The executive woman – How to lead with courage and conviction in today’s disruptive workplace

There are several challenges women executives face in leadership roles today. Sadly, the ‘glass ceiling’ still exists, with hidden biases holding women back.

But the lack of equal opportunities as men, non-existent work-life balance, and unconscious bias, to name a few, are some of the most significant hold-ups for executive women.

Women can be seen as aggressive when being assertive, a trap that rarely exists for men. Society often expects women to choose between family and a successful career, making it harder for them to focus solely on their ambitions.

I saw a statistic recently that said female employees are 14% less likely to be promoted than their male colleagues, which means that women, even at the executive level, have significantly fewer opportunities for career advancement than men.

This puts extra pressure on women to perform, which invariably leads to a lack of balance in the work-life equation. Women in leadership roles also suffer from unconscious bias.

For example, a woman is overlooked for an executive role because management thinks that would be demanding for her after giving birth. These are additional challenges men rarely face when leading teams or businesses.

So the question now is, in a world that still grapples with gender stereotypes and expectations, how does a woman navigate her path to executive positions?

It takes focus, courage, and conviction. Focus means having a vision of where you are going and ignoring the distractions and naysayers along the way. Courage means staying the course even when you face obstacles and challenges in your journey, including when things are not panning out the way you envisioned. Conviction is vital because it helps you hold onto your values and moral compass to navigate your path to leadership.

Recently, I discovered that two of my highest-producing staff were involved in a racket that was detrimental to my business. I knew that firing them would affect the company’s overall profitability. Still, I had to exercise courage and do so because overlooking what they were doing for the sake of profit was simply not an option for me.

Whilst it is easier said than done, practical steps and mental shifts are needed to develop a courageous mindset. One approach is to understand that setbacks are temporary. Establishing your priorities, setting clear goals and objectives, and being committed to the process is vital. You should never lose sight of who you are and develop identity-based habits that reflect this. Have faith in your abilities and trust your instincts because they are almost always right!

As women leaders, we can cultivate the strength to challenge the status quo and be agents of change by creating suitable support systems. There is only so much one person can achieve alone, but when we join forces, we become more effective. When we pull our strength and resources together and act with a united front, we can challenge the status quo and bring about the change we desire.

At a recent webinar I hosted for executive women, a participant asked me to explain how women can identify and articulate their core values to guide their decision-making processes.

I told her that values are a central part of who we are and want to be, whether we like it or not. Therefore, to identify and articulate your core values, you must answer pertinent questions like: What is important to me? What am I most passionate about? What gives me a high level of satisfaction? What factors drive my decision-making? Once you identify your core values, you can use these to guide how you live your life.

Even though your core values remain constant, your supporting values can evolve based on your experiences as you go through life and career.

Why is a sense of conviction critical to authentic leadership, especially for women today? Conviction is a strong belief or opinion and is deeply personal. Trying to lead based on another person’s conviction is a recipe for disaster.

Even the Bible admonishes us to “let every person be fully persuaded in their own mind.” You cannot lead effectively or authentically without personal conviction. Also, it is incredibly difficult to stay on course when you lack conviction about your direction.

Growing up in Nigeria, we were often told, “Do as I say and not as I do.” We live in a time now when that saying is just not tenable. Doing what you say and believe, even when difficult, commands the respect of the people you are leading and, over time, builds credibility and trust.

When you stay true to your principles, there is no mystery to your leadership, so it is easy for the people you lead to have confidence in your ability to lead them.

For younger women starting to climb the professional ladder, remember that no woman is an island, and there is nothing wrong with leaning on other women and being intentional about creating the proper support systems to help them be successful in their careers.

To become the woman I am today, many support systems have been vital to my success, starting with my family. Work-life prioritization is critical to me, so having the support of my husband, children, and extended family has helped me achieve my career aspirations.

There is a saying that “like sharpens like”, so several professional bodies like WIMBIZ have provided inspiration and support. I also draw support from my inner circle of friends, who keep me grounded and help me have fun, which is essential for holistic living.

As someone who has been in executive management for many years, my experiences gave me a unique advantage in creating a program specially curated to address the peculiar challenges women executives encounter.

This is why each module of my six-week leadership program at the Women Lifestyle Hub is targeted to deal with problem areas of women in executive management. We deploy a very interactive approach throughout the program based on our mantra: “Great Leaders don’t hide, they shine”.

We also divide participants into sub-groups during the program, where everyone has the opportunity to lead at some point. This also bolsters what we call a time of “collective learning”.

For example, during a cohort at my six-week leadership program, a participant came into the program lacking confidence in her leadership capability.

She was unemployed at the time and kept shying away from applying for some top positions because she was not confident that she could do the jobs. After the program, she applied for a position she would not have applied for in the past and ended up getting the job.

Building a community of like-minded women creates opportunities for developing strategic relationships that foster professional growth and development, and this cannot be overemphasized.

For organizations that want to boost women’s leadership, it would take a lot of intentionality to achieve this. There must be a conscious effort to drive awareness within the operational culture of the organization, followed by a detailed plan of action to create a more equitable work environment.

For the larger society, awareness is indeed crucial. It is essential to highlight women’s achievements by giving them the recognition they deserve. The International Women’s Day celebrations have done this in the past couple of years, but that is just one day in 365 days.

To truly effect change, we need to transition from occasional recognition to implementing enduring policies that foster an equitable work environment for everyone, particularly for women who often get the short end of the stick and face systemic barriers. It’s time to create a workplace culture where gender equality isn’t just a slogan but a lived reality every day of the year.

Bola Matel-Okoh is an accomplished attorney with over 30 years of ex
perience in diverse areas of judicial science, called to both the New York State and Nigerian Bar Associations.

She is a certified Executive Coach and Founder of BMO Advisory Services, a leadership and personal development consulting firm that provides advisory and counseling services to women in top executive positions. She’s also the Founder of The Women’s Lifestyle Hub (WLH), providing support, training and a safe space for executive women to achieve holistic living in life, career and business.

Bola Matel-Okoh is a Non-Executive Director at Wema Bank PLC.