Building Your Board Ecosystem

The glass ceiling symbolises the societal and systemic barriers that restrict women’s career advancement, despite capabilities and qualifications. In our events featuring Katie Litchfield, Founder of WeQual, and experienced board director Mary Petryszyn, we explored these issues and uncovered valuable insights and strategies for overcoming these barriers. The full event recordings are accessible here.

Cracking the Glass Ceiling and the Gender Promotion Gap

Katie Litchfield hosted an exclusive Round Table entitled, ‘Cracking the Glass Ceiling and the Gender Promotion Gap.’ The key takeaways from the discussion are as follows:

DON’T BOX YOURSELF IN:

Avoid limiting your growth by remaining in comfortable yet stagnant positions. Explore beyond your comfort zone to expand your opportunities.

ASK YOURSELF, “WHAT WOULD THE MALE VERSION OF MYSELF DO?”

The perception that men are often quicker decision-makers, have greater confidence, and a reduced sense of loyalty to companies, makes this a useful exercise to broaden your perspective.

ADDRESS BIASSED BEHAVIOUR:

Call out instances of bias, such as being spoken over or being unfairly treated, to raise awareness, garner support, and set appropriate boundaries for respectful interactions.

BE A BOLD CHANGE AGENT:

Share positive experiences and accomplishments to empower and guide other aspiring women. This creates a network of support, encouragement and change.

ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF:

Communicate your career aspirations with others to gain support and open doors to more opportunities aligned with your goals.

DON’T OVER-JUSTIFY:

A global CEO shared with Katie how women often over-explain or justify career history and breaks during interviews. There is no need to do this, “You got the call, they know your history, you don’t need to justify it.”