You walk into a room, adorned in your favorite pantsuit. You look sharp. You are intelligent and more than competent, but after a quick scan of the room, you immediately begin to question yourself. Why aren’t there any other women here? Am I the only non-white person in this room? An older white male passes you and brushes your shoulder. He doesn’t apologize. Your questions run deeper as the all-familiar rhythm of imposter syndrome plagues your mind. Am I good enough? Should I be here? A little voice whispers in your ear. Straighten your back. Act strong. Speak clearly.
As a female or underrepresented minority, this scenario may be all too familiar for you. Despite your competence, experience, and high-level of education you find yourself cowering in a fishbowl of perceived notions and stereotypes. To avoid standing out, you mimic those around you, to stand in. You silence your experience, your ideas, and your voice. The company that you work for remains at the status quo, unchallenged and you lose part of yourself in the process.
In today’s professional environment, the pressure to be successful and to belong comes with the need to put on a “game face.”
All too often, this game face is nothing more than a smoke and mirror show that ultimately inhibits both your personal evolution and the growth of the company.
Research has shown that diversity in leadership has direct ties to strong business results; the more the C-suite and boardroom represent the customers they serve, the better their revenue stream. Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 21% more likely to outperform on profitability and 27% more likely to demonstrate superior value. Companies in the top quartile for ethnic/cultural diversity on executive teams were 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability.
Despite these facts, minorities are still significantly underrepresented in leadership positions. At US finance companies, only 2.4% of executive committee members, 1.4% of managing directors, and 1.4% of senior portfolio managers are black. Latinos occupy only 2.8% of the total number of seats in Fortune 500 companies. Less than 5% of women hold a leadership role at a large company.
Source: McKinsey & Company – Women in the Workplace 2019
