Dear Companies,

Stop Creating lip service for women in leadership.

If you want women in leadership to feel valued and empowered, then show them. Show them with your actions, deliverables, compensation packages and growth opportunities. Stop giving lip service and start embodying what do you want to create in your company culture.

I have been approached by several companies to publicly speak and inspire female leaders. These companies want me to highlight and dive into topics of: inspiring women to take up space, empowering female leadership, supporting women to unlearn their false narratives and step into their worth.

The irony about this is, some companies have upfront said:

“We want you to inspire women to step into their worth and we don’t have the budget to pay you for it.”

Seriously? Do you hear yourself?

If you expect women to step into their power and worth, yet you can’t pay somebody to help develop them in this aspect… Your intentions are clear. Your actions are speaking much louder than your words. Stop creating lip service around women in leadership. Start creating deliverables and acting on them, with quality leadership development opportunities and growth to build up women.

So no, I do not work for free.

To all you hard working women out there, neither do you. Ask for what you want, take up space, be loud and relentless with your worth. It's not going to be easy, but with one conversation, one perspective shift, one voice - we can choose to create the change.

Here are 5 ways we can achieve women empowerment in the workplace:

1. Make a point to diversify positions of leadership.

Diversity starts with positions of power. How can female voices be heard or considered if there are only men in executive positions? In 2021, only 41 of the Fortune 500 companies had female CEOs, which is only nine more women than in 2017.

Multiple studies have shown that women in C-suite positions have a positive impact on the overall performance and efficiency of the company, with higher profits and better returns for shareholders. Amplifying diverse voices from the top down is the key to creating an inclusive and safe environment, as well as promoting peak performance and company culture.

2. Mentor and support other women.

I have always encouraged mentorship and made it a priority to pay it forward for all the women who have supported me along my career journey and starting my business. Whether it be the newest intern, employee or some ones starting out in their own business, it is critical to create a space of trust, honesty and support. Providing advice and mentorship to younger or less experienced females can be a catalyst to their personal and professional development.

3. Implement fair and inclusive policies.

It’s important for organizations to walk the walk. Make sure your organization has a standard where all—regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation—receive the same treatment. Also, take steps to ensure female and maternal health are recognized and accounted for, pay men and women employees equally and fairly, and hold female employees’ opinions with the same regard as you would for their male counterparts.

4. Promote an environment of safe and open communication.

As a leader, it’s important that your employees feel comfortable talking to you openly and honestly about their experiences. Feedback in any capacity can help you grow as a leader and enable your company to improve as a whole.

Open communication also means clearly setting and defining guidelines for what type of communication and behaviour is permitted at your company, and then enforcing those boundaries. Ensure all employees undergo periodic training and are easily able to contact the proper resources or leaders in the company. This will help create a supportive environment that will allow women to thrive.

The reasons women refrain from reporting harassment or even assault in any environment, aside from the emotional stress and trauma, often stem back to the lack of accessible resources and a daunting reporting process. Employers should make sure that reactive processes are clear, easy and comfortable for all.

5. Provide accessible resources and development opportunities for women.

The reasons women are not being built into a traditional leadership structure is the lack of female example and representation. Now, how do we CREATE women in leadership to lead the example? Answer: Through impactful and sustainable development opportunities. Women who received Coaching are more likely to apply for the promotion, negotiate salary and feel supported to stay and thrive in leadership. Intentionally building development opportunities is the KEY to a strong foundation for women being empowered in leadership.

xox,
Courtney

Ready to find out what opportunities exist that you can implement today for yourself or the women leaders in your workplace? Contact me, let's get the conversation going.