The World's 100 most Powerful Women

What are you doing to grow and support you female talent?

Last month Forbes published its 17th annual list of the "Worlds 100 most Powerful Women". Not for the first time, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, is featured in the publication. Like or loathe her politics, one thing is clear; her robust decision making and empathetic approach during the pandemic has won over the hearts and minds of many a doubter. For this alone, Scottish politics will never be the same.

The Harvard Review also published its research, titled "Women are better leaders during a crisis". Was there ever any real doubt?

In a year of extraordinary challenges, civil unrest, financial insecurity and economic turbulence, women have proved to provide much needed leadership with the added touch of reassurance and compassion. In the, not so distant, days gone by, such qualities were viewed as weak and 'un-leadership' like. Yet time and again opinion polls, research and results are showing the power of genuine emotion and compassion to win over not only hearts but also minds, most notably the minds of business leaders.

For generations we have had 'unleader' like female role models who have embraced and overcome challenges with the power of empathetic language and silent, often underestimated, actions. Role models such as Florence Nightingale, Evaline Hilda Burkitt and Fatima Jinnah, all of whom have left their mark on history, not to mention the less well known, Andree de Jongh, Rosalind Franklin and Gertrude Bell, but to name a few.

Whilst we celebrate and congratulate the world's most powerful women, their success should not come as a surprise. How many of us have silent, yet powerful female role models in our lives? Grandmothers, mothers, aunt's, sisters, teachers, friends, daughters. How many have overcome bias and prejudice to be heard? How many have patiently waited for their opportunity to speak? How many have wounds from the barriers they have broken down to have a say in their future?

So while we, rightly, celebrate the success of the few, let's not forget the remaining challenges of the many. Therefore, the big question remains 'what are you doing to grow and support your female talent?'.

To discuss what you can do to improve gender equality and make your organisation a fairer, forward thinking and inclusive workplace contact Diversity+. Together we can grow and support the female role models of the future.