At Avanade, we celebrate diversity, and we celebrate everyone who is determined to improve their abilities and to lead more confidently. Everyone, regardless of background, is a crucial part in what makes Avanade as a workplace so special. We promote diversity in the workforce and programs to foster this.

That is why the Female High Potential Program is an integral part of our leadership strategy and aligns directly with our Avanade diversity strategy. Females in leading roles and in the world of IT are not necessarily common yet – and we thrive to change that, by preparing them better and by offering them a unique opportunity to work with esteemed leadership experts and senior leaders so that their leadership presence is strengthened. As part of this program to enhance the leadership abilities among females in our workforce, we strive to improve their networking skills and enhance their business and communication skills – because all these skills are necessary to make one’s presence known in the business world. They can have a direct impact on oneself, on one’s client, the organization, and the team.

So, what is the Female High Potential Program?

This program is designed to encourage women to be more present and confident in themselves to lead, and as such, it included various ways in which to do just that. Various topics were addressed during the period of the program, which are supposed to help all the ladies participating to grow and develop. In July, a group of females working at senior analyst and consultant level came together after a thorough selection process. The selection criteria were based on a consistently strong performance record and outstanding potential. Various topics were addressed during these meetings, all of which are linked to growing and developing as a professional in the business world.

One needs to be able to grow and develop their character in order to confidently lead – therefore, the participants were encouraged to work on their inner and outer critic and learned to silence it (because misplaced criticism is an unnecessary downer!). Additionally, the benefits of a growth mindset were explained and the underlying steps on how to achieve it were illustrated and applied, as this is crucial if anyone wants to improve in any way. Feedback was discussed as another factor that contributes to developing one’s leadership abilities, as well as an overview of behavioral styles, which is why this was addressed in the program, together with discovering with one’s own brand.

The interactive aspect of the program gave the participants room to grow and to get to know themselves and their brand better. It involved roleplays, short presentations, and e.g. questionnaires about behavioral styles, so that the participants were able to understand themselves better. Most importantly, communication and feedback are always essential, which is why there was also an emphasis on giving everyone an opportunity to share their personal experiences –trainers and participants alike. Moreover, male sponsors from the leadership also shared their stories and showed their support in partaking in the sessions. Honesty, support and positive vibes should contribute to a good working environment, so the ladies and the trainers were encouraged to reveal the good and the bad, and everyone was there to offer support, give advice or to just lend an ear. This honesty and support among those participating in the room created an intense yet trusting atmosphere within a group of people who had not really known each other before the program.

Will there be another Female High Potential Program?

Of course, there will be another one! Due to the incredible feedback and the success of the program, we plan on celebrating another round of female power and leadership skills at Avanade – this time in February, for three days. Furthermore, because support and community are such a strong aspect of working at Avanade, there are plans for a community in which the ladies can support each other, give advice, share their experiences on a variation of topics that were already addressed during the program, as well as offer support when it comes to overcoming or dealing with any issues. Most importantly, we hope that they have found a new group of friends within the company who will always support each other.

If you are interested in the program and want to support our endeavors, or if you want to know more about diversity and female power in business, feel free to click through our Inclusion & Diversity Portal, our blogs about Women at Avanade or our Life at Avanade site. If you want to learn more about our job opportunities at Avanade, please visit our Career Portal.