The pandemic has proven that navigating through a crisis requires strong leadership. While many companies recognize that diverse executive teams drive more innovation and better business outcomes, somehow only 1 in 4 executive leaders is female. What are the attitudes and obstacles — both those that are visible as well as the invisible ones — that stand in the way of greater diversity and inclusion at the highest levels of companies?
Despite efforts to achieve C-suite gender diversity, diverse representation in senior leadership positions remains elusive: across the top 3,000 companies in the United States, just 12 percent of profit-and-loss-focused roles such as chief operating officer or head of sales are filled by women; and fewer than six percent of these 3,000 companies are led by a female CEO.
Women begin their careers with a mindset if we do the best job we can, keep our heads down, and have the right answers, someone will notice.
