Korn Ferry Study Reveals Attributes, Priorities and Career Paths of Women CEOs
‘Women CEOs Speak Today’ Highlights Progress Made During the Last Five Years and Where More Work is Still Needed
Over the course of several months,
“Just five years ago women represented only
“I’ve seen firsthand that when women lead, they succeed, from the corporate boardroom to the walls of power to the Situation Room. To address today’s challenges, we can, and we must, meet the demand for talented CEOs with the many qualified women ready to lead — it is simply in everyone’s best interests,” said Retired Adm.
The report highlights three major themes regarding the role of women as CEOs:
- Women are actively seeking and stepping into the CEO role – but not frequently enough. Many talented, high-potential women often do not consider the CEO role for themselves, seeking out functional roles instead of being in charge of a profit-and-loss center, which is seen as a clearer path to the CEO position. More than half of those interviewed said embracing tough assignments and delivering stellar results helps women gain the courage, confidence and visibility needed to propel their careers.
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Women are transforming the CEO role. Traditional command-and-control leadership is not yielding the same returns; instead,
60% of the CEOs say leaders today must be more collaborative and empathetic to create truly diverse and inclusive enterprises that unleash the full talent in their ranks. -
Women are growing through experience. For the women CEOs interviewed, early board service has been integral to their success as leaders. In fact,
70% underscored how early board exposure benefited their careers—by developing leadership skills, boosting visibility, and preparing to manage their own boards once CEO. The study also shows a variety of diverse paths that lead women to the CEO role – everything from engineering to sales, law and medicine.
“Like the original Women CEOs Speak research, we find rich diversity in women’s paths to the CEO role as well as the courage and purpose-driven leadership that is a hallmark among radically human leaders,” said
“Fewer women today said they had to ‘fight’ their way into the corner office,” said Stevenson. “Also, in many cases they say they were cultivated by sponsors/mentors to become CEOs, and importantly, they were highly interested in being looked at as CEOs and not as women CEOs.”
The report offers key takeaways for both organizations and women leaders.
For organizations, it recommends fostering a culture that encourages intentional growth and development and supports women as they move across areas to gain an enterprise perspective. Opportunities for women to advance need to evolve from being fortuitous to systemic.
For women, it recommends leveraging their network, building alliances, and practicing the self-care so essential to extending their leadership impact.
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Tracy.kurschner@kornferry.com
612.309.3957
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