From Barriers to Breakthroughs: Elevating and Empowering Women in Leadership
Women hold just 28% of C‑suite positions in U.S. companies. That’s a significant improvement from several decades ago, but still far from parity. “Closing this gap isn’t a pipeline problem, it’s a systemic one,” said Kim Quillen, a business editor for the Chicago Tribune.That blunt assessment set the stage for five leaders to share concrete strategies for recruiting, retaining, and advancing female talent into executive roles. Quillen moderated the discussion at From Day One’s Chicago conference.“If you want women to rise, you must show them it’s possible,” said Molly McCabe, SVP of people success at Ulta Beauty. She pointed to Ulta’s numbers, noting that 70% of its C-suite and 90% of its workforce are women, as proof that representation fuels ambition. “When your CEO is a woman and your senior leaders look like you, the notion of becoming a decision‑maker stops feeling like an impossibility,” she said. Christina Dietz, VP of HR at Northwestern Medicine, echoed that view. She described how her health system intentionally mirrors the demographics of the patients it serves. “Our executive team reflects the community we treat across gender, race, and background,” she said. That alignment strengthens both patient trust and employee engagement by demonstrating that leadership is accessible and accountable.Designing Intentional Career Paths and Measuring Progress“Fortune favors the prepared,” said Jaclyn Trovato, the CHRO at ComEd. ComEd’s 48% female executive ratio didn’t happen overnight. The utility company began sponsoring STEM camps for girls and creating apprenticeship programs for female technicians two decades ago. “By training women on the front lines, we built a pool of skilled candidates ready for engineering and leadership roles,” Trovato said.Tisha Danehl, SVP of ecosystem partnerships at LHH, described her firm’s cohort model. “Our Engage Program brings 30 high‑potential women together for six months of executive presence and strategic‑thinking workshops,” she said. “Within 18 months, every member of our 2020 cohort earned a promotion or expanded role.” This year, LHH is extending the cohort concept to male allies, pairing them with women to foster reciprocal sponsorship, says Danehl. Measuring progress is similarly important, panelists agreed. Panelists shared their insights on the topic "Bridging the Gap: Empowering and Supporting Women in Leadership"Dietz added that Northwestern Medicine’s HR portal now offers real‑time analytics on female representation at every leadership level. “Transparency holds us to our own standards,” she said. “When executives see the charts, it sparks immediate action.”Supporting and Uplifting Women in the WorkplaceQuillen asked the panel to define the often-misused terms “mentor” and “sponsor.” “A mentor offers guidance; a sponsor uses influence to open doors,” said Liza Jager, partner at RHR International. True sponsors, she says, publicly advocate for their protégés in C‑suite rooms and ensure they get stretch assignments. Mentorship alone can’t accelerate careers without that active advocacy, agreed Danehl. Trovato encourages organizations to formalize sponsorship programs, pairing high potential employees with senior executives who have the power to champion their promotions. “Random connections can yield results, but structured sponsorship drives more consistent outcomes,” she said. At Northwestern Medicine, maternity leave is supplemented with informal “phone‑a‑friend” support networks, pairing new parents with experienced colleagues they can call anytime for advice and encouragement. “Knowing there’s someone on the other end of the line who understands your challenges makes all the difference,” she said.That kind of personal support reflects a broader need: career aspirations shift with life stages, says Danehl. “What motivates a 25‑year‑old moonlighting for side hustles differs from a 45‑year‑old eyeing board seats,” she said. The panel urged organizations to tailor their development offerings, such as offering flexible hours for caregivers, rotational assignments for early-career talent, and executive coaching for seasoned leaders.Support also needs to take place in the form of psychological safety. “Psychological safety is currency,” McCabe said. At Ulta, managers are trained to interrupt bias in real time. For example, noting when someone is being talked over and inviting that person back into the conversation. “We teach leaders to say, ‘I realize I cut you off, please share your perspective,’” she said. Jager also echos the importance of psychological safety. “Organizations that invest in creating psychological safety benefit from increased trust and reinforce a culture of belonging. When this is paired with purposeful leadership-development initiatives, not only women executives are positioned for greater success, but all employees. Everyone wins.” Through its cultural-assessment work across organizations, RHR International has helped organizations to go deeper, understand their succession pipeline, and employ systemic solutions that increase the visibility of high-potential women, Jager says. She adds that “organizations that are achieving greater success in building a strong pipeline of women executives are looking more deeply into their promoting practices and investing in sponsorship and allyship initiatives. While mentorship programs are powerful, they are still a passive way to support women leaders. However, through sponsorship and allyship initiatives, executives have the power to raise visibility and more actively give an opportunity for women leaders—and others—to rise.”Trovato highlights the value of listening tours, where senior leaders visit women’s resource groups not to deliver speeches, but to hear directly about the challenges women face. “That practice surfaces issues early, before they become retention risks,” she said. Closing the leadership gap will take more than conversation—it demands measurable, ongoing commitment to listening, building support systems, and driving real change.Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photos by Tim Hiatt for From Day One)
