO position. She thought to herself, "You can't be a mom and a CEO at the same time" and, "You can't be a CEO if you've never been a CEO."
Thankfully, some supportive male friends helped her see her worth, and she accepted the role.
Lacking clarity.
"We have found that when you ask women, 'What do you want in your career? What do you want in your life?' women tend to define it in terms of other people," McCollum said. They phrase their answer around wanting to see their team grow and achieve, or their family to be happy.
"All those things are good, but what do you want?" she asked SHRM23 attendees. Once you can articulate your answer, "the universe conspires to help you get it," and others help you achieve your goal.
Taking on too much in the belief you will be noticed and rewarded.
"You've got to do your job," McCollum acknowledged, but it's also critical to develop workplace relationships and make others—such as your boss—aware of your interest in leadership roles. In her book, McCollum urges women to set better boundaries "by being much more intentional about when, why and how we say no" to work requests. This means women should learn to delegate and rely more on others.
A failure to display "recognized confidence."
Recognized confidence demonstrates your competence and ensures others also recognize it, including by sharing your successes with key people.
"If you are at the table, it's because you've earned a seat at the table," McCollum said and advised women to surround themselves with people who will remind them of their worth. McCollum pointed to SHRM Chief Knowledge Officer Alexander Alonso, SHRM-SCP, who during a meeting quickly gave her credit for an idea she had shared with him.
"He didn't have to do that," McCollum said, adding that women should support their colleagues in similar ways.
Being unmindful of personal branding and presence.
"Are you showing up the way you want to show up? Are you getting feedback on how you're showing up?" McCollum asked.
Women tend to struggle to identify and own their strengths, she said. To discover how you are perceived, text three friends, ask them to describe you in your work environment "and ask yourself if [their response] aligns with how you want to show up," she suggested.
However you discover your brand, she wrote in her book, "diligently manage it, which requires actively reinforcing the brand you want people to associate with you."
Not making "the ask."
"Part of making the ask is having the clarity to know what we want and who can help us get it," McCollum wrote. The ask may be for inclusion in an upcoming meeting or project, or for advice.
"The more often we ask, the more comfortable we get with asking, and the more we learn about how to navigate future asks," she wrote. That includes how to respond to rejection: "You may not get everything you ask for, but even if we don't get everything we want, we usually get something—and it's usually much better than what we get if we don't ask at all."
As you rise in leadership roles, there will be more asks you will need to make on behalf of yourself and your team, she added.
Not activating the networks you've developed.
"Women are fabulous at building relationships. Women are less good at activating their network," McCollum observed. "Why aren't you leveraging your network?"
Also, ask yourself if your network needs to be stronger and if there are others you need to know and cultivate.
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