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Women in technology face to career development. Only 25 percent of “computing” professionals are women, , and the percentage shrinks moving up the corporate ladder. In fact, percent of executives at Silicon Valley tech companies are women. And the numbers for women of color are .

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The causes of this imbalance are many and still debated. They include bias (both conscious and unconscious), structural barriers and . In addition, has found that women working in traditionally male-dominated industries and functions (like technology) have access to fewer leadership development opportunities than men in those fields.

As a result, while 80 percent of women in science, engineering and technology report “loving their work,” the female attrition rate in such fields is higher than it is for men. In “high-tech” industries, they leave at as men (41 percent compared to 17 percent).

What’s a talented woman to do when she ? What’s her organization to do to ?

What is coaching?

Coaching is an increasingly popular strategy used to help talented women build their skills and advance in their careers. Many organizations make the investment themselves in coaching for their , and has shown that coaching can be particularly effective in helping to narrow the gender gap in leadership development.

is a one-on-one relationship in which a professional coach works with an employee or client to achieve personal professional goals, providing feedback and direction that facilitates improvement. Sometimes, organizations or individuals hire coaches from outside the organization. , they’re training managers or other employees to serve as coaches inside the organization, especially as a way to support performance or .

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Benefits for the organization

In addition to the obvious benefits of demonstrating support and encouragement for female employees, an organization profits (literally) in other ways from providing or supporting coaching for its high-potential women. Coaching employee engagement, productivity and retention, business management and team effectiveness.

As individuals learn to manage relationships better, the entire organization benefits from those improved relationships. Now that organizations are starting to use coaching across levels rather than just for executives, across teams. Coaching also , especially of the ever-in-demand millennial generation.

Benefits for the woman

So, what specifically happens in those coaching conversations, and how can they help women in tech?

While coaching is not a replacement for therapy, mentoring, or training, it can provide related outcomes and be an important part of a more comprehensive personal and professional development plan. support improved leadership, communication, and time management skills and improve self-confidence, relationships, and work-life balance.

Popular goals include:

• Working toward a leadership role.
• Improving professional performance.
• Improving relationships.
• Increasing self-confidence.
• Managing work-life balance.

Sound familiar? Many of these challenges — especially advancing into leadership and — are common among women in technology.

revealed promising data about coaching, especially regarding its potential to equalize access between men and women. In a 2017 survey, men were 50 percent more likely than women to say their leadership training was “very effective.” However, when respondents reported having received coaching as part of their leadership development, that difference almost disappeared.

If you’re a woman in technology wanting to move into a leadership position, it may be worth finding a coach outside the organization to help you build your skills. However, you may also ask a senior member of your team — one whom you respect and believe has the time and people skills to do the job — to be an informal, on-the-job coach. Make sure this person is willing to coach you and also understands what the role of a coach is (for instance, ). You might even find that there are people in your organization who have been .

Related: How to Listen to Your Intuition and Create Your Dream Life

If you’re a business leader, especially in tech, who wants to across your organization, consider bringing in an outside coach, or offering training to managers to help them learn to coach high-potential women. You might find that the costs of losing your female employees far outweigh the costs of coaching them.

(By . Oesch is an award-winning editor at Training Industry, Inc., an online media and content marketing company for the corporate training sector.)