Rising through the ranks

Themes from our recent Women in Leadership Roundtable

By Sarah Werner

Recently we set out to gather a group of women leaders to participate in a roundtable with the theme, Rising through the ranks. The call was answered by some truly exceptional leaders who joined a virtual session earlier this month, moderated by Aptitude Software’s North America CEO, Alex Curran.

Together, our panelists brought over 220 years of experience to the call and represented the banking, insurance, technology, consulting, and telecommunications sectors. Each one remarked how important it was to them to help cultivate the next wave of female leaders and this commitment is clear from the various industry groups, boards and advisory groups these women serve on.

The 45-minute webinar, available to watch here, spanned multiple topics. This article highlights some of the most frequently raised themes along with some valuable advice from each one of the contributors.

The value of women leaders

The research has supported over and over again that women leadership is good for business. Companies led by women, or with a substantial number of women on their boards, financially outperform companies with less gender diversity at the top. Firms with female directors achieve a higher level of innovation. However, as moderator Alex Curran pointed out early in the webinar, women are significantly underrepresented in leadership roles.

The participants were consistently vocal about the benefits of having women in leadership roles. Sirisha Dasu commented, “The main reason I think it’s in companies’ best advantage is because of the ability to go past the echo chamber. When you have a consistent representation, you’re not hearing other points of view. Also, there have been so many studies that show women are more empathetic and they consider all aspects. They want to always create a win-win solution.”

“Women build deeper relationships and that really assists with understanding what makes teams tick and what’s important to them,” joined in Karen Nunn.

“Having diverse leadership brings perspective. I think it’s really dynamic for our business environment. It’s what brings us to the forefront in innovation. It brings us connection across teams, across the business,” agreed Terri Smith.

Embrace risk-taking

For Sandy Sposato, not being afraid to take chances has been one of the defining mantras of her career. “Being comfortable with what you know and being comfortable enough to know what you don’t know – and asking for help from those that are deeper in a particular knowledge set – I think that helps you build confidence and build your capabilities. Taking chances is what’s really given me opportunities. Have they always gone well? No, absolutely, sometimes you do fail in these rooms where you are the only woman. But I think those failures allow you to learn a lot, and I think taking that chance has allowed me to build confidence. It has also helped me to feel like I am an equal in a room where I tend to be the only woman.”

It’s a mindset shift

Sara Dioguardi was the first to comment with her views on how women can build up their confidence stating, “Too often, women are worried about being caught saying the wrong thing…So they prepare, prepare, and prepare – so they walk into the room as qualified to be there as all the men and often more prepared. But then the fear and risk-aversion come in. The guys range in skill and preparation level. That usually doesn’t stop them from expressing their views. They talk. But often the woman who has just as much prep or who is just as capable is sitting in the corner. Why? Irrational fears of being wrong, fears of being embarrassed, fears of saying the wrong thing. The mindset change starts with understanding that you are at least as good as the men in the room – so you should not hesitate to jump in and contribute. As a result, people will get to know your name because you have become part of the conversation.”

Katya Emelianova echoed this experience adding, “Women quite often put too much on the side of technical knowledge, and we totally forget about our natural soft skills. We have much more empathy, and we need to use that in these meeting rooms. At the end of the day, these technical skills are important, but they’re not as important as soft skills – the ability to listen to everyone, the ability to connect with people. I think the moment women start to value soft skills we will feel much more confidence.”

The importance of mentoring

The panelists agreed on not only the importance of finding a mentor but also filling this role for others.

Sian Ciabattoni commented, “I had a brilliant manager who really inspired me and encouraged me out of my comfort zone all the time. And one of the things he told me was that I was better than I knew I was – and that really stuck with me really gave me confidence in my role.” Ciabattoni went on to talk about how this guides her as she mentors others. “I really try and get to know them and what their strengths and weaknesses are and work with them to be the best they can be. And yes, sometimes that means pushing them out of their comfort zone to help them achieve their goals.”

Sirisha Dasu commented, “I think it’s really important as a mentee to be prepared with what you are looking for from a mentor. The other thing I tell mentees is that when you are just starting out, don’t be so worried about your career progression and moving in a straight line…instead focus on adding value.”

Karen Nunn added, “I like to go through [mentoring] discussions where I understand what they want their brand to be. Focusing on career progression alone is too narrow of a focus. I ask, how do you want to be perceived? How do you want to grow as a person?”

Focusing on self-love and self-belief

Several of the participants shared personal stories about defining their unique priorities and overcoming doubts over the long arc of their careers. “A career, it’s a very long continuum, but we always lose perspective when we are in that one particular tough time. But it’s important for us to realize we are going to get there eventually, even if we take detours,” shared Sirisha Dasu. “I think you need to be creative, and you need to love yourself and prioritize things that are important to you. Things will fall into place. It will all work out.”