Interesting statement by the Guardian’s Harriet Minter but are female leaders aware of their strengths and the mindsets that sabotage them?
Gaining a leadership position in the financial industry is tougher than ever.
According to the Financial Times women made up 25.5 percent of senior roles in 2017, compared with 23.7 per cent in 2014. However, the number of women in mid-level jobs stayed flat at just over 39 per cent for the same period. Studies show the majority of women working in the financial and financial consultancy industries believe confidence is key for leadership, but it’s something they struggle with themselves throughout their careers.
The Financial Times also reveals results from research that indicates ‘women are still missing out on management in the world of finance. There is failure in closing the gender gap in middle and senior roles’.
‘The biggest drop-out of women from the workforce comes at the mid-career point. Until then women and men make up a fairly even split in most companies, then suddenly men start to dominate. This tends to be the moment that people start having children’. Minter, H. (2015).
Despite there being a correlation, women simply just want to return to work with the same level of power they had before they left, along with that fulfilled promise of promotion.
Here you can listen to Harvard Business Review Staff’s podcast ‘Make Yourself Heard’which interestingly explains the nuances of ‘male and female speech patterns’, it explores ‘how women can be more assertive in meetings’ and lastly ‘how women can deal with interrupters (since the science shows women get interrupted more often than men do)’.
Whether you are looking for a new job, leaving or returning after a pause, there are several events coming up this year for you to get your teeth stuck in to:
Women in Leadership - The Resilience Debate. A range of topics will be discussed such as women in senior roles who demonstrate sustainable resilience to step outside their comfort zones, strategies to develop sustainable resilience to stress and high pressure and being able to step up to the next level of performance more easily.
Free event - London Women’s Leadership Conference 2018 by UCL Economics and Finance Society. Speakers from the likes of Amazon and Starling Bank will be debating major gender-specific topics.
Global Women in Leadership Summit 2018 - A New Paradigm of Female Leadership. The summit is organised as part of The International Women’s Day 2018 with the aim of bringing female leaders/aspiring leaders from diverse fields and backgrounds to decipher a new paradigm of female leadership that breaks down current barriers and prejudices affecting 21st-century female leaders globally and foster inclusiveness and sustainability.
Women In Leadership - Boardroom Presence. Do you lean in or sit back? Are you fully present and able to engage not just with what is being said, but influence the tone in the room? Maynard Leigh Associates, a learning and development consultancy for the likes of big blue chips companies such as KPMG, is running an intense one-day event for women in senior positions. It will tackle necessary but challenging intricacies that never get addressed in the boardroom such as, nerves, assertiveness, body language control, eye contact, voice projection and imposter syndrome. Insightful coaches will guide you through a unique and personalised embodying experience leaving you excited to get back in the boardroom and create the impact you deserve.
If you want to learn more about how you can boost your feelings of confidence and empowerment in the boardroom then read on. Download our guide, and find out how women on the financial frontline can enhance those positive feelings at work
