One of our top priorities this year at Emburse is creating a culture of accountability. While we have business goals and actions planned around this, as a leader, I’m also looking at it through a personal lens. Perhaps even more so right now as we celebrate Women’s History Month.
As a leader, when I think of accountability, I’m reminded that the impact just one person had on me changed the entire trajectory of my career. Now, it’s my turn to do the same for others. If we want to see more diverse and inclusive executive teams, today’s leaders have to be the ones to shape them. It’s on us to reach back and pull forward talent through mentorship.
We must create our own accountability culture – growth doesn’t happen by accident.
Our research on the future of the finance office uncovered some pretty stark gender differences. Men were three times more likely to say they wanted to aim for the role of CFO than their female counterparts. Moreover, men were 40% more likely to have a professional financial qualification than women.
The same study also found that the pipeline for women entering the profession was strong. Women were more likely than men to be newer professionals, with less than five years of experience (21% to 13%). In addition, more than a third of female respondents said their current or past managers heavily influenced them.
And that’s where the opportunity lies.
As leaders and managers, we have the privilege of helping our team gain the confidence to grow in their careers. We can work with them to remove any tangible or mental barriers so they can get to the next level. Our responsibility is to help our teams be heard, guide them in finding their next opportunity, and show them the achievable path to the C-suite.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have various female mentors set the example of how they’ve made their career moves. They also served as a sounding board and advisor during my own career decisions. As CFO, it’s important to me that we create a workforce filled with diverse voices and build up tomorrow’s leaders.
I challenge today's leaders to hold each other accountable for shaping and inspiring tomorrow's leaders. Together, we can make a difference.
Read the blog that inspired this post or learn more about our Modern Finance Careers study.