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Photography: Courtesy of Janus van den Eijnden.

Artwork: Janet Echelman, 1.26 Sculpture Project at the Amsterdam Light Festival, December 7, 2012–January 20, 2013, Spectra Fiber, high-tenacity polyester fiber, and lighting, 230′ x 63′ x 30′, Amstel River, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Many CEOs who brand gender diversity a priority—by setting aspirational goals for the proportion of women in leadership roles, insisting on diverse slates of candidates for senior positions, and developing mentoring and training programs—are frustrated. They and their companies spend time, money, and skillful intentions on efforts to build a more than robust pipeline of upward mobile women, so not much happens.

The problem with these leaders' approaches is that they don't address the ofttimes fragile process of coming to see oneself, and to be seen by others, equally a leader. Becoming a leader involves much more than being put in a leadership function, acquiring new skills, and adapting 1'due south fashion to the requirements of that role. Information technology involves a fundamental identity shift. Organizations inadvertently undermine this process when they advise women to proactively seek leadership roles without too addressing policies and practices that communicate a mismatch between how women are seen and the qualities and experiences people tend to acquaintance with leaders.

A significant body of research (come across "Further Reading") shows that for women, the subtle gender bias that persists in organizations and in society disrupts the learning cycle at the heart of condign a leader. This research also points to some steps that companies tin can take in order to rectify the situation. Information technology'south not enough to identify and instill the "right" skills and competencies as if in a social vacuum. The context must support a adult female's motivation to pb and also increment the likelihood that others will recognize and encourage her efforts—fifty-fifty when she doesn't look or behave like the current generation of senior executives.

"Who Will Pb and Who Will Follow? A Social Process of Leadership Identity Structure in Organizations," past D. Scott DeRue and Susan J. Ashford (University of Direction Review, October 2010)

"Women and Leadership: Defining the Challenges," by Robin J. Ely and Deborah Fifty. Rhode (Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, Harvard Business Press, 2010)

"Impossible Selves: Image Strategies and Identity Threat in Professional Women's Career Transitions," by Herminia Ibarra and Jenifer Petriglieri (Insead working paper, 2007)

"Negotiating in the Shadows of Organizations: Gender, Negotiation, and Alter," past Deborah M. Kolb (Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, 2013)

"Taking Gender into Account: Theory and Design for Women's Leadership Development Programs," by Robin J. Ely, Herminia Ibarra, and Deborah Kolb (Academy of Management Learning & Education, September 2011)

The solutions to the pipeline problem are very different from what companies currently utilise. Traditional high-potential, mentoring, and leadership teaching programs are necessary but not sufficient. Our research, teaching, and consulting reveal three additional actions companies can take to better the chances that women will gain a sense of themselves as leaders, be recognized as such, and ultimately succeed. (This article expands on our newspaper "Taking Gender into Business relationship: Theory and Blueprint for Women's Leadership Development Programs," Academy of Direction Learning & Educational activity, September 2011.)

Condign a Leader

People become leaders by internalizing a leadership identity and developing a sense of purpose. Internalizing a sense of oneself as a leader is an iterative process. A person asserts leadership past taking purposeful action—such every bit convening a coming together to revive a dormant project. Others affirm or resist the action, thus encouraging or discouraging subsequent assertions. These interactions inform the person's sense of self as a leader and communicate how others view his or her fitness for the function.

As a person'south leadership capabilities grow and opportunities to demonstrate them aggrandize, high-contour, challenging assignments and other organizational endorsements get more than likely. Such affirmation gives the person the fortitude to step outside a condolement zone and experiment with unfamiliar behaviors and new ways of exercising leadership. An absence of affidavit, still, diminishes self-confidence and discourages him or her from seeking developmental opportunities or experimenting. Leadership identity, which begins as a tentative, peripheral attribute of the self, eventually withers away, forth with opportunities to grow through new assignments and real achievements. Over fourth dimension, an aspiring leader acquires a reputation every bit having—or not having—high potential.

The story of an investment banker we'll call Amanda is illustrative. Amanda's career stalled when she was in her thirties. Her problem, she was told, was that she lacked "presence" with clients (who were mostly older men) and was non sufficiently outspoken in meetings. Her career prospects looked bleak. Only both her reputation and her confidence grew when she was assigned to work with two clients whose CFOs happened to be women. These women appreciated Amanda's smarts and the skillful way she handled their needs and concerns. Each in her own way started taking the initiative to raise Amanda'due south profile. One demanded that she be present at all cardinal meetings, and the other refused to speak to anyone but Amanda when she called—actions that enhanced Amanda's credibility within her house. "In our industry," Amanda explains, "having the key customer relationship is everything." Her peers and supervisors began to come across her not only equally a competent project director but every bit a trusted client adviser—an important prerequisite for promotion. These relationships, both internal and external, gave Amanda the confidence heave she needed to generate ideas and express them forthrightly, whether to colleagues or to clients. Her supervisors happily concluded that Amanda had finally shed her "meek and mild-mannered" former self and "stepped upwardly" to leadership.

