5 Ways Executive Coaching Can Help Women Break the Glass Ceiling

During Women’s History Month, the spotlight is on the status of women in the corporate world, revealing the challenges they face. If you haven’t caught up with the latest findings, here’s a summary from Checkr’s 2024 workplace equality survey.

Globally, women occupy less than one-third of leadership roles. Almost 70% of women feel they receive lower pay than their male counterparts for the same work. A mere 11% of women sense an equal level of respect from their male peers. Only about half of Gen Z women believe they have an equal opportunity to secure a management position as men do.

While there are many systemic issues leading to these inequities, women aiming to boost their leadership skills or advance their careers may find that executive coaching offers a strategic advantage on this skewed playing field.

Why Coaching Women Leaders is So Important

Coaching women leaders is of paramount importance in today’s business landscape. It serves not only as a catalyst for individual growth and career advancement but also as a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to harness the full spectrum of leadership talent. Coaching provides women with tailored support to navigate the unique challenges they may face in the workplace, such as gender bias and work-life balance issues. It empowers them to build confidence, refine their leadership style, and develop strategies for effective decision-making and influence. Coaching women leaders can lead to more diverse perspectives in decision-making, fostering innovation and driving better business outcomes.

5 Leadership Skills Women Can Master Through Executive Coaching

Executive coaching offers one solution to the challenges women commonly encounter, particularly by helping bolster their leadership capabilities. Below are five distinct leadership competencies that executive coaching can assist women in cultivating within the workplace.

1. Time Management

Time management is a critical skill for any leader. Still, it holds particular significance for women in leadership roles since women often balance many responsibilities. This includes professional duties and unpaid and invisible work.

Given this reality, enhancing time management skills is not just beneficial but essential. While in some cases, delegating or eliminating these additional tasks is the optimal solution, it’s not always feasible. Executive coaching steps in to fill this gap by empowering women leaders with the tools to prioritize their time more effectively. Through coaching, they learn to distinguish between urgent and important tasks, allocate their time where it has the most impact, and navigate their complex roles with greater efficiency and less stress.

2. Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Research shows that imposter syndrome disproportionally affects women. Imposter syndrome is an internal experience of intellectual or professional inadequacy — self-doubt resulting in anxiety and a fear of being found out to be a fraud. Coaches work with these leaders to identify and dismantle the limiting beliefs that fuel imposter syndrome, replacing them with empowering narratives and self-affirmations. Furthermore, coaches provide women with actionable strategies to enhance their visibility and assertiveness, ensuring their ideas and contributions are recognized and valued. By fostering a leadership presence that is both commanding and inclusive, women leaders can effectively promote team building and camaraderie, creating a collaborative and supportive work environment. Ultimately, executive coaching is a transformative tool that helps women overcome imposter syndrome and enables them to lead with conviction, inspire their teams, and drive organizational success.

3. Strengthening Negotiation Skills

The longstanding narrative suggests that women are less likely to request higher salaries or assertively pursue promotions than men. Yet, recent studies challenge this assumption. In 2023, Vanderbilt University unveiled findings that women not only engage in salary negotiations more frequently than men but also face higher rejection rates when they do so.

While addressing pay inequity gaps is critical, executive coaching can equip women with advanced negotiation techniques to ensure their skills are sharp and effective. Tailored guidance helps navigate the negotiation process, ensuring they are well-prepared to advocate for their worth in the workplace.

4. Cultivating Resilience

A 2022 Cisco study found that resilience was key to women’s success in and out of the workplace. Executive coaches can help women build resilience using enhanced emotional intelligence and effective strategies to manage stress and move through setbacks quickly. By honing these skills, women can navigate their careers with greater agility, turning potential roadblocks into opportunities for advancement.

5. Expanding Networks

Lastly, executive coaches can guide women through the intricacies of professional networking, a vital component of career advancement. Coaches work with clients on their networking goals by providing the strategies and support necessary to cultivate a robust professional network.

Building a network goes beyond mere connections on LinkedIn; it involves identifying role models, securing mentors, and broadening one’s presence within industry circles. Coaches can assist women in pinpointing the right individuals who can influence their career trajectory positively. They offer insights into effective networking practices, ensuring women can make the most of every interaction and opportunity.

The Bottom Line

Executive coaching can be a crucial resource for rising women leaders looking to build their leadership skills and be better equipped to navigate common barriers.

Sign up for an executive coaching call today and embark on a journey to greater success and fulfillment in the workplace. Discover how our expert coaches can help you navigate your path to the top with clarity, purpose, and unwavering determination.