How Women In Corporate Leadership Are Rewriting The Rules For Success

 

“We are living through a moment in history when the old definitions of success and what it takes to lead are giving way to something that is altogether more collaborative and more inclusive,” says Jenna C. Fisher, author of the new book, To The Top: How Women In Corporate Leadership Are Rewriting The Rules For Success. 

“We are seeing a demand for leaders who cultivate a kind of compassionate command,” adds Fisher. 

In her book, Fisher outlines how collectively we can permanently build a more inclusive way of working into corporate culture to launch more women to the highest echelons of business. Her approach puts the onus on organizations, not on the individual, to change and keep women on a sustained path to success. 

In the United States, women account for 51% of the population and 70% of high school valedictorians. Yet, only 9% of the largest 100 companies in the S&P500 index are led by women, shares Fisher. 

Combining cutting-edge research with the stories of powerful women executives at the top of corporations today, including Nike, Visa, IBM, Salesforce, Atlantic Records, and more, Fisher provides a data-driven roadmap for both current and aspiring leaders of all demographics to achieve greater levels of success in an evolving workforce. 

Fisher also explores ways in which the world of work is changing—and how this opens up new opportunities to accelerate the path to parity—while offering detailed descriptions of what leaders and organizations are actively doing to retain, attract, and build high-functioning teams of capable, diverse leaders. 

Throughout the book, current executives and aspiring leaders will gain insight and understanding into the future of great leadership. It explores: 

• The demand for CEOs who lead with the compassion, empathy, sensitivity, and integrity needed to build strong teams in the post-Covid workplace.
• The traits and leadership styles adopted by women, which makes them incredibly well-suited to lead companies through the complex challenges facing our world.
• The obstacles women face within the workforce and an intimate telling of how female leaders across industries successfully broke through the glass ceiling.
• Original data and research showcasing the key differences between leaders of different demographics and what these various leadership styles mean for organizational success.
• Methods through which organizations can – and must – adjust the internal perceptions of leadership to ensure long-term growth in a fast-changing world. 

Some other key takeaways from the book include: 

• Build diversity targets into hiring decisions.
• Recognize unconscious biases and how they hold you back.
• Be open to appointing or promoting people who do not check all the boxes.
• Consider using blind resumes (which include no name, photos, or details about gender or race). This is a powerful way to overcome systemic biases and increase diversity across your upper management ranks.
• Aim to have at least three women on your management team and on your board.  

Fisher says that at our current pace of change, it will take women 132 years to reach economic parity with men. To The Top aims to close the gap by providing aspiring female leaders with the key to unlocking their own corner office. 

Jenna C. Fisher

Over the past 20 years, Fisher has developed trusted relationships with a broad cross-section of global business leaders and the companies they shape. Having completed more than 400 CFO and board searches, she has a deep understanding of what professional and personal experiences, as well as the personality traits, are needed at the top. She knows that the most successful companies—in terms of any metric—are led by diverse teams who understand and reflect their products, services, employees, and audiences. 

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.