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Effective leaders develop a sense of purpose past pursuing goals that marshal with their personal values and advance the collective skillful. This allows them to wait beyond the status quo to what is possible and gives them a compelling reason to take activity despite personal fears and insecurities. Such leaders are seen equally authentic and trustworthy considering they are willing to have risks in the service of shared goals. By connecting others to a larger purpose, they inspire delivery, boost resolve, and help colleagues find deeper meaning in their work.

Integrating leadership into one's core identity is especially challenging for women, who must establish credibility in a culture that is deeply conflicted nearly whether, when, and how they should exercise authorization. Practices that equate leadership with behaviors considered more than mutual in men suggest that women are simply not cutting out to exist leaders. Furthermore, the human tendency to gravitate to people like oneself leads powerful men to sponsor and advocate for other men when leadership opportunities ascend. As Amanda's story illustrates, women's leadership potential sometimes shows in less conventional ways—being responsive to clients' needs, for example, rather than boldly asserting a point of view—and sometimes it takes powerful women to recognize that potential. But powerful women are deficient.

Despite a lack of discriminatory intent, subtle, "second-generation" forms of workplace gender bias can obstruct the leadership identity evolution of a visitor'southward entire population of women. (Run across the sidebar "What Is Second-Generation Gender Bias?") The resulting underrepresentation of women in top positions reinforces entrenched beliefs, prompts and supports men'south bids for leadership, and thus maintains the condition quo.

Research has moved away from a focus on the deliberate exclusion of women and toward investigating "second-generation" forms of gender bias equally the primary cause of women'south persistent underrepresentation in leadership roles. This bias erects powerful but subtle and often invisible barriers for women that arise from cultural assumptions and organizational structures, practices, and patterns of interaction that inadvertently benefit men while putting women at a disadvantage. Among them are:

A paucity of role models for women.

Aspiring leaders need role models whose styles and behaviors they can experiment with and evaluate according to their own standards and others' reactions. Fewer female person leaders means fewer function models and tin can suggest to immature would-be leaders that being a woman is a liability—thus discouraging them from viewing senior women as credible sources of advice and support.

Gendered career paths and gendered work.

Many entrenched organizational structures and work practices were designed to fit men's lives and situations at a time when women made up just a very small-scale portion of the workforce. For one example, formal rotations in sales or operations have traditionally been a central step on the path to senior leadership, and men are more likely than women to have held such jobs. Nonetheless requirements like these may be outdated when it comes to the kinds of experience that best prepare a person to pb. For another, career- enhancing international posts oftentimes presume a "abaft spouse" who has no career and tin easily move—a family situation much more mutual for men than for women. How work is valued may similarly give men an advantage: Research indicates that organizations tend to ignore or undervalue backside-the-scenes work (edifice a team, avoiding a crisis), which women are more likely to do, while rewarding heroic piece of work, which is most often washed by men. These practices were not designed to be discriminatory, simply their cumulative event disadvantages women. A vicious cycle ensues: Men appear to be best suited to leadership roles, and this perception propels more of them to seek and reach such positions, thus reinforcing the notion that they are but better leaders.

Women's lack of access to networks and sponsors.

Informal networks are a precious resource for would-be leaders, still differences in men'due south and women's organizational roles and career prospects, along with their proclivity to interact with others of the aforementioned gender, result in weaker networks for women. They cite as a major bulwark to advancement their lack of admission to influential colleagues. Moreover, the connections women exercise accept tend to exist less efficacious: Men's networks provide more informal assistance than women's do, and men are more likely to have mentors who assistance them get promoted. Meanwhile, men in positions of power tend to directly developmental opportunities to junior men, whom they view every bit more likely than women to succeed.

Double binds.

In most cultures masculinity and leadership are closely linked: The ideal leader, similar the ideal man, is decisive, believing, and independent. In dissimilarity, women are expected to be nice, caretaking, and unselfish. The mismatch betwixt conventionally feminine qualities and the qualities idea necessary for leadership puts female leaders in a double demark. Numerous studies have shown that women who excel in traditionally male domains are viewed as competent but less likable than their male counterparts. Behaviors that suggest self-confidence or assertiveness in men ofttimes announced arrogant or annoying in women. Meanwhile, women in positions of authority who enact a conventionally feminine style may be liked but are not respected. They are accounted besides emotional to brand tough decisions and too soft to be strong leaders.

