Thanks to Conrad Liveris ("Women on boards: Men must must lead by example in debate on gender diversity" AFR, July 14) we have the laudable suggestion that "women are promoted on a track record, where for men it is on potential". Glad a man has said it and it resonates right. Perceptions around a women's capacity to be promoted to high office are sometimes shrouded with a particularly disturbing multi-dimensionality. Antipathy, uncertainty and a feeling of a downright threat to the proper order.

Men can indeed personify promise of future winning performance. Imbued and additional unseen strengths and potential seem to attach to a very confident and good male candidate. A male candidate might have a patchy back-story of achievement. But so what? Men seem a little better at convincing talk about success. If you add in the lessons learned, the sports links and the networks. Bingo!

This almost reasonable outlook is not always shared for the woman candidate. The vision of a woman potentially leading an organisation is not always there. Even less clear is her potential to higher trajectory. Why the uncertainty? Is the achieving woman as full of potential and strong future achievement as the achieving man?

Women can also 'lose' potential as they actively rise towards the top where there is tough competition. Strangely an inverse situation often applies to men. Their leader potential keeps rising. A male corporate vision of expansive growth at interview might lead to board comfort and excitement. Yet if a woman with the same vision moves forward and talks this up the response might surprise. Maybe the executive or board might not be as comfortable.

The research literature is clear on average bottom-line business improvements with women as chief executive or chairwoman or across the boardroom versus all male leader teams.

Women who want to lead have options. They have to create and drive their success narratives. Unfortunately it appears you still have to behave and look like a credible leader too.

Diana Day, published in The Australian Financial Review- Letters- 17 July 2015, p35

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