CORPORATE FINANCE competition by male colleagues , as well as lack of female C-suite role models . When women don ’ t see role models or potential paths towards executive-level leadership , they are more likely to deselect themselves out of such roles .
Maggie Xu In research , we identified four critical barriers for women seeking leadership . Firstly , men and women define effective leadership differently , while women leadership candidates tend to be evaluated by men . This misalignment in key leadership traits between the genders creates obstacles to women rising to leadership roles . In China , although significant increase in the ratio of companies with female executives has been observed during the decade , extensive research indicates that the rate for female
CEO remains very low , and CEOs are critical in assessing the performance of CFO candidates .
Secondly , women ’ s focus or predisposition toward results , along with a dislike of ‘ networking for networking ’ s sake ,’ may cause them to miss an important dimension of what ultimately impacts leadership promotion decisions . We also discovered that qualified women are unintentionally left on the sidelines , partly because women are simply not top of mind , and so are less likely to self-advocate and must battle inaccurate assumptions related to their willingness to take on more intense roles .
Also , men and women perceive their readiness for the next role very differently , and most companies do not actively mitigate that bias at play . A woman often won ’ t apply to a job unless she feels she meets 100 % of the described qualifications , while for men , it ’ s more like 60 % and as we all know , raising one ’ s hand does not necessarily equate with capability .
Finally , research shows women are more likely to have ideas mis-attributed to others , be talked over in meetings , receive vague or unconstructive feedback , and be viewed negatively for visibly demonstrating the same confidence that is valued in male leaders . Many high potential women , weary of bias , exit the talent pipeline , either opting out of the workforce or choosing a different career .
How can organisations and leaders motivate , empower and facilitate women in reaching CFO status ? Julia van den Bosch Wazen Mentorship from senior colleagues is vital in helping women to navigate the mid-point of their career . Our philosophy in the CFO Practice facilitates that same ethos : we want to help advise women early on to help build careers toward the three-stage interview
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