CASE STUDY: Investing in hundreds of women pays immeasurable dividends

Improved engagement, NPS and culture are just a few of the benefits of In Her Element

Challenge

Unlocking Untapped Potential in a Male-Dominated Landscape

A Fortune 50 corporation found that while women were increasingly represented in their technology, finance and operational groups, their expertise was not being fully leveraged—and the overall culture was not as supportive as it could be.

Leadership made a commitment to advocate and put investment forward for women employees in these traditionally male-dominated areas—to retain the talent they had and improve their ability to further diversify.

"The thing that really nails it for me is that all the neuroscience it’s based on. A lot of other programs are based on the founder of the program. I’ve done some of those, but I always felt like, ‘this is never going to be my story.’ And the kind of certifications TDE coaches go through, coupled with their backgrounds, that makes a big difference.”

---

Solution

A Transformative Leadership Journey

In late 2020, after evaluating a number of different leadership programs, the company piloted an internal cohort of In Her Element, TDE’s signature program for high-potential female leaders.

The program was so well-received that the company has been running 4 to 6 in-house IHE groups each year since, with 10-12 women in each cohort. Word of mouth has spread, and now each year more than 500 women self-nominate and apply to be considered for the opportunity to participate.

“We’ve run other programs to support women and other under-supported employee populations and nothing compares. IHE’s special sauce is the smaller cohort, the push to work together, the discussion, and the 1:1 executive coaching sessions—which on their own are worth more than the cost of the program.”

---

Why IHE?

Neuroscience-Backed and Company-Specific

Virtual & Flexible: The program is efficient and cost-effective—which allows participants from around the country and world to participate without travel expenses—and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the sponsoring company.

Grounded in Neuroscience:  Unlike programs based on the founder’s proprietary approach or personal story, IHE is grounded in brain science and thus relevant to all participants and effective for all audiences.

Internal Cohort Option: The ability to host internal cohorts comprised entirely of company employees builds relationships and community with the organization and ripples outward to managers and leadership in way that meaningfully shifts culture.

“When they come out of the program they are empowered, refreshed, lit up and completely ready to go. And we’ve realized that we need to be ready with the professional stretch opportunities that will meet their newfound energy.”

---

Impact

Confidence, Connection, and Cultural Change

Individual:  Women who participated in the program realized a number of meaningful benefits: a significant lift in confidence, a willingness to speak up and show up more authentically to compete, and a sense of feeling more invested in and supported by the organization, to name a few.

Organizational: The individual shifts translated into company impact, including the creation of new relationships and support networks, a more collegial and appreciative culture, as well as more robust dialogues with healthier debates, leading to better outcomes.

"There was REALLY strong advancement, and we saw a huge confidence lift. Honestly, the transformation across all of our leaders who were watching in and listening was just fantastic.”