The Good News at Microsoft

by Adrienne Hand

I was invited to speak at Microsoft recently on the status of women in business. The Mid-Atlantic campus in Reston, Virginia held a women’s career conference and I was asked to share the research I compiled for the book Make Way for Women: Men and Women Leading Together Improve Culture and Profits, which I co-authored with Leadership Consultant John Keyser. For this talk I partnered with Lulu Gonella, a highly effective executive coach whom we interviewed for the book.

Looking around the conference room full of brilliant engineers, account managers, project managers and executives, I told them how gratifying it is to speak with women who are working at a progressive company that is actually doing something to advance women! Microsoft is one of only a handful of tech companies that are closing the gender pay gap. And Microsoft is one of only 20% of companies actively engaged in confronting unconscious bias, the tendency to make assumptions that women are less capable than men.

Lulu Gonella pointed out common biases that are holding women back in many companies: the assumptions that women can’t travel away from their families; that women are less capable of handling difficult conversations with tough clients or colleagues; that women who are high performers aren’t “nice”; that women excel when they work hard, not because they have skills; and that women can’t keep a secret.

Promotions are regularly given to men without any discussion with qualified women!

This is a huge problem. The World Economic Forum reports that 44% of global employers across all industries cite unconscious bias and lack of work-life balance as the two top barriers to women’s workforce integration in the 2015–2020 period. Women still hold only 25% of management positions and only 4% are CEOs at S&P 500 companies.

The fact is, even where flexible work arrangements (FWAs) are in place, they are all to often not well implemented. This despite the fact that a study of over 700 firms in the US, UK, France and Germany by The National Study of Employers found “a significant positive relationship between work-life balance practices and total factor productivity.”

As for employers who insist on face time, Catalyst found that face time doesn’t guarantee profitable outcomes. Catalyst researchers Anna Beninger and Nancy M. Carter said of their results, “Employers and managers need to learn to trust their employees to get the job done and not be so concerned about when and where the work is completed as long as deadlines are met.”

As John Keyser says, “Let’s measure contributions by results, not hours worked. Women are highly efficient and productive. Let’s trust them to get the job done, and done well.”

The good news is that the business case for promoting women to leadership has never been stronger. Companies that recognize the value of women and promote them to leadership are seeing stronger profits, attracting and retaining top talent, and leading the way into the future.

Businesses performing in the top 20% have 37% women in leadership positions. Companies in the bottom 20% have only 19% women leaders. Greater gender diversity on boards and in senior management brings higher returns on equity, higher price/book valuations and higher stock price performance.

We know that women bring critically important skills to the table. Women communicate well and take time to listen to others’ ideas and perspectives. These essential skills raise morale and productivity, creating a culture of purpose and meaning.

So yes, we need more women in leadership. But this is not just about gender politics. What we are advocating is a proven method of strengthening companies: capturing the combined leadership talents of both men and women.

When men and women lead together, the levels of intelligent problem solving and innovation rise significantly. In executive committee meetings, men speak boldly and strategically, keeping the group moving toward the goal while women consider issues and perspectives that would improve outcomes, assuring the results are sustainable and the long-term effect on their people is favorable.

There is a powerful synergy of talent that raises morale, productivity, and profits. Men and women together form the strongest leadership. This is why John Keyser and I wrote the book Make Way for Women. As John says to women at companies he works with, “We need you!”

Regarding unconscious bias, there is hope. While speaking with the women at Microsoft, Lulu and I noted there was one sole man in the room. During our discussion, the women shared stories of being overlooked by their male colleagues and clients. One woman said she is always the sole woman engineer in a room, and is often called a girl. Another said men talk over her and don’t address her. She looked unhappy, but she shrugged and said that’s just the way it is.

Then the sole man stood up. He looked at all of the women in the room and said, “I want to know when this happens. Tell me if I’m overlooking something, or making assumptions that aren’t founded.” He said that during discussion meetings, he’s thinking ahead about strategies and he sometimes misses the process – what is happening here and now in the room. This was a Microsoft executive.

It is exactly this openness to change that is going to drive women’s advancement to the next level. Senior executive men who actively engage and listen to understand the obstacles women face in their careers are more likely to work to remove them. Men in the C-Suite who are aware of the important skills women bring are more likely to promote them to leadership.

Companies need to hold more conversations like this with senior men and women together. During these meetings, men can learn how women’s leadership skills balance and complement men’s, and how the combination of men and women leading together strengthens overall leadership and long-term results.

This is the goal. How will your company get there? My co-author John Keyser, HR Specialist Lulu Gonella, and I would be happy to facilitate that discussion.