10. “Couch Time” with Leadership Coach, Mary Patry

ISG Digital Dish

U.S. statistics show that around 50 percent of computer science graduates are women. Yet, when you look at the middle management layer in most IT organizations, women fill less than 20 percent of these positions. Leadership coach Mary Patry believes several factors are at play here. Aside from the unequal impact the global pandemic has had on women’s careers – they more often than men are the ones to put family first and sacrifice their own careers – Patry believes that women frequently struggle to find their “voice”, a fact that can hold them back from entering the executive layer of a business. This is despite many women being well equipped with the “soft” skills required for executive leadership – those that focus on people and process – as well as the “hard” technical skills of IT operations and middle management.

It’s clear that leadership teams require diversity and a range of talents to succeed. Having women in executive leadership positions promises many demonstrable benefits that organizations can no longer afford to ignore. Patry’s mission is to help women navigate a route toward leadership. She focuses on helping them build the confidence they need to take a seat at the leadership table and guiding organizations on how to put in place structures specifically designed to support and grow female talent. Get comfy on the couch and listen in to this discussion about leadership development for women in technology.