Carol Frohlinger’s Post

Sharing this HBR article and Carol’s thoughtful comments - worth the read!

This compelling Harvard Business Review article focuses on how companies can redefine leadership and power for women leaders. The article cites a study that examines how men and women define power. Many people think of it in the context of power over, power with, and power to. The study found that women think of this as "power to" and associate it closely with the freedom to lead in a way that is authentic to them - not limited by outdated masculine attributes. "When companies implement skill-building curricula, they usually pull from traditional, often more masculine archetypes of leadership. This can cause harm by reinforcing that women must assimilate in order to rise, rather than becoming the best version of themselves. It also doesn’t factor in the double bind that demands women leaders must be both likable and competent, a standard not imposed on male leaders. If we don’t want to set women up to fail or feel like imposters, we must take into account not only the biases they face, but their own perceptions of power." "Many of the women we surveyed suggested that power comes from being able to be themselves at work. One participant said that power is “the freedom to be who you are.” Others wrote about the desire to lead in their own ways, to step away from the pressure to fit in, and to break free from pre-established norms and archetypes of leadership. Traditional empowerment efforts don’t always see value in lived experiences and instead require adapting, which can leave women feeling powerless instead of powerful. This can be even more challenging for certain groups, like women of color, who face additional expectations to adapt." #womenleaders #empowerment

I am hard pressed to offer any better articles than this one on the double (triple?) binds that women experience in leadership. (An even more pertinent topic these days?) I want to basically pull quotes from the entire article, but this captures some of it: "The study included over 300 participants and found that men more often associated #power with #control, while women said power is more often tied to #freedom... When asked to describe a time they felt powerful, women mentioned freedom of choice in decision making, whereas men more often described being put in charge of others." I strongly encourage you to read this. It may challenge several of your assumptions. https://lnkd.in/gB3BnA_C #women #leadership #leadershipdevelopment

As I was writing a recent blog post on women and power, the word that kept coming to mind when I thought about my experience of feeling powerful was freedom. The findings from this survey resonate so deeply. "When asked to describe a time they felt powerful, women mentioned freedom of choice in decision making, whereas men more often described being put in charge of others. Instead of expecting women to conform to a single ideal of leadership, women expressed that leadership should include “the freedom to choose to make decisions for the group as a leader or open the floor up for more group-based decision-making.” Women were also four times more likely than men to describe helping others as a time they felt powerful. This suggests empowerment efforts should consider a wider array of leadership styles and seek to develop female leaders by cultivating their collaboration styles. Women should have space to lead from their strengths and in ways that work for them."

In this Harvard Business Review research, the authors found that "empowering and advancing women requires more than a confidence curriculum, updated lists, or empty KPIs because these strategies don’t address the deeper issues of #belonging, #hiddenbarriers, or #brokenculture." Here are the recommendations: 1) Evaluate and adapt their current programs to determine if there is bias or narrow assumptions around leadership skills and leadership traits. Get curious. 2) Ask what women in the company need and want related to power, and listen to what they say. 3) Refocus and rewrite programs and culture to accommodate what individual women want and need to find freedom and feel powerful. For more on navigating the #doublebind and how to #empower yourself: coachkellyhuang.com/power https://lnkd.in/gWzDKat2

📰 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 📰 🌟 Redefining Women's Empowerment: A New Perspective 🌟 A recent study by the Center for Women in Business (CWIB) highlights a critical shift in understanding power at work. Here's what we learned: 🔹 Freedom Over Control: Women in the study equate power with freedom—freedom to lead, make decisions, and be themselves, rather than just control or influence. 🔹 Beyond Traditional Programs: Current empowerment programs often focus on conformity and predefined skills. To truly empower women, companies need to prioritize what makes women feel powerful, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach. 🔹 Listen and Adapt: Organizations should actively listen to women's experiences and needs, adapting programs to support their authentic leadership styles. 🔹 Create a Space for Authentic Leadership: True empowerment comes from allowing women to lead in ways that align with their strengths and values, not by fitting into outdated norms. Let’s rethink empowerment and focus on freedom and individuality to unlock the full potential of women leaders. Read the full article from @Harvard Business Review here: https://lnkd.in/efhcNaxG #WomenLeadership #Empowerment #CorporateCulture #InclusiveLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #Winningtogether #Countherin

Empowering Women in Business: Beyond Traditional Advancement Programs Recent HBR research highlights a crucial insight for women's advancement in the workplace: it's not just about skills training, but about creating environments where women can truly thrive and lead. My own journey reflects this: • In one role, I felt powerless. My voice was ignored in an organization that prioritized transactional leadership. Ideas and opinions different from leadership were discouraged. • In contrast, another position empowered me to: - Set policies and develop programs - Scale initiatives across regions - Lead with a coaching style, encouraging team growth and diverse opinions - Share strategic insights that were genuinely listened to, valued and implemented - Cast vision and secure buy-in from diverse stakeholders - Be evaluated not just on traditional financial performance, but also on emotional intelligence, ability to connect, and inspire teams to produce measurable outcomes The difference? An environment that valued my leadership approach and amplified my impact. Key takeaways for organizations: 1. Focus on creating inclusive cultures, not just skill-building 2. Address systemic barriers and biases 3. Encourage diverse leadership styles 4. Provide opportunities for women to shape policies and lead initiatives 5. Evaluate performance holistically, considering emotional intelligence and team empowerment Let's move beyond traditional advancement programs. We need to create workplaces where women's voices are heard, valued, and instrumental in driving change. What's your experience? How can organizations better support women's leadership? #WomenInLeadership #InclusiveWorkplace #DiversityAndInclusion

Many women in leadership programs have come a long way, less focused on "fixing the women" as opposed to empowering them to progress. However, this article reveals that we are still stuck with some deeply entrenched notions of what power is, and how this may differ between men and women. This would also be true across cultures. It is not possible to accelerate a diverse talent pipeline (that maintains any level of personal authenticity) that doesn't ask (and address) some significant systems level questions about power and models of leadership. #diversetalent #power #equity

A recent study reveals that women often see power as the freedom to make choices, while men typically associate it with control. Vera Woodhead shares key messages and recommendations #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #WomenLeaders

This 10 minute article, by Colleen Tolan, PhD, Deepa Purushothaman, and Lisa Kaplowitz, explains that empowering and advancing women requires more than a confidence curriculum, updated lists, or empty KPIs because these strategies don’t address the deeper issues of belonging, hidden barriers, or broken culture. The sample size of the research shows that same is applicable on all the corporate workers irrespective of gender. The majority of corporate initiatives aimed at promoting employees progress focus on teaching predetermined set of skills that are meant to provide them greater career control. But, organizations may be unintentionally promoting a culture of conformity by requiring employees to modify who they are in order to succeed. This leaves many employees, especially one at senior level, feeling stuck, because strong leaders need to have the ability to set expectations, not just fulfill them. #deib #diversity #empowerment #imclusion #development #leadership