Gender Inclusion, a fiduciary responsibility

The issue of getting more women on to boards is becoming simpler and clearer. The research is in:

Boards with a better balance of men and women perform better than those dominated by males. 

'Professor Laura Tyson, former dean of the London Business School, found that diverse boards were more effective at running their companies'  Times, February 25.

Here is the link to the full Times article that quotes the Cranfield study.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/leaders/article2925767.ece

With this evidence, the question for all Chairman is what is their strategy  is for increasing the proportion of women on boards; not because of political correctness or because of legislation, but because the business will likely perform better. And, this is what they were appointed to do by shareholders.

Lord Davies, leading a UK governmental study of the issue, says:

"The motive for more female voices is not so that companies might make a token gesture towards gender parity, but because boardrooms which have a greater mix of men and women are more effective at steering and stewarding their companies'. Times, February 25.

Gender balance, specifically, is likely to directly impact evaluation of risk.

Fewer women on boards is indicative of failed talent development strategies, poor succession planning and a lack of targeted leadership development. It is also suggested of regressive male attitudes, such as 'women can't do maths', which are simply inaccurate. Men and women can do maths equally well when they have similar expectations of success. Therefore, the issue is one of expectation, not ability. 

This is why both men and women need to see more women business leaders. Not only will it mean businesses will access a broader base of leadership talent; it will also encourage more women to enter science and technological disciplines with ambition.

Executive coaching and mentoring have too often been used to anoint the heir apparent, rather than build a more inclusive board.  This is changing. Coaches are becoming more aware of their role in designing the right coaching interventions for sustainable business success.

Executive coaching; and board mentoring, are interventions that can have direct impact on accelerating the numbers of women on the board. Coaching can help shift male attitudes towards women, and embolden women to step up exercise power.