Next time you’re in a company all-hands, in a manager meeting, or just sitting at your desk, take a look around. How many female sales reps do you see? How many female managers do you see? What about female sales leaders? Yeesh.Leadership could probably use a few ladies, huh? So, why aren’t all the women on the floor vying for that promotion?

Psst…they are.

But women have a few more obstacles in the way than men do when it comes to rising through the ranks.

I joined Outreach’s Joe Vignolo on the Sales Engagement podcast to discuss exactly why women can’t or won’t pursue promotions into sales leadership and how companies can help attract more women to leadership positions.

It’s more complicated than you think

To get to the bottom of this strange phenomenon, we went right to the source: proteges and mentors in the #GirlsClub program. Turns out, it’s a lot more complicated than you might expect.

81% of women were dedicating at least an hour per month to development, but less than half had even tried to apply for a promotion.

The biggest issue? Confidence and a lack of support.

Risk-Taking And Mentorship Are Key

A surprising number of our respondents refused to take risks out of fear of ruining their careers, but they could be missing out big time. I suggest a regular regimen of risk-taking for the not-so-confident, aspiring leader.

As for companies, a little mentorship, community, and support go a long way toward getting more women into leadership. Of course, no one expects an organization to change entirely overnight. But I’ve got some excellent baby steps current leaders can take to improve their gender diversity throughout the ranks.

Learn more about what you can do to attain that promotion or encourage your female reps by tuning in here! (20 minutes)