We Interviewed 57 Female CEOs to Find Out How More Women Can Get to the Top

Only 6.4% of Fortune 500 companies are run by female CEOs, and the rate of change can feel excruciatingly slow.

We conducted a series of in-depth individual interviews, delving into pivotal experiences in their personal history and career progression. Our goal: to crack the code of these women’s success, in order to help organizations better identify and leverage their highest-potential female leaders and to ensure more women succeed in the future.

Following are six insights that emerged from the study

- Women could be ready for the CEO role sooner.

- Women are driven by achieving business results and making a positive impact.

- Specific traits are essential to women’s success and in short supply.

- Women harness the power of experts and teams.

- Despite their potential, women don’t see themselves as future CEOs.

- Backgrounds in STEM, business, finance, or economics are a launchpad for female CEOs.

Based on our research, we suggest several steps companies can take to build and sustain a pipeline of female CEOs:

- Identify potential early.

- Illuminate the path to CEO.

- Ensure sponsors.

- Articulate roles in terms that engage women.

- Beware the “glass cliff.”

To read the full article from the Harvard Business Review, click here