The benefits of women in leadership roles have been communicated widely over the years, but there is something missing the mark.
Gender balance and achieving diverse and inclusive workplaces are basic change management. At the risk of seeming repetitive, this is about
🎯Leadership commitment
🎯Systemic change
🎯Changes to individual behaviour
Resistance comes strongly from those who benefit from the status quo. Others will reluctantly accept change as long as it doesn’t impact them and heaven forbid, they have to change the way they do things.
Even though the benefits of women in leadership roles have been communicated widely over the years, there is something in the messaging around this that is missing the mark.
6 fixes to help get women into leadership roles
1. Lack of systemic change
Unconscious bias, and gender expectations are deeply embedded into the way organizations support women’s careers. Without a thorough audit of all systems: sourcing, hiring, promotion, compensation, and feedback women will have fewer opportunities for advancement.
2. No budget
Gender balance, diversity, and inclusion initiatives require investment just like any other change management proposal. Without an adequate budget any good intentions will struggle.
If you’ve thought about executive coaching, but haven’t made the move yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up now for our Leadership Coaching.
3. No KPIs
If a CEO only champions inclusion verbally and doesn’t set their leadership team targeted KPIs which include gender quotas, they are doomed to fail. No one likes the idea of quotas, but they do work.
4. Tokenism
To achieve meaningful change, an organization must champion gender balance at all levels to embed the notion of the business culture. There is no point in having women in senior roles if supporting gender balance isn’t practiced in every part of the business.
A typical scenario could be to have women in leadership in HR, Legal and Communications roles, but R & D, Sales and Engineering would all be male-dominated. That is not gender balance.
5. Not understanding dissent
Overlooking resistance and understanding why people object is key to success. Creating a place for constructive dialogue where employees can express their concerns is paramount. It is also a way to test the leadership thinking to see what is behind these new perspectives and if anything has been missed.
Resistance is a coaching and learning opportunity for all.
6. Lack of ongoing support
During the transition period, women will need a concerted effort from their organizations to support them in achieving these goals. Companies should offer:
There are many obstacles to creating a more inclusive and diverse leadership landscape. These are only six steps that organizations can take to overcome barriers to getting women into leadership roles.
If you would like to find out how to attract women leaders for your organization, Contact 3Plus NOW
If you feel passionate about gender balance and topical issues impacting women in the workplace 3Plus would be delighted to publish your work. Don't wait - send it in
Found that interesting? Learn more about our services for building inclusive workplaces
Found that interesting? Learn more about our services for building inclusive workplaces
Individual services
Only 50% of women create a career strategy. Make sure you are on the right side of that equation to reach your potential
In today's rapidly evolving world, it's essential for organisations to embrace diversity and inclusion. Organisations unconsciously communicate their company cultures and values in everything they do including their job postings. These can either attract or repel talent from a diverse range of backgrounds.
A crucial step in this process is ensuring that your job postings reflect these values. Our training program will equip you with the knowledge and skills to craft job descriptions that attract candidates from all backgrounds, eliminating bias and fostering an inclusive hiring process.
“If you have a brain you have a bias” and nowhere is this more apparent than in our hiring processes.
The ‘How to Mitigate Bias in the Recruitment Process’ programme is designed to convey the serious nature of bias in the recruitment process with a focus on gender bias and the way it impacts both businesses and organisations, but in a way that is thought-provoking and engaging.
Michael Ray, Gender Equity Expert covers the importance of challenging all gender stereotypes and how frequently childcare is ring fenced to exclude men. He shares his ideas for women to achieve equality in the workplace, men need equality in the home.read more
Dorothy Dalton is joined by a leading authority on male allyship Robert Baker CEO of Potentia Talent Consulting and renown D&I Strategist and Male Ally; They discuss what this means, some practical advice for men who want to become male allies, and tips for women who need their support.read more
This is Session #6 Building Your Confidence! Something that most people struggle with. Learn how to use simple tools to give you a structured approach to building your confidence when returning to work.read more
Hiring teams providing candidates with interview questions in advance, is part of a new discussion intended to make the recruitment process more inclusive. As with any systemic change the idea has met with mixed reactions and there are pros and cons to this approach.
If you would like to speak to us about our services and how we can help you, please complete the form below and we will call back at a convenient time.
Human Resource Management, career development and international business
Gordana Frgacic, is a highly experienced HR Manager, working for international companies. She is a Board Member and published author on career development strategies for women, including negotiation and job search.
