FOREWORD
Brad Johnson and David Smith have struck upon something incredibly significant in the field of leadership and the advancement of women—the importance of engaging men to mentor women.
Why does this matter?
Well, let’s start with the staggering 2016 statistics. Women currently hold just 10 to 15 percent of the senior leadership (C-Suite) positions in corporate America and the majority of organizations. And in the military, women make up just 16.6 percent of the officer corps and 7.1 percent of the top ranks of generals and admirals.
This is startling, given that women now represent 58 percent of our college graduates and hold 50 percent of middle-management positions—with 40 percent holding positions that include purchasing authority.
Yes, of course, there has been progress; and yes, today we have more female leaders than a generation ago. But only a very small portion is sitting at the top of organizations.
It’s not for lack of trying, or from a lack of good intentions. No, the unfortunate truth is that what has historically passed for gender efforts inside corporate America has often just been a series of discussions, classes, and conferences in which women find themselves talking to women.
The backdrop here, as we all know, is that talent is a key motivator in today’s competitive global marketplace and CEOs and savvy business leaders understand that they must have a workforce that reflects the current and future workplace and customer. They also know that the female perspective often leads to wiser decisions, and the rich relationship skills that women leaders offer frequently result in happier employees and deeper client connections.
The good news is that the vast majority of corporate CEOs no longer ask “why” they should include and advance women in their organizations. But what still eludes us is the “how”—how to include, keep, and advance women in organizations.
Research shows us that men mentoring women can make all the difference to their retention and advancement.
A 2014 gender parity study by Bain & Company, for example, found that nearly half of women enter the workforce with their eye on the C-Suite, but their confidence and ambition levels drop 60 percent after more than just two years on the job. One of the key insights was that marital and parental status did not really differ between women who aspire and those who do not. Instead, women lack meaningful recognition, support, and mentorship from their managers, which is necessary to shape and support their path to advancement.
Brad and Dave give us a brilliant—but simple—strategy that combines mentorship of women with the trusted collaboration of men.
Because men remain the most powerful stakeholder group in most organizations, I strongly believe that this powerful combination will allow us to accelerate our gender progress. I also believe that this book will become an invaluable tool for any organization looking to increase its success with precious female talent.
Betsy Myers is a leadership expert, author, and advocate, who is also speaking at and convening workshops around the world on the changing nature of leadership and women’s leadership. Her book, Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You, was released in September 2011. Her experience spans the corporate, political, and higher education arena. She is the founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University and served as the executive director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Myers was a senior adviser to two U.S. presidents, the COO and chair of Women for President Obama’s 2008 national presidential campaign, and during the Clinton Administration, she launched, and was the first director of, the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach. She also served as the director of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the SBA. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Myers spent six years building Myers Insurance and Financial Services in Los Angeles specializing in the small business and women’s market. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of San Diego and her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School, where she was also a public service fellow.