The New York Times recently reported that giant chip maker, Intel Corporation, is allocating $300 million for workplace diversity. The fund is to be used over the next three years to attract more women and minorities to the technology field and make the industry more hospitable to them once they get there. Reports released by many of the largest technology companies show that roughly 70 percent of their employees are men and 30 percent are women.
Intel’s chief executive, Brian M. Krzanich, said that the broader issue of diversity in the tech industry resonated with him personally. “I have two daughters of my own coming up on college age,” he said. “I want them to have a world that’s got equal opportunity for them.”
The issue of workplace diversity is one that Daniels Consulting Group is very passionate about helping clients address. And, as a women-owned firm representing mothers and fathers of young daughters, developing women leaders is of particular interest.
The reality of today’s marketplace forces companies to continually assess if they have the right quantity and quality of people in place to meet current and future demands. Too many of our clients have identified talent gaps—especially in leadership—and they are frustrated because they can’t grow leaders from within or find them on the outside fast enough. What’s more, when they eventually bring a new leader into the organization from the outside, they often flame out because they didn’t adapt to the culture.
Now, overlay the leadership gap with the very real challenge of getting more women in the leadership pipeline. While there is some recognition at the top that this is a real problem, we often don’t have real solutions for it.
Late last year, our team hosted its second annual Women in Leadership forum and centered discussion around this very subject. We used Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, to guide the conversation. The strength in the room, willingness to connect and help one another, and mutual respect for the valuable insights and perspectives shared was inspiring. Moved by the candidness of our participants to do even more to help our clients ensure they have the right talent in the right seats, we are deliberately finding ways to continue the dialogue and engage the next generation of women leaders in the conversation.
If you agree this is an issue worth solving for, we want to hear from you—both women and men—as different views and vantage points make exchanges like these valuable. Consider the following: What obstacles prohibit greater numbers of women in an organization’s leadership pipeline? What can experienced leaders do to help the next generation of women leaders excel and overcome barriers? How can we promote change?
Naturally curious and eager to listen, we encourage you to connect with us. Give us a call, send a note, or follow us on LinkedIn. If you liked this post, consider sharing it with your network and inviting others to comment and join the conversation.