Her specialities include all aspects of Human Resource management, general management and career assessment and development.
Manufacturing, supply chain sales and commercial management, operations, program management
Zsuzsanna is a true „International Citizen” who has lived and worked in 6 different countries, 3 different continents. 15+ years with General Electric in different European HQ leadership roles. She is an alumni of GE Corporate Audit Staff , GE Manufacturing Leadership Programs also a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. Her continuous quest is to balance her Engineering acumen (Masters Degree in High Voltage Electrical Engineering) with her “creative” side (Literature Award, Drawing) and effectively embed in her day to day work.
Successful global corporate career for over 18 years. In this time she created many start-ups for multinational corporations, designing and implementing the business and marketing strategy. She has developed and led marketing campaigns for a number of famous brands; Colgate, Smirnoff, Tia Maria, and Apple. Now an executive coach specializing in “intrapreneurship” and women who wish to become entrepreneurs
After a 25-year commercial litigation career, Victoria earned her legal master’s degree in dispute resolution from the world-famous Straus Institute at Pepperdine University School of Law. The knowledge, wisdom and skills she gained at Straus can be found in her two books on dispute resolution, The Grownups’ ABCs of Conflict Resolution, Second Edition (She Negotiates Press, 2013) and Success as a Mediator for Dummies (Wiley, 2012).
NGO, private/corporate sector, and education arena
Tanya M. Odom is a global consultant and coach with a Masters in Education, Adminstration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard. Her areas of expertise include diversity and inclusion, leadership, mindfulness, and women/girls’ equity. Tanya is passionate about personal and organizational development that is inclusive, authentic, and purposeful.
Pharmaceutical, manufacturing and financial service industries as well as a global non-profit
Susan has 20+ years of experience and held leadership positions in HR, talent management, leadership and organisation development at business unit and corporate levels. She is a visiting business school consultant delivering programs on leadership, organisation and career development. She has lived and worked in the US and Europe and thrives in multi-cultural environments at work and at home.
Senior strategy and operations executive with 20 years multi-national experience in strategic planning, operations and programme management, for global distribution and investment management businesses.
A marketing, fundraising and communication professional with over 25 years of global executive experience for major international companies. She has earned an LL.B. in Jurisprudence, an MSc in Communication from Boston University and an Executive Coaching Graduate degree from University of Texas, Dallas School of Management. She is a Certified coach. BP and Microsoft, and has lived in Boston, San Francisco, London, Athens and Dubai.
Telco retail, team management, customer care, change management , project and process management
With a background in Ancient languages, Jocelyne has had diverse experience in customer facing functions in Telco, postal services and retail sector before moving into the learning and development function. As a learning architect and personal coach she supports individuals and organizations towards the a search for balance and growth.
Gwyn Teatro is a Certified Professional Coach with a Masters of Science degree in Management. Now retired, she has spent the bulk of her career as an HR professional in the financial services industry where she coached senior business leaders and groups on leadership, organizational effectiveness and strategic business planning. Active on social media and an award winning blogger on HR and leadership trends and issues.
Senior Manager with more than 20 years of software engineering experience, passionate Agilist and servant leader at Cisco Systems with a mission to help people and transform the culture of her teams and beyond. Guiding principle in life and work is “always be yourself and do the right thing”.
High tech, health care, finance insurance, consulting
Dr. Anne Perschel, is a leadership and business psychologist, speaker, researcher and author. She has been a consultant, coach and trusted advisor to senior leaders and high potential designees for over fifteen years and has worked with executives at Intel, Philips Medical, CVS, Altera, YMCA, and MIT’s Broad Institute.
Expertise and research – leadership/women’s leadership. Executive coach. Organization Development Manager, Fortune 500 companies. Experience in high-tech, health care, finance, insurance, and retail. Former VP, Mentoring, 3Plus International. Mentor’s role is to see and help grow the tree within acorn.
Occupational Psychologist, 15 years’ experience managing assessment and competency programmes in the Talent Management process of multinational companies (selection, promotion, development, redundancy). The management of career transition and outpacement projects.
Media, broadcasting, journalism, general management
Cath Allen has 25 years’ deep experience working at the BBC in leadership, strategic transformation, resilience building and talent development at Board of Management level. She has led teams of 50, with budgets of £150m. A previous mentee described her as “having the patience of an Olympiad”.
