Toward the end of last month, Becker’s Hospital Review posted an article titled “Women’s Executive Leadership Still Lags, And It Matters More in Healthcare Than Other Industries.”
As a company who’s CEO and founder, Cheryl Coors, is a woman, this topic is of special importance to us. Cheryl started her career in nursing and working in physician practices and exemplifies the qualities of a woman executive. She is a strong woman leader who dedicated herself to growing a business in a field she believed in–building relationships and growing teams to improve the world of healthcare. In fact, she grew the business on her own for several years.
The aforementioned article cited that women are now playing a larger role within the executive committees of top U.S. companies, citing that 60% of these committees include more than two women members. That being said, within these individual committees, the number of men outnumbers the women by nearly five times, with 83% and 27%, respectively.
At Coors Healthcare Solutions, we are particularly dedicated to advancing women in healthcare. We promote nursing and nursing education to create a successful path for the strong nurse executive. In fact, 52% of our searches for placements in the Director level and above are women!
The article goes on to list theories for this corporate gap of the genders, including societal constraints, challenges of balancing a family and a job, and, a more recent theory, that it’s a result of lack of confidence. A new book, “Womenomics: Work Less, Achieve More, Live Better,” is focused on the last of these theories, saying that “studies have shown most women won’t apply for a job unless they have every qualification; men, on average, need just 50 percent of the qualifications to apply. Women are less likely to speak up in meetings, ensuring that every remark is well thought-out and considered. Men say what they’re thinking and don’t worry too much about it.”
The author of this Becker’s article, a woman herself, acknowledges that although many of these theories are generalizations, there is no doubt that gender disparities exist in leadership.
Certain leadership qualities are important because, as we know, healthcare is a close network, and the world of healthcare recruiting is even smaller. Qualities that typically embody women leaders, like participating within their organization, taking a democratic approach, motivating others, and fostering relationships are crucial for leaders within the healthcare industry. In fact “Studies of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies have found those with women leaders financially outperformed those led by men.
Perhaps one of the most interesting studies references in this article is from a woman named Alice H. Eagly, in which she proved that women are strong leaders. The real hindrance for most female leaders is not that they can’t perform as leaders; it’s that they aren’t able to move to the top of their organization to prove it.
Our CEO and Founder, Cheryl Coors, has over 30 years of experience in healthcare. She utilizes her professional background to offer exceptional understanding to the challenges facing healthcare and has established herself as one of the top consultants in the recruiting industry.
At Coors Healthcare Solutions, we don’t just believe that women make high quality leaders; we’re evidence of it!
We are a diverse team, dedicated to offering our clients unparalleled customer service and custom solutions to meet their own unique needs. When it comes to physician placement, our clients’ needs are at the center of everything we do. When interim leaders are matched to the appropriate team, stronger leaders are built, and with that, comes stronger teams and a stronger healthcare system.
