Breaking barriers: Dr. Vrnda “V” Boykin on gender balance and leadership

Meet Dr. Vrnda ‘V’ Boykin, Organizational Leadership, Learning and Development, GTM Enablement, Equity Leader, and Keynote Speaker. Dr. Vrnda ‘V’ Boykin’s journey is a remarkable testament to resilience, determination, and the transformative power of education. Her life story, which includes incarceration and earning a doctoral degree, is inspiring, showing that there’s always a way out.

Dr. Boykin’s story is not just one of personal triumph but also of her commitment to using her experiences to uplift and build a leadership career and to educate others. Her academic pursuits were fueled by a desire to understand and address the systemic issues contributing to incarceration, particularly among marginalized communities.

Dr. Boykin’s expertise spans several areas, including criminal justice reform, mental health advocacy, and educational equity. Her academic journey is a significant achievement, particularly given the adversities she has faced. She advocates for policies that support formerly incarcerated individuals, helping them reintegrate into society and access educational and professional opportunities.

The book Fix Your Face & Watch Your Tone is coming up. It is a compelling guide that addresses the equity challenges marginalized communities face in personal and professional spheres. Dr. V Boykin, known as Dr. V, draws from her experiences and extensive research to provide insights and practical solutions for women seeking work-life balance and career success. Let’s dive into the conversation.

In conversation with Dr. Vrnda ‘V’ Boykin, we explored the critical issues of gender balance and diversity in leadership, highlighting their significant impact on corporate profitability and team productivity. Dr. Boykin discusses the financial benefits of a diverse workforce, highlighting the stark difference in profitability when women are in leadership positions. She also addresses future leaders’ unique challenges, emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive workplaces where diverse talent feels included to reduce attrition and increase productivity. Get more information below.

No company can afford to miss out on capturing this additional 15 to 35% profit. Furthermore, excluding women from the C-suite results in a 21% profit dip. From a profitability standpoint alone, it’s essential to have a gender-diverse workplace.

Another reason for its importance is the exclusion of any group, such as women, from decision-making processes, which can lead to significant oversights. For example, airbags were found to be less safe for women since the crash test dummies were based on male specifications, making them less safe for smaller-sized women. Companies need to serve a diverse population to succeed financially. Men’s clothing design is another area where the need for more female input leads to inefficiencies, like the useless small pocket in women’s jeans, which could have been avoided with female input.

The financial implications of gender diversity are significant, reflecting our capitalist society. Moreover, desirable leadership qualities, such as collaboration, team building, consensus-building, and empathy, are often inherently assigned to the female gender. Men in the workplace are learning these qualities to be effective leaders, but women naturally possess them.

Studies show that people tend to choose men over women as leaders even though women excel in these leadership qualities.

I think that we have to look at how we can achieve more equitable workplaces. In order to attract top talent, which is going to be diverse, and which is currently diverse, So when you think about attrition, which is extremely expensive, 2 to 3 times the cost of a salary, people attrit from places primarily where they don’t feel they belong.

People often leave workplaces primarily because they don’t feel they belong. Scientifically, when you don’t feel you belong, you have less productivity.

They’re expensive to replace, and you can’t afford to lose top talent.

When preparing content for leaders, I’m considering:

• Do these leaders know how to deliver feedback in a way that allows people to belong?
• Do these leaders know how to build teams where people truly feel they belong so they are the most productive and profitable?
• Do they know how to build teams where people will stay, thus preserving institutional knowledge?

I think that’s the biggest challenge. We are bringing in a diverse workforce but not allowing them to belong, leading to higher attrition rates among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) groups in corporate America.

Women with mentors are 56% more likely to get a job post-MBA, while men are 93% more likely. So, there are benefits for both, but I think mentorship is critical.

