Championing Women Leaders

Evidence is mounting for the superior financial performance of firms with a critical mass of women on boards and in senior leadership roles. However, patterns for female leadership are identical regardless of sector, size or type of organization: whilst early recruitment is strong, the numbers dwindle as women move towards senior leadership roles. The challenge facing organisations is that they know this is important but they don't know what to do to keep and promote women who are highly qualified and have leadership potential. This global research-based book shows that shows that championship is the key differentiator between women who achieve leadership roles and those who don't. It examines the reasons why championing works and why it is so important for female executive development in particular and it explores some commonly held myths about women's lack of progress into senior leadership roles across all sectors. It unpicks the basis of effective championing how the relationship works, what the organisational implications are, what the process entails and how the impact is assessed. Highly-practical in nature, it features tasks, exercises and case studies from around the world to provide a user-friendly guide to develop workplace champions for female leaders in any organization.