6 ways women in development can break the glass ceiling

There is undoubtedly work to be done to achieve greater gender diversity at the senior and board level of NGOs. Current NGO leaders have an important role to play to bring about change, but there are strategies that women working in development can use to advance their own careers. To make 2016 the most successful year to date for women in development, Devex spoke to development and career experts to collect the best tips to build confidence and career opportunities. 1. Promote yourself and your achievements The idea of promoting yourself and your achievements may come easier to male employees than to women. “It’s a really weird thing that despite a generation of women being brought up to be seen as equals with men, they believe they are fake and not equal,” Chris Franks, convenor of the Sydney Women in Development group and chair of Habitat for Humanity, told Devex. “There is plenty of evidence that when going for a new role, women will only apply if they are 100 percent confident. Men will apply when the odds are less in their favor but will present themselves with greater confidence.” Andrea Clarke, a specialist in training leaders to communicate with authority, said that women should be thinking less about this as self-promotion. “When you talk about yourself and declare evidence about your work, that is not self-promotion,” she told Devex. “Women have an issue with the idea of self-promotion but when you are saying I’ve just secured a $2 million funding project, that’s not self-promotion, that is fact.” And it is a fact that your employer will want to know about to acknowledge your achievements and help move you up the ranks. 2. Build confidence and become a powerful presence Self-confidence and feeling good about yourself will always translate within the workplace. “Whatever it is that makes you feel great by 8 a.m., do it,” Clarke said. “If that’s hitting the treadmill, engaging in some flirty banter with your barista, getting your hair blow-dried or listening to a TED talk — then do it. If you’re not feeling great about yourself, you won’t deliver and you may start believing those who don’t believe in you.” Feeling great does translate, Clarke said, and having a bad haircut or wearing clothes that don’t fit properly will undermine your natural authority and leave you more vulnerable to criticism. Building confidence means women will need to get comfortable with confrontation to manage situations before they get out of control, make strong and confident eye contact and dress with authority. Organizing thoughts and rehearsing to eliminate nerves are also part of the strategies Clarke suggested. Being a compelling communicator will draw positive attention to you and your work, with three important factors to success: voice, powerful language and body language. Understanding your pitch, pace, tone and volume will lead to clearer and more confident speaking. Language should not undermine or play down the importance of your role and body language must also reflect what is being said. “Have you ever caught yourself out using language that plays down your capacity in meetings, such as ‘This isn’t my area of expertise, but maybe we should consider this option?’” Clarke asked. “This is one of four language patterns that we unconsciously use, which all undermine our true ability. Don’t disqualify yourself from an opportunity by using self-diminishing qualifiers. Try not to say ‘sorry’ for no reason. Avoid delivering statements as questions and why sound tentative about having an opinion when it’s part of your role.” But communication should also be authentic to translate into success. This, of course, is not a change that will be achieved overnight. Rehearsing will help in building confidence. “I seriously doubt any of us would run a marathon without training for it,” Clarke told Devex. “Building confidence also means training and practice. It requires us to be more aware of our own communication style, so we can gradually stop unconsciously undermining our authority, slowly adopt stronger patterns of communicating and allow ourselves not just to survive the workplace, but truly thrive.” 3. Diversify experience and seek out opportunities Feeling confident in oneself will also increase with diversity in experience and new opportunities to expand the range of skills and experience you can bring to the role. “You need to start thinking early in your career about what skills and experience you may need or want to build your range,” Franks said. “Plan ahead for your next role and look for opportunities that are going to challenge you.” Training, be it single day offerings, month-long classroom training or online courses, provides a range of opportunities for women to enhance opportunities, but especially to gain personal confidence in their skills and capabilities. “You do need to actively manage your own career and put your hand up for opportunities,” Rebecca MacFarling, deputy CEO of nonprofit CUFA, explained to Devex. “Organizations like the Australian Scholarships Foundation and Chief Executive Women do offer many interesting scholarships for ambitious or up-and-coming women.” Franks advised women working in development to seek external training opportunities if your organization is not providing adequate internal training opportunities. “There are a lot more scholarships around than there used to be,” she said. “Apply for them now and keep applying until you can get that funding. There is real value in formal education.” 4. Seek external corporate connections Looking outside the development sector to create external corporate connections will not only create opportunities for women in the development sector, but opportunities for the development sector itself. “We have been trying to create a greater connection with the corporate sector which could help with HR strategies and training to benefit women,” said Kirsten Armstrong, global lead for development effectiveness at the Fred Hollows Foundation. There is a disconnect right now in that the development and corporate sector still don’t understand each other, but it’s starting to change, Armstrong noted. “Many of the corporate sector are dabbling in the NGO world — they may be on a board of an NGO or doing pro-bono work through their consulting firm, but this is an opportunity for us to share knowledge,” she said. “The corporate sector is way beyond where the NGO sector is for corporate strategies aimed at gender equality and moving forward this cross-fertilization will be immensely beneficial to us.” And external connections can be a great way of running ideas and strategies past people with a different way of looking at things. “I seek out people who are supportive and I can use as a brains trust outside of my organisation for workshopping ideas, discussing problems and sometimes just to argue a point,” MacFarling said, advising other women to seek similar opportunities where possible. 5. Join a women’s group Joining a women’s group not only helps build a support network and meet other like-minded women, but it will allow you to understand that the career hurdles you are facing are not uncommon and they can be overcome. “Sometimes just discussing the issues gives women confidence in knowing it’s not just them,” Franks said. “Acknowledging the issues provide women with confidence and allows them to then move along. Sometimes just having the conversation is all you need, but there needs to be a network that enables the conversation to occur.” Discussing issues, learning from others and even seeking mentors are benefits of women’s groups that have proven to be extremely successful to women at all career levels. “Having opportunities to network informally with like-minded women in the Women in Aid and Development network has been really valuable for me,” Jackie Lauff, CEO of Sport Matters, explained to Devex. “I’ve attended several sessions a year for the past three years and it’s been a powerful circle to connect, share, learn and grow. Much of my time is spent managing and growing an international NGO, which leaves little time or energy to reflect on my own professional development and the road ahead.” 6. Take a risk There is no reward without risk, and risk can simply be stepping out of your comfort zone to discuss issues in the workplace, apply for a new role or seek new skills and capabilities that will build confidence and career opportunities. “I think sometimes women need the confidence just to give it a go,” Franks said. “It may not work, but what do you lose? By giving it a go, you learn a lot.” And remember, NGOs will also improve with a more confident and capable workforce. Taking a risk and understanding your worth will improve development outcomes. Devex Professional Membership means access to the latest buzz, innovations, and lifestyle tips for development, health, sustainability and humanitarian professionals like you. Our mission is to do more good for more people. If you think the right information can make a difference, we invite you to join us by making a small investment in Professional Membership.