LeadershipHQ Magazine June 2015 2nd Edition

The statistics • Studies have shown that companies with a leadership balance between men and women achieve better financial results. • Companies with more women on senior leadership teams outperform financial results of comparable companies with fewer women by an average of 30%. • Teams with a male–female ratio between 40 and 60 percent produce results that are more sustained and predictable than those of unbalanced teams. role model of leadership, it requires quite a mind shift for women to see themselves at the top. Their more consultative style can appear to be weak. Their social involvement can appear to be nothing but chat. Their empathy can appear to lead to unbalanced judgement. These are the very skills that have been missing at leadership levels for generations, and they are exactly the skills that will make the difference in the financial and team health of the organisation. Yet, women themselves often struggle to accept that. There is a great business case for the inclusion of women at senior levels. Clever organisations are actively seeking out and offering development opportunities to talented females who have leadership potential, and they are developing leadership programs to nurture emerging female leaders. EmpowHERing our female leaders Realising that women can be as much a barrier to their own success as anyone else, we created a program to help them discover their own leadership potential and recognise the value they bring to their organisations. Developing female leaders While the decision to increase the numbers of women in leadership roles makes sense according to the numbers, there are still a number of hurdles to be overcome before we see real change. We’re talking about a cultural shift here, and that doesn’t happen easily. We help women assess their own strengths and build on them, and see why those skills are so important in the leadership role. We help them perfect the networking skills which are such a key part of the way women work, and which will build such a strong foundation for their businesses. We help them find the confidence to stand proudly as a female leader, comfortable in her unique skills and approach. And it’s not just a mind shift for men; women need to see themselves differently, and learn to value their own special brand of skills. Instead of seeing the feminine ‘soft skills’ as a barrier to career progress, we need to recognise and develop them as the key component to organisational balance. When you’ve equated success with the masculine-skilled 17 | © LeadershipHQ 2015 Our EmpowHER Program gives women the capability and confidence to become the leader they want to be. We believe that 2015 is the year of the female leader. Give women the power to develop their own style of leadership and they will give business the competitive edge it has been looking for.

LeadershipHQ Magazine June 2015 2nd Edition | Page 17