Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been an immense test for leadership. More than ever, leaders had to use their skills and quick thinking when tackling various COVID-19 situations. COVID-19 pandemic created situations at the workplace, which was unexplored territory for every institution.

Some might refer COVID-19 pandemic as a war, as the great battle to save mankind. However, for women leaders, it has been a great opportunity to show their strength and prove once again their intellectual capabilities and leadership skills can be far superior in handling such crises.

Crowe, as a firm 70% dominated by female workers, every department is overseen by female leaders. Upon the sudden decision by the government for a complete lockdown, they maximized their communication skills and emotional intelligence in orchestrating response missions to deal with the unforeseen situations of Covid-19. With the support of the firm’s Partners, the immediate decisions were turned into action by quick transformation to a fully functioning virtual firm.

Communication became a major asset in dealing with work colleagues and clients. The adaptiveness and emotional intelligence of female leaders coupled together creating communication channels and WFH strategies, allowing employees to perform daily routine tasks with minor interruption.

Furthermore, to cope with the “new normal” working arrangement, staff were trained to work individually as well as as a team and, asynchronously in the virtual platform. Female workers faced extra hurdles and challenges in balancing work and family responsibilities. The stereotyping and expectation from family to be involved in daily chores at home and to execute planned tasks and assignments from work have been a continuous fight since the start of the WFH arrangements.

Crowe is a firm that strongly believes in equal opportunities for both genders. Glass ceilings or barriers to moving up the career path do not exist in Crowe. The empathy, caring, and solidarity among the female leaders and coworkers reinforced the work performance momentum during the most difficult times.

Women at all levels have been actively involved and contributed to shaping the new normal. The “All are invited” approach practiced by the top management aided in voicing up their opinions, enabling formalizing policies and strategies that are gender-neutral.