If you are a Human Resource professional, C-Level executive or just interested in equality in the workplace, you know companies such as The McKinsey Company, Spencer Stuart and Korn Ferry continue to release credible research supporting gender equity in the workplace.

How many companies do you know or worked for that have Leadership Teams or Boards with an equal balance of women to men? (…I hear the crickets chirping…) Answer: Not many of us.

A recent article from The New York Times Sunday Review outlined widespread concern in business circles about the slow progress of women to the top.Here’s an excerpt from Susan Chira’s July 21, 2017 article:“ …For years I thought it was a pipeline question,” said Julie Daum, who has led efforts to recruit women for corporate boards at Spencer Stuart. “But it’s not — I’ve been watching the pipeline for 25 years. There is real bias, and without the ability to shine a light on it and really measure it, I don’t think anything’s going to change.”

Perhaps your company is profitable despite its leadership team being out of balance in terms of gender.“According to board intelligence experts Equilar…23% of Russell 3000 companies, representing the 3,000 largest listed U.S. companies, have zero female representation on their boards.” PR NewswireHowever, if you’re not focusing on building and managing gender-inclusive teams, there’s a strong possibility you are standing in the way of your company’s success.

Steps You Can Take:

•Strengthening one’s team by rewarding women and men equally for their work can ensure a competitive position for you within the marketplace.

•New York University (NYU) is offering an online course this fall Building and Managing a Gender Diverse Team, available to managers, directors and CEOs throughout the country and globally. The objective of the course is to strengthen an executive’s competitive position within one’s company and industry by providing business models that support gender equity and drive company profits.

•Ask the most enthusiastic, visionary people you know – inside and outside of your company if they identify with a female mindset or a male mindset? Ask them why it matters or doesn’t matter in business? Gather their ideas and discover you need both equally to contribute fully to a company’s bottom line.

•Or better yet, perhaps you’ve already taken this world famous awareness test from Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris. Not recognizing the gorilla in the room may be our biggest problem.