Gender balance in leadership is beneficial for companies, and the evidence for this is increasing. However, such a balance is still far from reality, even though women account for more than half of the talent available to business today. In a context of skills shortages, this is not sustainable. Rather than attempting to change women, interested companies need to alter outmoded corporate attitudes and processes. They need to look at gender in leadership as a business issue – to be addressed at board level, with male leaders playing a critical role. It is important to both acknowledge that women are different and to incorporate the differences. Not doing so is not only counterproductive, it also leads to a loss of business potential. The point is to create workplaces welcoming to both genders – maximising the potential of both, in order to reap the benefits of their complementary perspectives.