The pandemic has taken a significant toll on all of us, and women have taken on a disproportionate share of the burden. Women have faced impacts to career advancement, struggled with trying to balance childcare and education, and for some, there has been the added need to juggle care for aging parents. More than 2.5 million women have left the workforce, resulting in significant impact to career momentum. Helping women get their careers back on track is critical to reducing increased gender and pay disparity for women in the workplace.

Hiring a certified leadership coach who specializes in coaching and development programs specifically for female leaders can help women regain lost career momentum. A women’s leadership specialist can also help organizations with creating a well-prepared female leadership talent pipeline, along with supporting both female leaders and their bosses for continued mutual development as women return to the workforce.

Prioritize Women’s Development Through Coaching

It is time for organizational leadership to make developing women a priority and help close the gaps in learning, development, and professional opportunities they missed due to the pandemic. As women return to the workforce, organizations have a golden opportunity to shift gears and fully commit to moving from discussion to action, from action to accountability, and from accountability to measurable results.

For women already in leadership roles, hire coaches for them or sponsor them in workshops and programs designed for female leaders and the unique issues they still face due to the pandemic such as increased stress, burnout, and the need for greater workplace flexibility leading to better work/life harmony.

Coaching is a critical step in developing effective leaders and building confidence. Women often identify confidence as the key to leadership success, and yet approximately 67% of them say they need more support in building confidence to feel like they can be successful leaders.  An effective coach serves as a thinking partner to help clients expand self-awareness and develop the necessary mindset shifts to overcome limiting beliefs that may be sapping confidence and momentum.

An effective coach also understands the unique challenges that women face in the workplace and serve as a sounding board for female leaders to think aloud and articulate their vision. Once clarity is achieved, the coach works with the client to create an effective strategy and goals connected to values, strengths, and purpose.  

As a result of coaching, female leaders can gain more confidence, resilience, better communication and conflict resolution skills, and become more comfortable with negotiation and networking.

Create a Female Leadership Talent Pipeline

Start the process by identifying women who will benefit from leadership coaching and development by going beyond senior business leaders and high potentials to include women at all levels. A great way to get them started would be to implement a layered approach to career development such as "Women in Business" programs that offer coaching, development, leadership cohorts, and mentoring.

It is critical to assess strengths, skills, and mindset, identify needs, and provide a tailored leadership development program designed to help women lead from their own sources of strength and personal power. Then layer in coaching and mentoring as needed to begin preparing these women for leadership, for advancement to the next level of leadership, and to acclimate to new role transitions. 

It is important to note that mentoring is different from coaching, although organizations often confuse the two. I work with organizations to implement and facilitate coaching, leadership development, and mentoring programs designed specifically for women.  Working in male-dominated industries as one of the few female leaders at the table supplied a significant amount of first-hand insight into working through the challenges that often come up for women when we try to move up into higher levels of responsibility and impact while remaining true to our own authenticity.

Multi-faceted Approach to Leadership Support

I encourage organizations to use a multi-faceted approach that includes the managers of women in leadership positions to further support them in development efforts. When working with female leaders, I often work with their male bosses as well to help them learn how to support their female employees with techniques that fuel confidence, facilitate learning opportunities, chart a path to career progression discussions, and provide stretch assignments that help them grow towards the next milestone.

Leadership coaching and development for women is no longer a nice-to-have. It is a necessary investment to ensure women leaders are achieving at their fullest potential. The entire organizational ecosystem depends on having diverse talent who can thrive in current and future roles. Coaching provides the safe environment that women need where they can be candid, vulnerable, and that allows them to feel supported. 

When selecting a leadership coach, look for someone who is certified, experienced, specializes in women’s leadership development, and who can measure ROI on the coaching engagement. With concentrated effort between organizational leadership and women’s leadership development specialists, we can help close the gender gap by implementing a strategic vision that outperforms the competition in terms of resilience, innovation, and revenue growth.