Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1484704
WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 37 Connections, board experience integral to female CEOs' leadership growth: survey By Alexis Kayser A strong support system and experience serving on a board are among the most useful tools for female CEOs, according to a Sept. 21 report from Los Angeles-based management consulting firm Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry interviewed 21 female CEOs, mainly of Fortune 500 companies, about the experiences that paved their career trajectories. Key findings from the report: 1. Eighty percent of the CEOs said incoming chiefs require a diverse support network, which should be built before they assume the role. 2. Seventy percent said early board exposure develops leadership skills and visibility, while preparing incoming executives to manage their own boards. 3. One-quarter said they were appointed to boards through personal and professional connections. 4. Seventy percent said companies should provide women with development programs and "stretch opportunities" — encouraging them to make lateral moves to gain perspective, appointing them to boards, providing feedback for career development and funneling high performers toward the C-suite. 5. More than half said tackling difficult tasks improves women's confidence and visibility. 6. Forty percent said companies can improve retention and diversity by identifying women's potential early, having conversations with them about it and offering support programs to help them build upon it. 7. irty-five percent said organizations should shi women from "pink collar" human resources and marketing roles to P&L roles earlier in their careers. 8. Sixty percent said leaders should be collaborative and empathetic: Nearly a third expressed that leaders should show humanity by being authentic, accessible, curious, humble and vulnerable. 9. Many said they benefited from objective hiring methods and clear promotion systems. 10. Forty-five percent said managers should be held accountable for advancing women's careers. n 10 healthcare companies named Fortune's 'best workplaces for women' By Alexis Kayser H ealth insurance, home health, health system consulting, pharmaceutical and telehealth companies were among the 10 healthcare-related organizations named to Fortune's "Best Workplaces for Women" list. Fortune's partner, Oakland, Calif.-based workplace consulting firm Great Place to Work, analyzed feedback from 1.2 million employees, 640,000 of them women, to compile the lists. The publication produced two separate rankings: one for the top 100 large workplaces and one for the top 25 small and medium workplaces. The following healthcare- related organizations made the cut and are listed with their corresponding place in the ranking. Top 100 large companies: 8. White Glove Community Care (New York City) 31. Vizient (Irving, Texas) 42. ComForCare (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 58. Elevance Health (Indianapolis) 67. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Mass.) 71. Blue Shield of California (Oakland, Calif.) 72. Shields Health Solutions (Stoughton, Mass.) 82. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Boston) 87. Otsuka America Pharmaceutical (Princeton, N.J.) Top 25 small and medium companies: 16. Maven Clinic (New York City) n