MODERN BUSINESS
around innovation, new product
development, marketing and
consumer engagement strategies
become gender-silo’d. The reality is
this. The infamous glass ceiling is
still firmly in place, and unless we all
collectively engage and take action it
is never going to develop more than
a few cracks.
So what action is needed?
1
Step out of status quo
It’s easy to get trapped in the
comfort zone and the place of status
quo. The place of no change, of
stagnation. But what it also means
is a lack of forward thinking, a lack
of opportunity to evolve, to do things
differently. It is those leaders and
organisations that are willing to
challenge themselves, who make
themselves accountable for their
own success, which recognise the
need to reach that little bit further or
higher, who know that change has
to happen. It is those who take the
leap, who are able to collaborate with
others to mutual commercial benefit
with confidence.
The Australian Defence Force has
in many ways been a groundbreaker
when it comes to challenging the
status quo and forcing change to
happen. There is no position now
within the Australian Army that
is not open to females. There is
no distinction between men and
women when it comes to criteria
for promotion and there has been
acknowledgement that women are
actually more suited for leadership
within some roles as their skillsets
are essential to the work being
done – for example, with displaced
women and children within
warzones.
2
Change the attitude of the
C-suite
The attitude of those at a C-suite
level is of prime importance in
encouraging others within the
company to see the need for more
women in leadership roles. This
applies equally to men and women,
but perhaps in different ways. In
terms of males in senior positions,
the way they think, act and behave
is giving direct influence to younger
males in the organisation. If they
openly support equality within senior
management, and understand the
value of women in those roles, then
they are setting an example for the
next generation to follow.
3
Don’t sit back – speak up
The only way we are going to
accelerate the rate of change is to
raise our voices and our actions at
the same time. It’s time women (and
men) started speaking out about
their own terms of employment
and asking the hard questions. The
whole ‘it’s not nice to talk about
money’ politeness needs to be
June 2016
ModernBusiness
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