From many years’ experience as an executive search consultant, I know I can call a male executive about an opportunity and, almost without exception, he will take the time to listen.  Even if he ultimately is not interested, he will generally try to be helpful and, if asked, will suggest names of friends or colleagues who might be interested. Most are also open to meeting for a coffee so that I can better understand their background for roles that may come up in the future.

Women, on the other hand, will often respond to a call by saying they are too busy to talk, or that she is happy where she is, sometimes without being willing to even listen to what the opportunity is about.  If she does listen but not interested in the role, unlike her male colleagues, she is rarely willing to take the time to suggest others.  And the concept of meeting with an executive search consultant just to get to know her better seems to be a preposterous suggestion because she is, after all, “too busy”.

In my experience, the difference between a male executive and a female executive with equal education and ambition, is that the former is goal-oriented, while the latter is task-oriented.  Women believe they will be rewarded by excelling at their current role, which they may or may not be.  Alternatively, men keep their “eye on the prize” as they have already developed a view of the role and/or level to which they aspire.  For this reason, they are rarely “too busy” to pass up the chance to review an opportunity that might get them one step closer to their goals. In general, men hold themselves in much higher esteem than their female colleagues.  As a result, they more easily become frustrated at what they perceive as their lack of progress. They believe they have more of a “right” to move ahead and therefore are willing to spend the time to move up, either in title or money.

It is critical for women to actively prepare for future opportunities by building their networks. Professionals who don’t do this will not have a network when they need one.

All executives have tasks to complete but female professionals must get clear on their goals and must decide which of their tasks gets them closer to their goals. Ladies, you don’t need to get an A+ on every task, especially if it causes you to lose sight of the goal post.  And remember… always take the call; the guy in the next office certainly will.