Following an early career in executive search, Caroline has rich experience as international leadership mentor and coach, with a broad business perspective arising from senior level experience in multiple industry sectors. Supporting women to enhance their leadership skills, become more confident and enjoy their influencing abilities, whilst further developing their own personal leadership style.
Multi-cultural experience gained in UK, France, Ireland, Australia, Eastern Europe, Europe, S Africa & the USA.
Whitney Johnson is a leading thinker on driving innovation and professional dreams via personal disruption, and has put pedal to the metal as co-founder of Clayton Christensen’s investment firm.
Johnson is a regular contributor for Harvard Business Review and LinkedIn. She also speaks and coaches at Fortune 100 Companies, top-tier educational institutions, and industry conferences.
Her work has recognized by Thinkers50, which named her as a finalist for the 2013 Future Thinker Award, while the Wall Street Journal dubbed her one of 20 Money Thinkers to Follow.
Whitney is author of Dream, Dare, Do a book and guidebook for women (and men) interested in applying Whitney’s breakthrough ideas to achieve their career-life dreams. More about Whitney the Disrupter, here.
A world-renowned coach and leadership trainer who guides people to “outsmart their brains”.
Dr. Marcia Reynolds is a world-renowned coach and leadership trainer who guides people to “outsmart their brains.” She is well-known among coaches for professional women in business and her two award-winning books, Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction and Outsmart Your Brain. Marcia is frequently quoted online and in print and she has appeared on ABC World News.
You can find useful Brain Tips, articles and information on all of Marcia’s programs at www.OutsmartYourBrain.com. Marcia is a pioneer in the coaching profession and was the 5th president of the International Coach Federation. She was one of the first 25 people in the world to earn the Master Certified Coach designation. Marcia’s clients come from technical, pharmaceutical, financial, shipping and banking corporations and both governmental and quasi-governmental organizations including a major company turnarounds in the semi-conductor sector.
Renowned motivational speaker, Mary Lynn inspires audiences, sparks discussion, and motivates change
Mary Lynn has more than 25 years of experience as a successful senior executive with two Fortune 100 companies in the Telecommunication sector, including 5 years in Brussels, Belgium with Belgacom (owned by Belgium, AT&T, Singapore Telecom and TeleDenmark at the time) and Qwest Communications. She has led large multicultural organizations of up to 5,000 employees.
Mary Lynn now uses her unique skill set as a trendsetting entrepreneur, Certified Master Life Coach, and Business Consultant. Her career spanning Europe and the United States, has given her strong cross- cultural understanding. Whether the goal is to create improved personal or business relationships and results, enjoy a better career/home balance, have more joy, feel more passion and purpose in life, increase financial wealth, or dramatically reduce stress and improve health, Mary Lynn is internationally known for her tools and techniques that help both individuals and business organizations. Her dynamic and authentic coaching style creates trust, motivates, and moves people toward positive change with tangible results. Readabout herarticles, tips and tools, and information onher programs at www.livingajoyfullifenow.com.
Mary Lynn is also an expert in “Emotional Intelligence,” teaching people how to integrate feelings and thoughts (engaging in both the head and the heart) to create sustained performance and wellbeing, both professionally and personally. She inspires hearts and opens minds to leading edge new discoveries about how the brain works, using techniques that teach people to become positive, success-based thinkers. The tools that Mary Lynn teaches have been proven by Harvard University research to be more important than IQ and technical skills combined.
As a renowned motivational speaker, Mary Lynn inspires audiences, sparks discussion, and motivates change. She is also a regular columnist on Wellness for the Gannett Media Company, with her works reaching audiences worldwide.
CEO of 3Plus International, is a global talent management strategist and a Co-Founder 3Plus International
Dorothy, CEO of 3Plus International, is a global talent management strategist and Co-Founder 3Plus International. She works on both sides of the executive search spectrum from “hire to retire”, specializing in sourcing and developing hard-to-find candidates for executive search firms and international organizations.
A Brussels based career coach, she uses her active and deep knowledge of the job search market to support individuals in designing their career strategies, including the creation of a Personal Brand. Digitally savvy, with an internationally-recognized blog on career transition and a strong niche-market social media presence, she successfully embraced new technology to combine the best of old-style methodologies with the new.
An Economist, Dorothy qualified into the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (U.K.) and is also a certified coach and trainer. Her early career spanned corporate HR and European sales and marketing. She has lived and worked in a number of countries as well as a variety of industry sectors, including the steel industry, television, and business services. She is an entrepreneur with experience in SMEs and start-ups, as well as large corporations.
