In a recent chat, panelists Eric Thiegs, Hollis Thornton, Cynthia Mielke, and Iulia Sisova joined us for our International Women’s Day webinar, “The Ally Effect: Why Advocacy Accelerates Women’s Progress.”
It was an open and thoughtful discussion, and we particularly enjoyed Eric Thiegs (Head of Strategy & Growth, NeoCurrency), four takeaways that he directed specifically to the men in the audience and has since published on LinkedIn here.
We’ve built on these and used the panel’s guidance to provide tactical tips to help. After all, for men who want to actively support and champion women in business, the question is simple: What does that actually look like day to day? We hope this helps.
Build strong co-ed teams
Men and women who sell together are more likely to close deals, and companies with more women in leadership roles perform better. In fact, they are 25% more likely to achieve above-average profitability. And yet, women are still underrepresented at the top.
Despite the European Union’s groundbreaking “Women on Boards” directive requiring 40% female representation by 2026, women currently hold just 35% of non-executive positions at the EU’s largest listed businesses, with only 21% of senior executive roles across the EU-27 held by women.
The gap is still there, and it’s not closing fast enough.
To help, think about that path to the top. Women with sponsors are more likely to be promoted and to take on stretch assignments. Yet men are still more likely than women to have sponsors. A study found that while 54% of men had a career discussion with a sponsor or mentor in the previous 24 months, only 39% of women did (Rania H. Anderson in the Harvard Business Review.)
For men who can, ot means advocating for women in promotion discussions, recommending them for opportunities, and backing them when it matters.
Listen
Women’s ideas are more likely to be overlooked or credited to someone else.
Bring attention back to their input in meetings.
A simple “That’s a good point, and it builds on what Tamara said earlier” can shift recognition.
Small interventions like this change who gets seen as a leader.
Challenge bias and advocate for women
Workplace culture still holds women back. Around 40% of women say they’ve experienced discrimination or bias at work (McKinsey & LeanIn).
Bias often shows up quietly. Interruptions. Ideas being dismissed. Different standards being applied.
Call it out in real time:
- “I think Elaine was still speaking.”
- “That’s the same point Rocío made earlier.”
These moments matter more than policies.
Question how decisions are made
Look closely at hiring and promotion decisions. Who is getting stretch assignments? Who is being put forward for leadership opportunities? In more senior grades, men continue to have a disproportionately higher representation and over two thirds of senior executive roles in the FTSE 100 go to men.
A UCL study showed that men’s overconfidence explains up to 11% of the gender gap, on average, for full-time workers.
For men, it’s important to challenge vague feedback like “not confident enough” or “not quite ready.” Push for clear, measurable criteria instead.
Access offered flexibility
Flexible working, parental leave, and boundaries shouldn’t come with a penalty.
This is especially powerful when senior men model it. But men are less likely than women to feel empowered to take advantage of flexible working arrangements (men 66%, women 70%)
and fewer men (59%) than women (64%) are offered job-sharing opportunities, according to the ADP.
Simply, men need to go first. When flexibility is normalised at the top, it becomes accessible to everyone, not just those willing to take the risk to step up first.
Small steps make the change
Creating more female leaders doesn’t come from one big initiative. It comes from consistent, everyday actions and often, the smallest shifts make the biggest difference.
You can catch up on our International Women’s Day panel sessions, where we covered:
- Inclusion vs exclusion
- One behaviour every leader can adopt
- One thing companies should stop doing
- One thing companies should start doing
It’s well worth exploring!
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Written by Elaine Keep www.elainekeep.com