How to Mighty Fall

For years, female executives have come away from women-only leadership programsempowered to do-and-ask for more, valuing the opportunity to examine theirstrengths and shortcomings in the psychological safety of their peers and to use as a springboard for personal theexperience development.But organizations are leaving unexamined the most powerful lessons these programs offer.The oft-overlooked benefit of women-only leadership programs is that they hold up a mirrorto the organization. When women scrutinize their own leadership traits and experiences, theyreveal important information about the day-to-day environment in which they operate. If acompany is receptive, the content of the sessions can help gauge how well the organizationpromotes effective leadership behavior and can offer a portal into where the companysucceeds; as well as where it fails to foster an environment in which everyone can bring theirbest self to work. In short, companies can use such programs not only to improve the skills of the participants but also to assess and ultimately improve-the-workplace itself.We've come to these conclusions through a decade's worth of experience in the particularwomen's leadership.