I was recently struck by the article, “Stop Undervaluing Exceptional Women.” It resonated with me because it was another aspect of what we see so often in our WOMEN Unlimited programs: Women are not grasping their organizational value and are often surprised to discover they are considered high potential by their managers.
Article authors Elizabeth L. Campbell and Oliver Hahl discovered through their independent research that “people are more comfortable hiring women for jobs they’re overqualified for than men.” Their interviews revealed that overqualified women are 26 percent more likely to be hired compared to men with equivalent exceptional qualifications.
The research further underscored the belief that overqualified women are more likely to stay put in a position, which can lead to their being taken for granted and not receiving the same bonuses, raises and promotions as their male colleagues.
As the president and CEO of an organization dedicated to providing leading corporations with resources to help them attract, retain and advance female talent, I immediately asked myself: “Who can make things more equitable, and what do they have to do?”
The answer was not surprising. The problem needs to be addressed on two fronts: by corporate leaders and by the women themselves. Working in tandem, they are the catalysts for women developing a realistic understanding of their competencies and as a result, not selling themselves short in present and future positions.
Managers can be the great equalizers
The enemy of creating a diverse pipeline and of advancing female talent is very often the unknown. Managers usually have the facts and figures about their team members — but none, if any, also have information about their team members’ desires and aspirations. In the case of women, this information gap can lead to incorrect and gender-based assumptions, sometimes inadvertently triggered by unconscious bias.
By creating an open dialog with the talented women on their teams, managers can become better advocates for their advancement and active advisors on their career strategies. To better get to know “the whole person,” they can ask questions such as: What parts of the job do you most enjoy doing? What are your goals? How can I help you achieve those goals? In this way, managers can shed their preconceived notions and through discussions and on-going support help the women on their teams understand how, in their current roles, they can bring value and impact to the organization and to its stakeholders.
Additionally, research shows that women do not receive the same career-advancing feedback as their male colleagues. Women usually get only “transactional” feedback, while their male colleagues are the beneficiaries of “aspirational” feedback as well. Managers need, not just in annual reviews, but regularly, to go beyond the perfunctory and provide their female talent with honest, personalized feedback on their accomplishments, on areas in need of improvement and on strategies for aligning personal goals with corporate ones.
Women need to step up and speak up
There’s a wonderful expression: “You have to do it yourself, but you can’t do it alone.” Often, women keep their head down, hoping that their great work and dedication will be noticed. Women need to boldly reach out organizationally —– both to their immediate manager and to their HR colleagues. They need to make it clear to their managers what they are looking for, and hoping for, in their careers. They must advocate for career-advancing feedback and seek out answers to questions like: How do you see me adding more value to the organization? What projects might help me better demonstrate my value? What can I be doing that I am not doing now?
Additionally, talented women need to not just take a seat at the table — they need to raise their voices at the table. It is a sure way to be noticed by corporate leaders.
But before they can seek advice, support and visibility, talented women must have a clear picture of what they really want. They must honestly assess what they are good at and what they love to do, realizing that the two sometimes do not go hand in hand. If the two are not in sync, they need to look at which career strategies to alter and who can help.
It is time for corporate leaders, managers and the women themselves to partner together so exceptional women can understand and embrace their talents and their competencies. Only then can we chip away at the inequities in pay, bonuses and advancement that come from overqualified women significantly outnumbering overqualified men in key positions.
