“Research by Victoria Brescoll at Yale shows that 'when male executives spoke more often, they were perceived to be more competent, but when female executives spoke more often, they were given lower competence ratings.' No wonder so many women are extremely reluctant to self-promote.'"
When organizational cultures hinder women's contributions despite their qualifications, how do leaders actively dismantle barriers that prevent female employees from voicing ideas?
Here are the five tips from the Forbes article::
- Rotate Spokespeople - Ensure equal representation during presentations.
- Assess Confidence Perceptions - Investigate perceived confidence rather than making assumptions about potential.
- Facilitate Inclusive Meetings - Employ strategies to ensure all voices are heard and respected.
- Amplify Women’s Ideas - Correctly attribute credit where it is due to combat bias against women’s contributions.
- Encourage Diverse Representation - Have multiple women present at meetings to reduce scrutiny of "Onlys."
Intentional leadership—actions focused on equity and inclusion efforts—empower underrepresented groups like women professionals. Leveraging this pool of human capital transforms workplace culture, which benefits productivity and profitability.
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Five Ways Tech Leaders Can Support Women On Their Teams Finding Their Own Voice
The most diverse tech pipeline won’t make a difference if the women who make it into tech are held back by organizational cultures that incentivize their silence. It’s more urgent than ever that leaders commit to removing the barriers that get in the way of women sharing their voices and ideas.
Judith Spitz
