In my leadership career, I experienced the unique challenges faced by our gender in areas like perception, productivity, and purpose throughout our working lives.
Ruth Limkin, CEO of The Banyans Healthcare.
While Australia continues to make progress on many aspects of gender equality, female representation in leadership remains underwhelming.
Sadly, data reveals that of all CEOs, Managing Directors, or heads of businesses in Australia, less than a quarter (22.3 per cent) are female. In fact, men are 1.5 times more likely to hold managerial positions. Unfortunately, only 11.7 per cent of organisations have targets set to increase the representation of women in their governing bodies.
It’s smart business to have a healthy representation of women in leadership. After all, research is revealing a link between women in key decision-making positions and improved company performance. A greater representation of women in senior leadership positions brings more diversity of thought and strategy in targeting business growth and company value.
Research from the Peterson Institute for International Economics found that companies with at least 30 per cent women in leadership roles had net profit margins that were 15 per cent higher on average than those with no female leaders2.
Further, a study by the Harvard Business Review found that women-led businesses outperform those led by men in areas such as innovation, team collaboration, and goal setting3.
Unfortunately, there can still be a great divide between the experiences of men and women within leadership positions. Women can continue to face unconscious bias, unequal pay, or having to carry an unequal share of duties outside of work.
In my leadership career, I experienced the unique challenges faced by our gender in areas like perception, productivity, and purpose throughout our working lives.
My professional career has covered many sectors, including business, media, government and not-for-profit. Across it all, I have remained passionate about creating a better tomorrow, starting, and leading organisations that contribute to community, health, and wellbeing. This passion springs from many years of working with those experiencing a need for support.
I project managed the development of a kindergarten before coordinating around 500 volunteers to assist with both the immediate and ongoing responses to the January 2011 Brisbane floods as CEO of a local charity. This experience led me to work as Chief of Staff for the Speaker of Queensland Parliament, where I was the Parliament’s project director for the G20 Leaders Retreat before stepping into my current role as Founding CEO of The Banyans Healthcare.
This journey has shaped my understanding of the various environments and challenges experienced by female professionals and public figures. I believe shining a light on both the opportunities and challenges that come with being a woman in a leadership role helps us put words to our feelings and experiences and develop intentional strategies to grow.
Throughout my career, I have appreciated the opportunity to develop an understanding of both my preferred communication and behavioural style, as well as learning to appreciate and benefit from the styles of others I have worked with and how to adapt in different circumstances.
Time and time again, as a certified Professional Behavioural Analyst, I have seen female leaders that I have coached grow in understanding, be encouraged, and affirmed in their value and unlock keys to increase their workplace and leadership performance.
Another reality that creates challenges for leaders, and particularly female leaders, is that we live in a world that has an unhealthy obsession with work, and it can almost feel irresponsible to rest. The greatest piece of advice I can offer, especially to women leaders, is to give ourselves permission to rest. After all, a well-rested leader is a more productive leader.
Understanding that the most responsible thing we can do is rest is an important mindset to develop so that we don’t undermine our own performance. This takes intentionality and leads to a life focused on self-optimisation to be healthier and more productive.
Leading a company that provides services 24/7, 365 days a year, means it’s tempting to always stay on. I must remind myself that I have capable, well-trained professional team members who do their job well, and we can share the load. I encourage others to do the same to ensure a healthy work-life balance.
For both women in and aspiring to be in similar leadership positions, it’s important to establish healthy methods to unwind and recharge. Health and wellbeing comes from understanding and applying a holistic approach to productivity– to lead a team we must have a full life which is enriched through caring for ourselves and others.
Leadership can be exhausting, but it doesn’t have to be. Acknowledging stress, partaking in well-being activities such as journaling, yoga, or hobbies and focusing on sleep all support a greater sense of meaning and purpose in your work.
In particular, finding activities outside of work that nurture our well-being must become non-negotiable. Similar to business meetings, they need to be part of our schedule. It is as important to think about strategy as it is to be fresh and improve our cognitive well-being to allow that strategic thinking to happen.
I encourage every woman in leadership to have a great psychologist or therapist that they see twice a year to do a check-in and recalibrate. Just as we get our cars serviced once every six months, we must give the same attention to our soul.
With professional therapeutic support, whether for proactive care or focused treatment, a healthy mindset is possible. I’d suggest all of us need the positive benefits of psychological care at different intervals, particularly with the difficulties that come with being a woman in high-level or high-pressure positions.
We still have a long way to go, but we are on the journey together. And that is a very good thing.
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