She is a regular speaker and panelist at international conferences, runs coaching programs at a top-tier business schools and designs and delivers workshops related to job search and career transition.
Kimberli is an international virtual presentation skills trainer, coach and webinar strategist
Kimberli is an international virtual presentation skills trainer, coach and webinar strategist. She has worked in the virtual collaboration industry for almost 12 years and has been an entrepreneur for nearly a decade.
Kimberli has either managed, produced or hosted over 15,000 virtual events and is well versed in instructing others on how to effectively engage the virtual audience. Kimberli has designed customized training programs such as Webinar Basics, Webinar Production Basics, Universal Symbols, Make An Impact With Color, How To Create A Professional Virtual Office, Virtual Cognitive Load and many others.
Since founding her own company in 2004 Kimberli has worked with such clients as Nike, Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline, and TAB Products to name a few. She has personally coached thousands of clients in more than 29 countries.
Gilly is an executive coach supporting international executives and multicultural teams on both sides of the Atlantic
Gilly is an executive coach supporting international executives and multicultural teams on both sides of the Atlantic. Known for her fierce yet heart-filled coaching style, Gilly helps individuals tap into their strengths, become more emotionally intelligent leaders, and make decisions that empower them—and ultimately their organisations.
A recognised super-connector and entrepreneur, Gilly founded and ran a Brussels-based communications consultancy, before certifying as a coach. Today her international coaching practice caters to a range of clients in both private and public sectorssuch as:Air France-KLM, Amnesty International, APCO, AuFeminin.com, Bain & Company, Baxter Healthcare, Caritas, Disney Corporation, ELLE, The European Commission, Council, and Parliament, Fis-Global, HEC Paris, ICF International (Mostra), INSEAD, Novartis, New York Public Radio, Pictet, SalesForce.Com, Swift, Tetra-Pak, and Unilever.Gilly facilitates board and leadership teammeetings andretreats, designs and runs leadership development workshops in several countries and mentors less seasoned coaches in both French and English. A regular contributor to the Forum ELLE-Active in Paris and other private, industry events, Gilly is a committed member of the International Coaching Federation.
Sofie-Ann’s diverse training and work experience empowers her to coach her clients on several levels, including physical health, concentration, perception, communication, and effective self-presentation.
Sofie-Ann has developed expertise in assisting her clients achieve success in presentations, resolve issues through mediation, and to achieve more effective results at work through clearer understanding of themselves and interpersonal communications.
Sofie-Ann’s diverse training and work experience empowers her to coach her clients on several levels, including physical health, concentration, perception, communication, and effective self-presentation. She has a degree in law from the University Ghent (1987) and a degree in European Law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (1988). She studied Chinese Medicine and Energy exercises with Dr. Shen Hongxun at the International Buqi Institute (from 1990 onwards) and has a diploma from the London College of Traditional Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and clinical training at The Ho Chi Minh City Acupuncture College in Vietnam (1997). She trained in Non-Violent Communication with Pat Patfoort at De Vuurbloem (from 2005 onwards), and completed the Medation Training at the University of Antwerp (2011). In the same year she also studied Body Language at the Center of Body Language in Antwerp.
From 1992 to the present she has organised and taught training programs of Taijiwuxigong for groups of up to 200 people in the UK, Belgium and Holland. Taijiwuxigong, the Qigong system developed by dr Shen Hongxun emphasises the importance of good posture, using the body efficiently to feel more resilience and flexibility on the physical, mental and emotional levels. Sofie-Ann is a practicing mediator, empowering her clients to avoid confrontations in court by negociating resolutions to legal disputes. She is a certified trainer and coach in Body Language at the Center for Body Language in Antwerp, where she has developed a specialised course in Power Moves for individuals and organisations.
Since founding Thriving Abroad in 2013, they have delivered their coaching programmes to expatriates around the world
Evelyn and Louise believe that the success of an organisations global mobility policy depends on the effective management of employee potential from a talent development perspective. Their coaching and mentoring programmes support expat assignees and their partners to maximise the potential of their international experience both personally and professionally. Since founding Thriving Abroad in 2013, they have delivered their coaching programmes to expatriates around the world.
Having spent a large portion of their adult lives working and living outside of their home countries, Evelyn and Louise have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by globally mobile, dual-career couples as they relocate internationally. Their work is driven by the belief that when global mobility works for both assignee and partner the return on investment will be greater for all concerned.
