Empowering executive women to lead the way

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True empowerment means providing structured support to women aspiring for top roles, says DLPA’s Karlie Cremin

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP roles are increasingly being recognised and valued in the workplace, but there’s still so much ground to cover, particularly in male-dominated industries. Karlie Cremin, managing director of Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia (DLPA), understands this reality all too well. For her, the mission to uplift women in executive roles isn’t just a professional concern – it’s personal. “It’s a topic very close to my heart, and we’ve seen a lot of movement in this space,” Cremin tells HRD. “When we first developed our leadership programs, the female representation in the construction industry was 1%. There have since been a lot of government policies to drive change, and today that figure has risen to 15%. We also have women in 20% of CEO roles and in 30% of executive roles across all industries.” Despite the growth in numbers, Cremin notes that 50% of the workforce is female, so addressing the disparity in executive roles needs focus and effort. With this in mind, DLPA is bringing back its 12-month Women in Leadership program, which aims to equip the next generation of female leaders with the skills, acumen and resilience they need to thrive.

Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia (DLPA) is a bespoke leadership and business development program provider that drives strategic objectives and unlocks the potential of current and emerging leaders. With corporate strategy at the heart of DLPA’s programs, the team works hand-in-hand with each client to identify key barriers to their success, develop leadership skills, align organisational values and empower people to reach higher levels of performance. Backed by years of diverse industry experience, DLPA applies its versatile insights into the specific challenges and opportunities of different industries, supporting change that drives the achievement of results.

“When we first developed our leadership programs, the female representation in the construction industry was 1% and today that figure has risen to 15%. We also have women in 20% of CEO roles and in 30% of executive roles across all industries”

Karlie Cremin, DLPA

The DLPA Women in Leadership program has been running since 2014, and Cremin says that expectations and leadership styles have evolved significantly since then. Previously, leadership discussions were largely focused on making female leaders act like their male counterparts. But today, there’s much more appreciation for women bringing their diverse mindset to the table, and the emphasis is on giving people the confidence to engage effectively with that difference. “Some of our key topics like communication and negotiation are evergreen, but the environment it sits in has changed,” Cremin says.

“We’re no longer talking about how you can make a woman negotiate like a man. It’s about how we can all have a richer experience by having competent women leaning into exactly who they are,” she explains. The Women in Leadership program covers a range of topics such as personal leadership branding, communication, negotiation and conflict resolution. It begins with a two-day intensive learning activity, followed by a series of workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions and webinars across 12 months.

The program also splits participants into cohorts of up to 20 people, which allows for more tailored workshops to be run in smaller groups each quarter. “We’ll have the core modules on leadership, establishing yourself as a credible voice and authority within your organisation, and positioning yourself to get into leadership roles,” Cremin explains. “For the smaller cohorts, we have 165 modules to choose from, and we can put together a course depending on the needs of the people in the group. That way, it’s targeted specifically to supporting these women at their stage of the leadership journey.” The 2024 program’s ambassador is TV and radio personality Ita Buttrose, who will be joined by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 30 April for a virtual two-hour session focusing on leadership and resilience. Buttrose says she looks forward to sharing her experiences and insights with women aspiring for leadership, and has encouraged women to use the program as a stepping stone towards their career goals.

There’s no doubt that diversity has been a significant focus for organisations over the last few years. From addressing the gender pay gap to having more female representation at higher levels, some major strides have been made. However, Cremin says it’s not just about putting women into leadership roles and “hoping they swim”. To enact truly effective change, organisations need to look at their internal culture and provide structured support to women climbing the corporate ladder.

“We’re no longer talking about how you can make a woman negotiate like a man. It’s about how we can all have a richer experience by having competent women leaning into exactly who they are”

Karlie Cremin, DLPA

Cremin notes that some government policies have been helpful in providing more leadership opportunities for women, but they’ve also had the unintended consequence of focusing purely on hitting targets. “There is a mandatory KPI in Victoria around getting women into the workforce, and that can lead to women getting put into roles without the organisation looking at their culture and why women weren’t in those roles in the first place,” Cremin says. “There are assumptions that childcare responsibilities are the biggest barrier, but the reality is a little more complex than that. Our programs really focus on supporting women into those roles, and once they’re there, to support them through it,” she explains. Cremin emphasises the goal of creating “an environment where women can thrive, and that’s not just about meeting KPIs and getting the metrics up”.

The Women in Leadership program has been designed for women at all levels, from those aspiring for leadership to established CEOs. Cremin notes that without the proper support, leadership can quickly become a lonely, isolating and overwhelming journey, and so DLPA’s goal is to provide a supportive group of peers that can help one another acquire the skills they need over the long term. In addition, the program length ensures that the skills and behaviours the participants learn can be embedded into habits.

Setting women up for leadership success

Breaking down barriers

Published 15 Apr 2024

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Women in leadership: the figures

Women comprise:

23%

of CEOs

35.1%

of key management positions

34%

of board members

18%

of board chairs

Source: “National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality” Discussion Paper, Australian Government (2023)

Achieving long-term goals

Commercial acumen, business operations and financial literacy

DLPA Women in Leadership: program highlights

“We have people we met in 2016 as emerging leaders at the start of their management journey, and now they’re at executive levels and thriving,” Cremin concludes. “We get to hear the wonderful stories about them using the tools they learned, and passing those on to others in their organisation. It’s amazing to hear about those outcomes.” To find out more about DLPA’s Women in Leadership 2024 program and to register, click here.

Personal leadership branding

Efficiency and time management

Managing difficult people

Conflict resolution

Influence and persuasion

Positive psychology

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