Recent Poll Says Women Lead Well: Access is Still Limited

By Marc Nelson, Survey Analyst / December 20th, 2021 

Women’s roles in the workplace and our greater society at large continue to both grow and evolve. In fact, there is a rising tide of evidence that suggests that women leaders are perceived equally as effective as men and in some cases, more so. A 2014 Pew Research study of randomly polled Americans found that women are more compassionate and more organized leaders than their male counterparts and are evenly as effective in intelligence and the capacity for innovation. 

This is a major deviation from past views on the topic. As the world’s views on women continue to transform, we at Skytop explore what makes women transformational as we emerge toward gender equality. 

Let’s analyze the results from this week’s survey of Skytop readers: 

Question #1: What is the most important characteristic in defining a woman as “transformational?”  

Many of our readers (53.3%) felt that the best answer is a “Strong leader who paves the way through collaboration and mobilizing others to support change.” 

Jo Lynne Whiting, a Chair of the Board of Directors, Boardbound by Women’s Leadership Foundation, seconded this notion when she stated, “The definition of a transformational woman as a strong leader using collaboration to mobilize change definitely fits the women board directors Boardbound works with. Research shows that collaboration, cohesiveness and engagement from all board directors goes up when there is gender balance on a board.” So, including more women on corporate boards is not only a transformational concept, but it also encourages those within the organization to embrace transformation as well. 

The concept of welcoming change was also pointed out by Cindy Burrell, the President of Diversity in Boardrooms, who feels that the most important quality of a transformational woman is, “Believing in a new direction and adept at building consensus and bringing others along to create change.” 

The second most popular reply (30%) was, “Achieving success despite adverse circumstances in order to gain needed credentials.” 

According to a Korn Ferry survey, “Female CEOs are on average, four years older than their male counterparts and worked in a slightly greater number of roles, functions, companies, and industries.” With the odds stacked against them, these women would not let historical obstacles hold them back from achieving their professional goals, and were driven by both a sense of purpose and achieving business results. 

Rounding out the list were replies of, “Being fearless and going outside of one’s comfort’s zone” (13.3%) and, “The ability to break through into a non-traditional role.” (3.3%) Deborah Rosati, the Founder and CEO of Women Get on Board Inc, cites fearlessness as the most important quality that a woman can have to make it up the corporate ranks. On her blog, she asserts that having this type of determination allows women to use their confidence to embrace change. 

Question #2: What do you consider the greatest barrier to becoming transformational?  

The most popular reply from the Skytop survey was, “Lack of inclusion on career tracks that develop and augment leadership skills” (40%). 

Using the healthcare industry as an example, a 2016 Stanton and Chase survey points out that “Only 8 out of 100 hospitals have a woman CEO while the majority of health service managers, nurses, and medical managers are women.” 

Why does this glass ceiling exist? 

Is it from gender bias in selecting women for leadership roles as 36.7% of Skytop readers suggested? 

As Stephanie Sarkis of Forbes wrote in a 2018 article, “Gender stereotypes lead to men in the workplace being deemed as competitive and independent, while women in the workplace are deemed as cooperative.” Because men have been in leadership positions for so long, traits associated with leadership are often thought of as masculine and not viewed as favorably while displayed by women. 

Perhaps it is from a lack of mentoring of male leaders, as 13.3% of Skytop readers voted? 

Venita Fields, a Board Director of Superior Group of Companies, IMA Financial Group, Inc, noted that she can recall only one or two male mentors that she has had during her 40-year career. Maryann Bruce, a former Fortune 100 Division President & CEO, thinks that this concept should be taken a step further when she stated, “It’s not about mentorship. Many women have the prerequisite skills. They don’t have sponsors. Women need male allies who advocate for them when they are not in the room.” Mentorship is more about the providing of advice while sponsorship involves publicly advocating for a woman because you truly believe in her ability to succeed. 

10% of Skytop readers voted for “a lack of investment in developing high potential women.” As Alaina Percival of Forbes wrote, “Elevating high potential women isn’t a zero-sum game. When more women are able to reach leadership positions and succeed, they create jobs and opportunities for others.” 

Question #3: Who would you consider to be the best example of a transformational woman?  

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was voted as the best example of being a transformational woman among Skytop readers with 56.6% of the vote. In addition to being a Supreme Court justice from 1993 until her passing in 2020, she was an active advocate for women’s rights. Her views on equal rights for box sexes were as follows: “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time. If we want to build a world that is fair, just, and free of inequality, we need to think bigger, act bolder, and keep forging ahead.” 

The next most popular choice among Skytop readers was Adela Cepeda with 13% of the tally. Ms. Cepeda serves on the boards of the UBS Funds, the Pathway Mutual Funds, and chairs the Mercer Mutual Funds. 
Adela has conducted more than $100 billion in bond deals during her career. In an interview with Enrepreneur.com, she stated, “The greatest challenge to women is having access to the opportunities, to plum positions, to contract positions, to open corporate board seats. As women, we need to do more to make sure we let other women know when we’re aware of opportunities.” 

Ava DuVernay, an American filmmaker, tied for second place with 13% of the tally. “I Will Follow”, “Selma”, and “13th” are just a few of the movies that she has produced and/or directed. At the 2021 Forbes Power Women’s Summit, Ava stated, “The freedoms that we enjoy were hard fought generations ago, and that what we fight for now will be enjoyed by people generations from now. And that is what life is about, it is trying to make your corner of the world, your corner of your time here a little bit better. Not just for yourself, but who comes next.” 

Liz Cheney came in 4th place with 10% of the vote. She is a Congresswoman from Wyoming since 2017 and the daughter of former Presidential Vice President, Dick Cheney. A Republican for her entire career, she recently was ousted from the Wyoming GOP by stating that the 2020 presidential election results were valid. She serves as a fine example of “Being fearless and going outside of one’s comfort zone”, as addressed previously in the Skytop poll. 

Finally, Greta Thurnberg received 6.6% of the vote. Greta is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to act on climate change mitigation. She is known for her straightforward speaking manner which holds world leaders accountable for their failure to take significant action on this world issue. Despite being only 18 years old, Greta shows that one can’t be too young to cause change and make a difference. 

Greta Thurnberg’s quote on climate change can also be carried over to the topic of gender equality when she stated, “The world is waking up and change is coming whether you like it or not.” 

Do you have any feedback or reaction on these topics? We welcome you to use the comment box below and weigh-in.