A new Forbes article on “America’s Most Innovative Leaders 2019” has created an uproar—not because of who it put in the story, but for who it left out of it: women. The feature identified 100 innovators, 99 of whom were men. Only a single woman—Ross Stores’ CEO Barbara Rentler—made the list (near the bottom, at number 75).
In response, a growing list of female CEOs (57 at last count) signed an open letter to Forbes. The letter, which was written by journalist Diana Kapp, called on the publication to “overhaul the criteria that determines who makes the cut.” The letter emphasizes a point that SHAMBAUGH Leadership Group often reiterates as well, whenever gender balance is the topic, noting:
“Though important, this isn’t about equity and inclusion: This is about economic imperative. Growth in the global marketplace happens only by big business and start-ups opening the doors to women. We cannot compete on half our brain power…We must harness all the power, all the creativity and ingenuity the U.S. holds.”
This is most certainly true and hits the nail on the head. Research by SHAMBAUGH and others has shown that women bring many of the qualities and skillsets that have become critical to innovative thinking and creative idea generation in today’s work environment, from emotional intelligence (EI) and social intelligence (SI) to collaboration and listening. More important, as the women CEOs who signed the letter to Forbes agreed, tapping only half of the talent of the American workforce (men) while neglecting the other half will put our businesses and institutions at a serious disadvantage.
Half of the nation’s brainpower isn’t good enough to compete in today’s global economy—we need women’s unique voices and contributions as well for optimum innovation in our organizations, and we need to recognize female talent as being at least half of the equation. Failing to recognize women who are also driving innovation every day is a loss. We can learn best from a wide range of cognitive diversity, which includes a balance of men and women. Human nature in aggregate is what we need to be innovative in the current work environment, not men’s nature or women’s nature.
In the wake of the selection job that Forbes’ editor-in-chief admitted was botched, Randall Lane tweeted “We blew it” and has pledged to establish a task force to keep this mistake from happening in the future. This is incredibly necessary to ensure that a process is in place that gives women an equal chance at being identified for their innovative work and abilities.
While SHAMBAUGH is always vigilant to help women uncover their Sticky Floors—behaviors that may hold them back from receiving the recognition they deserve—I don’t believe that’s what’s happening here. Men may indeed call out their innovation progress more loudly than women, which can become a Sticky Floor for women—but in this case there are many women who have made great strides and have visibly proven their innovative talents. Not recognizing women for their clear accomplishments in equal numbers to men in listings like the Forbes report creates a vicious cycle. This cycle results in further limiting women’s visibility, and in turn curtailing their deserved opportunities for growth.
As Forbes and other publications/organizations that create lists of innovators rethink their selection criteria, SHAMBAUGH stands with the women CEOs who have flagged this issue in noting that it’s time we take a more balanced approach. At the end of the day, gender should not play into this—innovation should be a level playing field in which every industry player has the chance to showcase his or her ability and results on a creative front.
While it’s surprising that we’d still be encountering this type of issue in 2019, it’s a reminder that we can’t assume that gender balance is baked into such evaluations and rankings. So it’s definitely time to revamp any and all outdated measuring systems and methodologies of what innovation looks like and how we drive it, to ensure that we don’t see women claiming only 1 percent of the spots on such an innovation list in the future.
Are you ready to learn more about how to unlock higher levels of engagement, creativity, and innovation throughout your organization? SHAMBAUGH Leadership can help—contact us at info@shambaughleadership.com.
Rebecca Shambaugh is a leadership expert on building inclusive and high performance cultures. She speaks at major conferences and to executives on an inspiring vision and roadmap for driving greater levels of innovation and performance through a unified voice for leadership. Rebecca is the Founder of Women in Leadership and Learning, a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and blogger for the Huffington Post. She is author of the best-selling booksIt’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor andMake Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results.
SHAMBAUGH’s Mission: We’re on a mission to develop high-performing and inclusive leaders who transform workplace cultures so everyone can thrive.
Find out more about us at: www.shambaughleadership.com