Source: Daily Nation
Being at the helm of an organisation is an enviable position for anybody who is starting out at the workplace.

Entry-level employees may covet the boss's, powers to make far-reaching decisions, the globetrotting, and the opportunity to meet influential individuals that commoners would only dream about.

But the road to the the top is paved with sacrifice. Regular cocktails with influential leaders mean numerous late nights away from friends and family.

Constant travel means that your children become strangers. And when the time to weigh whether to take the topmost job or settle for a lesser role comes, women find that the spacious corner office may not be so alluring after all.

The hectic schedule that characterises the life of a chief executive loses its appeal when one has to choose between devoting most of her time to running a company and losing touch with everything else, or settling for a less demanding role that allows more time for other interests.

Though women look up to female executives with awe, given a chance to step into the corner office, a good number would decline.

There are those who feel inadequate about their ability to run an organisation. Njeri Rionge, CEO of Ignite Consulting who is also an executive coach and business mentor, explains that while men are more willing to risk taking on a position that they'll figure out as they go along, women are more likely to aspire for jobs that they are sure they are capable of.

Applying for deputy rather than chief executive is in line with women wanting to place themselves where they think they can perform.

"Sometimes we underestimate our own capacity and are inhibited because we are too concerned about what others will think about us, or how we will survive when we get to the top," she says.

"But the most important thing is to focus on the task at hand, the competency required for the job, and the ability to do it," she says.

Fighting doubt

Gladys Ogallo, founder and managing director of Virtual HR, a human resources consultancy, adds that some women who are confident about their ability to lead still have doubts about whether they will get topmost jobs if they apply for them.

"The perception that it is difficult for a woman to break through some of the male-dominated careers holds women back, especially in industries where there is no clear career path on the way to the top," she explains. In such case a woman may settle for the 'more attainable' post of deputy.

Even women taking MBAs – the qualification that prepares many to take up managerial positions – are hesitant about taking on the CEO role.

Irene Kinuthia, the director of Centre for Research on Work and Family at Strathmore University, says that a good number of highly qualified women taking MBAs feel that being the boss is not worth the sacrifice.

"I always ask women who complete their MBA whether they would take the highest job in their organisations if they were qualified for it and the women are usually hesitant," she says.

A recurrent reason women give is that being at the helm requires them to sacrifice much more than they gain from the position.

So they settle for deputy or an even lesser post that allows them to juggle work and other personal interests.

Striking a balance

Many settle for the highest post that allows them to integrate professional and personal pursuits into a suitable balance.

"No woman wants to be in a situation where she regrets not being there for her children because she was too busy running an organisation.

"It is more difficult to mend broken relationships than to take a break, work on your priorities at the time and then advance your career later in life," says Irene.

Irene surveys companies for their work-life balance policies and the surveys reveal that Kenyan women still feel that the workplace ignores all the other equally valuable roles that a woman plays in society.

"In many firms, if the CEO takes maternity leave, it is like a crime. If I take leave to attend to my child it is seen as a sign of weakness," she explains.

In some cases, women who would still like to run companies opt out of employment to start their own businesses when they feel stuck in their goal to get to the top.

"In companies where there is too much infighting, the logical step is to seek another opportunity outside. For some this comes in form of creating your own organisation and running it," Gladys Ogallo of Virtual HR explains.

Gladys adds that some women are just stuck in a comfort zone that kills their ambition to get to the top.

"They have middle-level managerial positions and earn a good salary. There is a temptation to get by especially when you are doing well, rather than get into an extremely demanding position at the top which reduces the time you spend on other interests."

Irene Kinuthia says that one action that would get more women to take up the topmost jobs, is redefining the rules in the workplace to mirror policies that allow a woman to attend to other aspects of her life, like parenting, without being made to feel as if she is weak.

She suggests that flexible working schedules, access to leave to attend to one's children, and use of technology to work from home would enable more women to choose to lead, as it would allow for satisfying careers as bosses balanced with time for their other roles.

Gladys agrees that knowing that they can be boss without sacrificing family would liberate more women to seek chief executive positions.

"We need an environment that allows brilliant women to handle other aspects of their personal lives and still achieve career milestones."

In addition to friendly policies, Njeri Rionge, says that women need to position themselves to lead, declare themselves ready and show their competency through their work, to get to the top.

Once they are there, Njeri says, they can introduce policies that allow a work-life balance. "Women have an immense capacity to do so many things and they must be courageous enough to take up leadership roles," she says.

• Kenya