The three deportment we suggest to support women's admission to leadership positions are (1) brainwash women and men about second-generation gender bias, (2) create safe "identity workspaces" to back up transitions to bigger roles, and (3) ballast women's development efforts in a sense of leadership purpose rather than in how women are perceived. These deportment will requite women insight into themselves and their organizations, enabling them to more effectively nautical chart a course to leadership.

Educate Anybody About Second-Generation Gender Bias

For women.

More than 25 years ago the social psychologist Faye Crosby stumbled on a surprising miracle: Nigh women are unaware of having personally been victims of gender discrimination and deny it even when it is objectively truthful and they see that women in general feel information technology.

Many women have worked hard to take gender out of the equation—to simply exist recognized for their skills and talents. Moreover, the beingness of gender bias in organizational policies and practices may advise that they have no power to make up one's mind their own success. When asked what might exist holding women back in their organizations, they say:

"It'southward nothing overt. I merely feel less of a connection, either positive or negative, with the guys I piece of work with. So sometimes I seem to take difficulty getting traction for my ideas."

"I expect around and see that my male colleagues have P&L responsibility and most of us are in staff roles. I was brash to make the move to a staff function later on the birth of my second child. It would be easier, I was told. But now I recognize that at that place is no path back to the line."

"My firm has the very best intentions when it comes to women. Simply it seems every fourth dimension a leadership office opens upwardly, women are non on the slate. The claim is made that they only can't observe women with the right skill set and experience."

These statements belie the notion that gender bias is absent from these women'south work lives. 2nd-generation bias does non require an intent to exclude; nor does it necessarily produce direct, immediate harm to any private. Rather, it creates a context—akin to "something in the water"—in which women fail to thrive or reach their full potential. Feeling less connected to one's male colleagues, being brash to take a staff role to suit family, finding oneself excluded from consideration for cardinal positions—all these situations reflect work structures and practices that put women at a disadvantage.

In Practice

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Without an understanding of second-generation bias, people are left with stereotypes to explain why women equally a group accept failed to achieve parity with men: If they tin can't reach the top, it is because they "don't ask," are "too nice," or merely "opt out." These messages tell women who have managed to succeed that they are exceptions and women who take experienced setbacks that information technology is their ain fault for declining to be sufficiently aggressive or committed to the chore.

We notice that when women recognize the subtle and pervasive effects of second-generation bias, they feel empowered, not victimized, because they can take activeness to counter those effects. They tin can put themselves forward for leadership roles when they are qualified but have been overlooked. They can seek out sponsors and others to support and develop them in those roles. They can negotiate for piece of work arrangements that fit both their lives and their organizations' performance requirements. Such understanding makes it easier for women to "lean in."

For women and men.

Second-generation bias is embedded in stereotypes and organizational practices that tin can be difficult to discover, but when people are made aware of information technology, they see possibilities for alter. In our work with leadership evolution programs, we focus on a "small wins" arroyo to alter. In one manufacturing company, a task force learned that leaders tended to hire and promote people, mainly men, whose backgrounds and careers resembled their own. They had good reasons for this behavior: Experienced engineers were hard to find, and time constraints pressured leaders to fill roles quickly. Only after recognizing some of the hidden costs of this practice—high turnover, difficulty attracting women to the company, and a lack of diversity to match that of customers—the company began to experiment with small wins. For instance, some executives made a commitment to review the task criteria for leadership roles. I male leader said, "We write the task descriptions—the listing of capabilities—for our ideal candidates. We know that the men will nominate themselves fifty-fifty if they don't meet all the requirements; the women would concur back. At present we look for the capabilities that are needed in the part, not some unrealistic ideal. Nosotros accept hired more women in these roles, and our quality has not suffered in the least."

In another case, participants in a leadership development program noticed that men seemed to exist given more strategic roles, whereas women were assigned more operational ones, signaling that they had lower potential. The participants proposed that the company provide clear criteria for developmental assignments, be transparent almost how high potential was evaluated, and requite direction as to what experiences all-time increased a person's potential. Those actions put more women in leadership roles.

Create Safe "Identity Workspaces"

In the upper tiers of organizations, women become increasingly scarce, which heightens the visibility and scrutiny of those well-nigh the top, who may become hazard-averse and overly focused on details and lose their sense of purpose. (In general, people are less apt to endeavour out unfamiliar behaviors or roles if they feel threatened.) Thus a prophylactic space for learning, experimentation, and community is critical in leadership evolution programs for women.

