Farm Credit Leaning In to Close the Leadership Ambition Gap

 

 

When I was in college, I majored in English in my undergrad years, and there were very few men in my classes. Most of the women in my class were planning careers as teachers, and at one point I was as well. However, after observing the usual discord that happens within a sixth grade English classroom, I promptly marched myself into my advisors office and switched my concentration away from teaching and instead pursued technical communication. Every day, I wake up grateful for this choice, as I do not believe there is enough coffee that exists in the world for me to effectively manage a classroom of sixth-graders. For those who educate our youth- thank you!

When I switched my focus from education to technical communication, I realized that the student population was more evenly distributed between men and women, but as I look up at what lies ahead, I am surprised that men still dominate senior and executive leadership in companies. Why is this surprising? Perhaps because there are now more than a million more college educated women with than men. However, the number of full-time working men, according to the 2011 Census was 58 million, compared to 43.7 million for women. Women are more educated, but not pursuing positions within their potential. Why?

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author or Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, identifies this as the Leadership Ambition Gap. Sandberg’s Lean In movement has inspired mentorship programs and small development groups on a global scale, but there is still work to be done to help women actualize their own potential.

Recently, I had an opportunity to connect with some other women in Farm Credit, and when I inquired about what we were doing to make an impact; I learned that presently, there is no official program that exists. Immediately, we acknowledged there was work to be done, and now we are in the process of creating such a program.

In July of this year, I will be presenting at FCC Services’Learning Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, and we will begin dialoging with women and men in Farm Credit to discuss how we can encourage women to advance into leadership roles. As we journey together to find solutions of how we can close the Leadership Ambition Gap at Farm Credit, I would like to invite you to participate in the discussion.

While I am hoping to solicit feedback from my cohorts at Farm Credit, I would invite anyone who is passionate about this matter to share their insights, whether it be on presentation topics, types of groups you would be interested in attending, and your personal interest in joining us in leading this initiative. Please feel free to leave comments, below, send me a private message, or email me directly at wburbridge@agloan.com

I look forward to your feedback!