Louise has a background in personal training and development and a Masters in Occupational Psychology. She is a performance coach and a certified Realise2 Strengths practitioner. Evelyn’s background is in investment banking and corporate finance. As well as being a qualified coach, she is a certified group coach and has a Masters in Business Administration. Evelyn & Louise are authors of the upcoming book Thriving Abroad; Create an Expat Life and Career you Love. They are regular speakers at global mobility conferences and events and their 2012 survey report “Career Choice and the Accompanying Partner” was EMMA nominated by the Forum for Expatriate Management.
Natalie has trained clients all over the world how to negotiate and influence more effectively
Natalie Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of advantageSPRING and is a recognised thought leader on effective negotiation and the benefits it can deliver for individuals and organisations. Natalie has trained clients all over the world how to negotiate and influence more effectively. Natalie is the author of ‘We Have a Deal: How to negotiate with intelligence, flexibility and power’ (Icon Books). Natalie and the advantageSPRING team work with a range of global companies to develop internal negotiation and influencing capability through coaching and training, often generating huge savings, increased revenue or efficiencies for their clients. Natalie also coaches senior women on the topic of salary negotiation, writes regularly in the national press on the role that negotiation can play in tackling the gender pay gap and delivers keynote speeches at conferences worldwide on effective negotiation.
Natalie has a passionate interest in the role that gender can play at the negotiation table and has spent a number of years researching the issue, providing coaching for women to boost confidence and challenge stereotypes and delivering challenging, provocative and practical master classes for women’s networks (including the BBC, DLA Piper and Mayer Brown LLP) and at conferences across Europe and the US.
Prior to founding advantageSPRING, Natalie qualified as Barrister, worked in a number of strategic management and legal advisory roles in both central and local government (including as an advisor to the Mayor of London on tackling domestic violence and sexual assault) and worked as a Commercial Director for both a large national charity and a FTSE 100 company. Natalie and the advantageSPRING team volunteer their time to support various charities with developing their commercial awareness and negotiation capability and are currently working with the NSPCC, Human Rights Watch, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and UN Women.
Delivers engaging, high energy training programmes for executives in the Americas and Asia
Devon is an accomplished and dynamic negotiation expert whose training and an accomplished and dynamic negotiation expert whose training and consulting work is informed by over a decade working in specialised procurement, including leading negotiations on behalf of one of North America’s largest corporations. A proponent of collaboration and creative problem solving, Devon partners with her clients to help them improve both capability and confidence during the negotiation process.
Delivers engaging, high energy training programmes for executives in the Americas and Asia
Contract negotiation specialist including securing non-disclosure agreements and program specific contract attachments
Guided execution and strategy from behind the scenes while a management negotiation team was on-site in Japan, securing a time sensitive partnership agreement
Spearheaded multi-vendor competitive sourcing initiative for a Forbes 50 organization, valued at greater than $75M in annual spending, resulting in annual cost savings of $10M
Delivers coaching support to senior executives and entrepreneurs across Europe, North America and Asia
Partnered with a high profile law firm to design and deliver training across multiple continents and provided follow up coaching to senior partners in the lead up to a merger.
MONIQUE VALCOUR, PHD IS AN EXECUTIVE COACH, KEYNOTE SPEAKER, AND RESEARCHER
Monique Valcour, PhD is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and researcher. Monique provides coaching and customized professional development for people who are transitioning into bigger leadership roles, navigating career changes, or who want to increase their capacity to learn, engage and perform at work while thriving in all domains of life. Her clients build highly effective leadership, learning, and career self-management repertoires. She helps individuals and organizations develop sustainable, high-performance careers that align with organizational and personal mission.
Monique provides thought leadership and advises on leadership development, career and talent management, work-life integration, mindfulness, and well-being. She is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review.
Monique’s coaching expertise is built on 12+ years of work as a management professor, combined with rigorous coach training, certification, and high-level coaching experience in multiple countries and industries. Monique holds PhD and MSc degrees from Cornell University (in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Studies), an MEd from Harvard University (in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy), and a BA from Brown University. She has served as a professor of management on the faculties of EDHEC Business School (France) and Boston College (US). She coaches and teaches leadership development and career self-management for the United Nations, London Business School and several other top business schools. She is a frequent external speaker and workshop leader renowned for her evidence-based, engaging, and energizing style.
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