Even though progress has been made in recent years, women are still lagging behind when it comes to landing leadership roles
Even though progress has been made in recent years, women are still lagging behind when it comes to landing leadership roles. Women are still faced with a range of challenges that hold them back from reaching the top and achieving their career goals.
It’s for that reason that DDI Canada is hosting its first Women In Leadership event in Calgary. The event aims to help women understand their role and impact in business, as well as identify the things that hold them back. The event also examines the positive impacts experienced by businesses with true gender diversity in the upper ranks.
In its research, DDI found that organizations in the top 20 for financial performance have more than twice as many women leaders as organizations in the bottom 20.
“We do a lot of research and all the data is saying that the more women you have, the more financially profitable that your business actually is,” said Lynn Packham, Manager, Customer Excellence, DDI.
When asked about her thoughts on the current move toward gender diversity, Packham said that “it’s gathering momentum.” According to her, “there’s a lot more awareness now about gender diversity, about some of the things that have held women back in the workplace. But we’ve got still got quite a long way to go.”
Packham, along with DDI’s CEO Tacy Byham, will be discussing four key topics at the event: declaring yourself and what you’re able to do, radiating confidence, failing forward, and super powering your network.
“Attendees will get some really powerful insights into what it means to be a woman in leadership and [into] some of the tangible things that you can do to ensure that you’re maximizing your potential, you’re being visible as a woman, … you’re working within your organization to take away those barriers and also recognizing that this isn’t a men and women thing – this is a business thing,” Packham said.
The Women In Leadership - Unleashing Hidden Potential event will be held on February 21, from 1 PM to 4 PM MST, at BMO Centre.
Upon registration of 100 participants, DDI will donate $2,500 to the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, a registered charity that focuses on ending family violence and abuse in the lives of women, children, youth and men.