To maintain confidence, I have set up my home as a very equitable experience. I put in place social support systems that allow me to have an experience that doesn’t shake my confidence on a regular basis. For example, there’s been a 38% decrease in work-life balance since COVID. Work-life balance typically hits women harder due to traditionally assigned roles. My research showed that 85% of women between meetings complete household chores. That means you’re not strategizing between those meetings, which can shake confidence. So, I have outsourced many of the traditional responsibilities in my home so that I can strategize just like the men are. Instead of doing chores between every meeting, I’ve outsourced meals to meal kits and house cleaning to professional cleaners. That means I’m not washing dishes between meals but strategizing. Using those resources, I have built out social support systems, regardless of whether you are paired in a traditional or non-traditional couple. The pressure of planning for dinner is taken off my mind, allowing me to focus more on my work and be more prepared.

I think there are two key factors. First, with the rise of single-family homes, you have women-led households where women are traditionally underpaid and under-promoted. It is tougher for women to teach other women how to reach a mountaintop they might not have seen themselves. Imagine trying to navigate a difficult trail without a guide or a map — while you might make some progress, it will take much longer to reach your destination.

Secondly, there are significant shifts as people age. Specifically, in my experience, my hormonal balance has shifted. In response to conversations with my medical provider, I receive hormone replacement therapy. As someone on hormone replacement therapy, I can attest that when hormone levels drop and become less balanced, so does my ability to make sharp decisions as easily. Once replenished, I noticeably change how I present and process information. It is a health issue, and one I believe is not discussed and normalized enough.“If you have a mentor, you get that outside voice that can be like that. Well, hold on. Let’s assess this differently.”

Mentorship acts as a guide for those who haven’t seen the path before, providing a map and perspective. It is especially beneficial as women deal with the biological aging process while aiming for senior positions. This guidance helps maintain laser focus and achieve goals more efficiently. To be clear, I am not suggesting that women have less ability as they age or that they have less sharp minds. I am saying that as part of being healthy, hormone support should be a healthcare option and not a luxury to achieve an equitable playing field.

I was not aware, before I dove into my research, of a statistic found by Brew in 2019, stating that 80% of women in senior leadership positions attributed their success to support from their spouse or spousal equivalent. As someone divorced four times, I can tell you that is not always the case.

I had no idea of the influence that the surrounding males — fathers, boyfriends, husbands, brothers — had on just the dreaming of a leadership vision. That shocked me — that they could be so influential and so detrimental in the same breath.

How can you get feedback that you’re too assertive and not assertive enough? How do you establish your corporate brand and become a leader with such contradictory advice? It’s crazy to me.

Additionally, there’s this image that when women have extra time, they are expected to do nurturing activities like reading to their child or doing laundry. When men have extra time, they are perceived to be working harder at the computer. Even in our own minds, women are discouraged from doing the additional work that would allow them to become truly effective leaders because they’re supposed to be folding clothes and reading books, while men are expected to work harder.

Let’s talk money and time. In my study of the women I interviewed, 100% wanted to progress in their careers, but 90% had passed on opportunities due to family demands. This is a straightforward issue to address.

Think about it: we didn’t clean our offices before COVID, so why should we do it now while working from home?

Small shifts can make a huge difference. Companies could implement a mentoring program matching senior executives with women in the workplace. Employee resource groups where women can share experiences would also foster a sense of belonging. These initiatives are low-cost yet high-impact. For example, a year-long meal delivery subscription in the U.S. costs around $100. A $500 stipend could cover a month or more of actual meal deliveries. A $100 monthly house cleaning stipend adds up to only $1,200 annually. These costs are minimal compared to the benefits provided.

Flexible pay time off and work hours are also crucial. Does it matter if work starts at 7 AM or 9 AM if the job gets done? In the U.S., post-pregnancy care is notoriously poor. I worked up until two weeks before giving birth and returned two weeks after. Addressing childcare costs and ensuring fair pay are essential.

My goal isn’t to confine women and men to traditional roles but to provide them with choices and the freedom to define their roles. I pack my husband’s lunch and cook dinner; he takes out the trash and opens doors. We agree on these roles and can change them anytime. It’s about choice and freedom.