Katy McFee

My career looks amazing... on paper!

But the truth is, there is SO much that no one sees....

Failures
Disappointments
Times we want to give up

Stop comparing your 'real life' with someone else's highlight reel

We're all on our own path
You've got this ✌️💜

Follow me Katy McFee for more posts on women in leadership

There will always be more white men qualified for that leadership role

It's true.

Because even when there are an equal number of men and women coming in at the entry level:

- men tend to be promoted on potential and women are promoted on experience
- women are passed over for opportunities when they're pregnant or just coming back from mat leave
- women are often balancing family life and missing out on after-work drinks (ie. networking) with the boss
- men are more likely to apply for positions even when they don't meet all of the criteria and women tend to wait

This means more men make it to mid-level manager positions, which increases the pool of available men for senior-level positions

And so on...

So here's a wild idea

Stop relying on years of experience in a role as your hiring criteria

Instead, focus on the skills you need

Focus on culture add vs. culture fit

Consider a first-time female VP who may not have been in the position before, but is kicking butt as a Director and is ready to make that leap

Encourage the young women on your teams to apply for positions they want, even if they aren't 100% qualified

Until we get serious about making these changes, the gap will continue to exist

The gap will continue to widen as you go up in a company

My goal is to help narrow this gap, even a little bit

Who's with me?

✌️💜

#womenleadership #DEI

This frustrates the sh!t out of me:

“We want female execs, but can't find any candidates:“

And it's frustrating because it's true.

The leadership diversity gap widens as you go up in a company.

So while you can find women Managers or even Sr. Managers, it becomes harder to find Directors and VPs to fill senior spots.

It's a big problem. And the answer is complex...

But here are 3 things companies and leaders can do to help solve this issue:

1. Take a chance on first-time female VPs.

Yep, if you can't find a woman who already has 3-5 years as a VP under her belt, hire a rising star who's been trying to make VP for the last 5 years.

It takes women longer to get to the VP level so stop relying on years of experience.

Invest in her! Hire her a great executive coach (like me) and see what she can do.

2. Start creating a leadership track for women in your company so that more of them make it to the executive ranks.

Identify promising young women and put them in a leadership program.

3. Support working mothers before, during and after mat leave.

Create an environment that doesn't force women to choose between career and family.

I'm so passionate about this issue that I've dedicated my business to it. I now have a program specifically to help women stuck in middle management get a seat at the table.

So if you're a woman who's been trying to get promoted to senior leadership and is stuck, reach out to me and let's help you get there.

You can DM me or check out my free masterclass for more info in the comments.

Oh, and be sure to ask your boss to pay for the program ;) ✌️💜


PS. I'm doing a Black Friday sale later this week - get on my email list if you want to participate!

#careers #leadership #diversity

My friend's dad died right before retiring

He'd spent his whole life waiting…

Working. Saving. All to enjoy it when he retired

And then... gone just as he was about to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

This is one of those stories that stopped me in my tracks and really made me take a hard look at my life

Am I going to go blow all of my money today in case I die tomorrow?

No. Not smart.

But it reminded me that if you're waiting to retire to be happy or to enjoy your life you better stop waiting and start living life now

How many of us think... I'll be happy when:
- I get that raise or promotion
- I find the right relationship
- I finally buy a house, luxury car or some other big item
- I get in shape or lose weight
- I have $X in the bank

If you can't learn to be happy in the here and now, these things are NOT going to get you there.

Some easy ways to boost happiness and gratitude?

- Start a gratitude journal
- Make a new connection
- Tell someone you love them
- Take a walk outside in nature
- Learn something new or try a new hobby

I make sure exercise, meditation and gratitude are part of my routine every day

And I connect with friends in person regularly, no matter how busy I get

Each of these things boosts my happiness

Because I'm not interested in waiting to retire or any other event to enjoy my life.

Now is the time to choose happiness.

What do you do to be happy in the present? ✌️💜