Girls among equals
Of all the ways to get women on board, the most inspiring seems to be the role model. Highlighting women leaders helps women aspiring to similar positions to see that their role models are not that far “ahead” of them.
We’ve all had a poster. A photo of a singer, a footballer, an artist who made us want to do what she did, or even do it better. Except that a poster can’t talk. So when we grow up and join a company, we tend to take inspiration from others, especially those who, like a glossy picture on a wall, make us look up. “The role model is the leader,” says Florence Dupré, Global Healthcare Officer with the La Poste Groupe. And the leader who first inspired Delphine Henry, Deputy CEO of Engie Home Services, was Isabelle Kocher, who became CEO of Engie in 2016. “She came with a new, dynamic, feminine force, and got the employees on board,” says the woman who can now look to Catherine MacGregor, CEO of the French industrial company since 2021.
But Delphine Henry can also cite some less happy examples: “When I was pregnant with my second daughter 15 or 20 years ago, I had a female manager who reacted in the worst possible way.” This phenomenon, known as “Queen Bee” syndrome, is familiar in research. It reflects the behaviour of certain women who behave more harshly towards their subordinates precisely because they are women. “Obnoxious women managers, particularly from the generation above me, who had a hard time getting to where they were and wanted the next generation to suffer too,” says Delphine Henry. “That was true in the past, but I hope not any more.”
“WOMEN CEOS ARE INSPIRING, BUT THEY SEEM SO UNTOUCHABLE THAT IT CAN BE HARD TO SEE YOURSELF IN THEM.”
In a woman leader’s career, there comes a time when she crosses over to the other side and become a role model in turn. For a long time, Catherine Petit resisted “exposing herself”, and her woman coach had to push her. “Tell your story; you’ve got to tell your story.” The CEO of Moët-Hennessy in Brazil has never regretted it: “I’ve received a huge number of emails and messages from women all over the world. They told me my story made them believe that they, too, could make it. “I’ve realised that by simply telling my story, I’ve helped women see that mental barriers are merely that: mental barriers.”
Taking inspiration from her own story, Catherine Petit has exported La Veuve Clicquot’s “Bold” programme to Brazil. “The idea is to bring in women to talk about their experiences and careers; to tell stories about women that can inspire other women, but without focusing on real high fliers. Women CEOs are inspiring, but they seem so untouchable that it can be hard to see yourself in them.” Inspiring the idea of “being bold” means making success tangible and more accessible. So the “Bold” programme includes award ceremonies to “celebrate women who have achieved success.”
Women are certainly capable of it. Delphine Henry is now spreading this message in secondary schools. “Girls are encouraged to take up scientific careers, but once they’ve got their Baccalaureat, they just disappear. If they don’t go to engineering school, they’re not likely to end up in industry.”