Women Named John

Reality quickly sets in when reading New York Times article, “The Top Jobs Where Women Are Outnumbered By Men.”

Today, the number of Fortune 500 chief executive women totals the number of Fortune 500 male chief executive officers named John.

This shocking, almost humorous, and frankly alarming statistic is a blatant call to action. How can CEO men, only those named John, outnumber women in top leadership roles across America’s most influential companies? And if there is a “John” for every strong, bright, productive female, let's suggest that that “John” begin to fix the situation.

It’s time we call on our friend, John. How can CEO men named John make an impact on workplace hierarchies and workplace bias?

1. Evaluate. It is critical that John engage in honest evaluation. How diverse is his workforce? How many of John’s ‘go to people’ are females? Is he actively looking broadly and deeply for talent? One of the most honest evaluations of a companies workplace culture is how often women are included in social and networking activities key to advancement…

2. Reflect. John must reflect on the last time he sat down with a female colleague, or grabbed coffee with a female colleague and truly listened. Has John made an active commitment to understand the experiences of his female colleagues? When was the last time a female’s idea or creation was carried to fruition? Has he sat in on meetings to observe if their voice is being heard and appreciated?

3. Challenge. John must challenge himself and his own personal biases. We all have biases; it’s inevitable to human nature. Yet, awareness of personal bias is key in overcoming harmful thought and action. John must engage in personal bias challenges such as reversing the gender of a person in question to see it if makes a difference in thinking or action. Uncovering bias is the first step in creating change.

4. Sponsor. John must consider how often he talks about the accomplishments of females in his workforce. Does he provide them visibility and sponsorship? Does he compliment and recommend them behind closed doors? To ensure career advancement, females need advocates in positions of authority who can use their influence to recommend promotion and advancement.

5. Adapt. John must be active in adapting the culture of his workplace. How are females described? Can they be seen as both competent and well liked? Or does the dialogue only allow one? What about meetings and social outings? John must be intentional about the messages he sends and promotes in the workplace.

The message is clear: corporate leaders like CEO’s named John hold the keys to changing male-dominated culture in the workplace. But only if they are willing to act. Awareness is key, and the lopsidedness of corporate culture is slowly gaining recognition albeit its clarity is shocking. By blocking females (i.e. more than half of the population) from significant leadership roles across the globe, we are actively playing a role in stagnating the growth of ideas, technology, invention, medicine, research and more.

It is time we recognize the male face of corporate culture (no offense John)…and stare back at it until discomfort spurs action.