Talent acquisition, engagement, and retention are critical for any organization, and companies around the world say they’re committed to advancing women into leadership roles. But many firms simply aren’t focused enough on their talent pool of women. To move beyond this, companies need to identify the patterns that prevent them from fully leveraging women’s talents and contributions, and they must then use that knowledge to make systematic changes.

“The core issue for many of us is ensuring that women are always on the slate of candidates. Remember, less than five percent of CEOs and only 11 to 26 percent of executives are women,” writes author Edie Fraser, Managing Director, Diversified Search; CEO, Women Business Collaborative; founder, STEMconnector and MWM. “For women of color, the numbers are even worse. Black, Latina, and Asian women combined hold only three percent of those C-suite positions.”

Originally published in the Profiles in Diversity Journal, the article focuses on eight key ways to move the needle on advancing women into leadership role:

• Gender Parity and Pay Equity – Create a pledge to advance more women to all levels of leadership.
• Boardroom Commitments –  Set goals to ensure that more women join boards of directors. Getting more women of color into the C-suite and board seats should also be a top priority.
• Culture Is Key – Set up men to become advocates for women and rejectors of gender stereotypes.
• Men Advocating Real Change – Develop initiatives to involve men to recognize inequality and respond through effective partnerships.
• Mentoring and Sponsorship – Design a mentoring and sponsorship program for women.
• Women and Tech – Provide tools and programs designed to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women as technology leaders.
• Measure and Share Results – Ensure to have an impact report to provide a positive report on business performance.
• Celebrating Success – Showcase extraordinary women leaders and celebrate their achievements.

More companies are committing to gender equality. But progress will remain slow unless we confront blind spots on diversity—particularly regarding women of color and employee perceptions of the status quo.