Women are the backbone of healthcare, so why aren’t they in more decision-making roles?

Seventy percent of healthcare decisions are made by women, according to the Center for Talent Innovations’ “Power of the Purse” report.  Along with recognizing women as the Chief Medical Officer of the home, healthcare organizations must also better reflect the increasingly diverse patient populations they serve.

Additionally, while women make up 80 percent of healthcare workers, they make up only 40 percent of healthcare executives, according to the Advisory Board.

With this in mind, Central Ohio healthcare leaders gathered for a recent American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) of Greater Ohio event focused on encouraging and making female leadership a strategic priority.

A panel discussion was led by Mike Kaufmann, CEO of Cardinal Health, and included Mary Howard, executive director for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (University Hospital East); Shannon Ginther, JD, senior director of Community Health Partnerships for OhioHealth; and Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika W. Roberts.

Here are four key take-aways from this robust discussion.

Cardinal Health CEO Kaufmann, who also leads the company’s Women’s Initiative Network (an employee resource group dedicated to advancing women’s careers), pointed out that women are often less likely to raise their hands for a position and therefore, leaders need to more proactively encourage the most qualified people to apply – even if it takes some one-on-one discussions.

“If there’s a job description with five key qualifications, a woman with four of the five is likely to think she’s missing one and needs to develop that skill and apply later,” Kaufmann said. “Whereas a man with just one of the five will apply immediately and plan to figure out the other four.” Kaufmann said that neither was right or wrong, but that women and men tend to approach the process differently.

Howard agreed that many women underestimate themselves, especially the nurses she has managed. As more men enter the nursing profession, she sees them more aggressively pursuing leadership roles. Howard encouraged women to not discount their full capabilities.

Kaufmann said that he’s heard from many male colleagues that they’re afraid to give tough feedback to women, for fear of hurting their feelings. The panelists all agreed that this does a disservice to women, since they should know how to “make the grade.”

Dr. Roberts said she learned early in her career the value of being clear and direct. “There should be no guessing about exactly how you as an employee can improve,” she said.

“You can still give someone tough feedback, but the key is to preserve his or her dignity,” Howard added. She recommended managers start the discussion with “You can be more effective if…”

On the employee side, Ginther said she specifically asks for direct feedback, but emphasized that employees must then be prepared to act on that feedback.

The panelists agreed on the value of having mentors in their careers, but said that sponsorship is what can truly help a woman advance.

“The definitions vary on what sponsorship means compared to mentoring,” Kaufmann said, “But to me, the key difference is that the sponsor owns getting the mentee to the next level as opposed to just advising her on how to get there herself. A sponsor gives you air cover and advocates for you when you’re not in the room.”

Ginther, who in her role as First Lady of Columbus also leads the Columbus Women’s Commission, said that women should maximize the value of both relationships. “Time is our most valuable resource,” she said. “Be very intentional and go to every meeting with an agenda of what you want to learn from your mentor.”