Women in Senior MANAGEMENT

Women in Senior
MANAGEMENT
Fabe Keily CEO of what working women want

www.FashionMentorOnline.com

To stop the imbalance in numbers between men
and women taking senior roles, it is necessary to
either legislate or educate, writes Fabe
Keily, CEO of What Working Women Want.


The lack of females in senior management
positions in Australia remains a hotly debated
topic. Should we legislate to ensure more
women are given the opportunity to take on
senior management roles, or is it a matter of
educating women to overcome the
personal, cultural and organisational barriers
that exist?


The real questions seem to be: Are women
really suited for these high pressure, top jobs
that involve long hours and little peace? And do
women really want to sacrifice their family for
higher paying jobs that put constant strain on
their health and relationships?


Recently, the Australian Securities and Investments
Commission (ASIC) announced changes to their
Corporate Governance Principles that require
publicly listed companies to report the numbers of
women in their senior decision making roles. This
included what initiatives companies were taking to
provide women the opportunity to progress in
management, should they wish to.
Unfortunately, the statistics show that by the end of
2010 there has been little change. Compounding
that fact was the issue surrounding equal pay rights
between men and women.

While there is a definite imbalance between the
working rights of men and women (whether in
senior positions or not), perhaps the real power
of women have is in the relationships they build
with their male counterparts.


There are, of course, men and women who
believe they can do better than each other, yet
business and personal growth is achieved best
through teamwork and respect.

Real power is when men and women work
together to achieve outstanding results. Not one
better than the other, but working together
embracing their unique skills and talents.


Having travelled Australia and interacted with
thousands of working women across the
country, and hearing from many women in
management, my opinion is that empowerment
is not about legislation but rather about
education. In my experience, it’s not that
women aren’t being given the opportunity to
apply for senior roles, but that they lack the
confidence.


A perfect example of this is when a more senior
role with promotional opportunity becomes
available: typically a man will look at the 10
criteria necessary to achieve the job and if he
can tick off three of those items he’ll
apply, while a women will look at the
opportunity and unless she can tick off all
ten, she won’t even try.


So what can be done differently to attract
women into senior roles or make them feel
comfortable about working equally with peers?

There are five key issues which I have branded
SWIM (Smart Women in Management). These
issues are...


five key issues
• Identifying and understanding gender differences

• Confidence and assertiveness: opportunities and obstacles

• Understanding the importance of resilience in management

• Mastering your emotions: overcoming self-sabotaging
thoughts

• Understanding the significance of work/life balance


It’s time for women with skills in senior
management to sink or swim. It is clear that I
believe that education is the best way to achieve
this. When it comes right down to it, I suppose
some people may believe we should
legislate, although it really does make sense to
educate. TGR


Fabe Keily is the CEO & Founder of What
Working Women Want which has created a two
day leadership training program specifically for
smart women in management called Stepping
Up.


You’ve just seen the one of the articles relating
to Business Success and Business Development,
if you would like more information, just visit me
at www.FashionMentorOnline.com or just email
me at cherylmwidlend@gmail.com

And if you have any questions, just email me at
cherylmwidlend@gmail.com and I'll be happy to
answer them for you.

Warmly
Cheryl

Women in Senior MANAGEMENT

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