Consider operation feedback, which is necessary for growth and advancement but full of trip wires for women. In many organizations 360-degree feedback is a basic tool for deepening cocky-noesis and increasing awareness of one's impact on others—skills that are part and parcel of leadership evolution. But gender stereotypes may colour evaluators' perceptions, subjecting women to double binds and double standards. Research has amply demonstrated that accomplished, high-potential women who are evaluated as competent managers often neglect the likability test, whereas competence and likability tend to go hand in hand for similarly accomplished men. We see this miracle in our own enquiry and practice. Supervisors routinely requite loftier-performing women some version of the message "You demand to trim your abrupt elbows." Besides, nosotros notice that participants in women's leadership evolution programs ofttimes receive high ratings on task-related dimensions, such every bit "exceeds goals," "acts decisively in the face of uncertainty," and "is not afraid to make decisions that may exist unpopular," only low ratings on relational ones, such as "takes others' viewpoints into account" and "uses feedback to acquire from her mistakes." We too oftentimes encounter women whose functioning feedback seems contradictory: Some are told they need to "be tougher and hold people accountable" simply also to "non set up expectations so high," to "say no more than frequently" but also to "be more than visible," to "be more than decisive" but too to "exist more than collaborative."

Creating a condom setting—a coaching relationship, a women's leadership program, a back up group of peers—in which women can interpret these messages is critical to their leadership identity evolution. Companies should encourage them to build communities in which similarly positioned women can discuss their feedback, compare notes, and emotionally support one some other'southward learning. Identifying common experiences increases women's willingness to talk openly, take risks, and be vulnerable without fearing that others will misunderstand or judge them. These connections are especially important when women are discussing sensitive topics such as gender bias or reflecting on their personal leadership challenges, which tin easily threaten identity and prompt them to resist any critical feedback they may receive. When they are grounded in candid assessments of the cultural, organizational, and individual factors shaping them, women can construct coherent narratives about who they are and who they desire to become.

The Importance of Leadership Purpose

In a recent interview with members of Hillary Clinton'south press corps, a veteran reporter noted, "The story is never what she says, every bit much every bit nosotros want it to be. The story is e'er how she looked when she said it." Clinton says she doesn't fight it anymore; she just focuses on getting the job washed.

How women are perceived—how they apparel, how they talk, their "executive presence," their capacity to "make full a room," and their leadership mode—has been the focus of many efforts to get more of them to the meridian. Phonation coaches, image consultants, public-speaking instructors, and branding experts find the need for their services growing. The premise is that women take non been socialized to compete successfully in the world of men, so they must exist taught the skills and styles their male person counterparts acquire equally a matter of course.

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To manage the competence-likability trade-off—the seeming option betwixt existence respected and being liked—women are taught to downplay femininity, or to soften a hard-charging fashion, or to try to strike a perfect balance between the two. But the time and energy spent on managing these perceptions can ultimately be self-defeating. Overinvestment in ane'south image diminishes the emotional and motivational resource available for larger purposes. People who focus on how others perceive them are less clear nearly their goals, less open to learning from failure, and less capable of self-regulation.

Anchoring in purpose enables women to redirect their attention toward shared goals and to consider who they need to be and what they need to learn in order to achieve those goals. Instead of defining themselves in relation to gender stereotypes—whether rejecting stereotypically masculine approaches considering they feel inauthentic or rejecting stereotypically feminine ones for fright that they convey incompetence—female leaders can focus on behaving in ways that advance the purposes for which they stand.

Focusing on purpose can also lead women to take up activities that are critical to their success, such as networking. Connections rarely come to them as a matter of form, so they have to be proactive in developing ties; but we also find that many women avert networking because they run into it as inauthentic—as developing relationships that are merely transactional and feel too instrumental—or because it brings to mind activities (the proverbial golf, for example) in which they have no interest or for which they take no time, given their responsibilities beyond work. Yet when they come across it every bit a means to a larger purpose, such equally developing new business to accelerate their vision for the company, they are more comfortable engaging in it. Learning how to exist an constructive leader is like learning any complex skill: It rarely comes naturally and usually takes a lot of practice. Successful transitions into senior management roles involve shedding previously effective professional person identities and developing new, more than fitting ones. Nevertheless people often experience ambivalent about leaving the comfort of roles in which they have excelled, because doing so means moving toward an uncertain consequence.

2nd-generation gender bias can make these transitions more than challenging for women, and focusing exclusively on acquiring new skills isn't sufficient; the learning must be accompanied by a growing sense of identity equally a leader. That's why greater agreement of second-generation bias, safe spaces for leadership identity development, and encouraging women to anchor in their leadership purpose volition go better results than the paths most organizations currently pursue.

A version of this article appeared in the September 2013 consequence of Harvard Business Review.