The gender pay gap may be at an all-time low, but there are still many obstacles facing women in today’s workplace. Preparing millennial women to climb the corporate ladder and seize C-level positions is critical for the future of business.

According to the 2015 Deloitte Millennial survey, there is a gender gap between millennial men and women. While men are only somewhat more likely than women to seek senior positions  within their organizations (64 percent vs. 57 percent), the gap grows significantly when millennials are asked how likely they are to seek to become the leader/most senior executive at their organizations (59 percent of men vs. 47 percent of women).

With only 22 women holding the position of CEO at S&P 500 companies in the United States, it’s little wonder why millennial women are less than inspired to become the leader of their organization. Role models and mentors are vital to motivating and inspiring employees. And with women business role models at a minimum, organizations need to step up and create leadership development programs to prepare millennial women for leadership roles.

Women in Leadership: The Skills to Succeed

Many leadership development programs have curriculums that focus on such things as assertiveness, linear thinking and hierarchical command. These skills lean more toward a male audience, and fail to take into account the strengths of women.

Barnard, one of 46 all-women’s colleges in the United States, is dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership around the world. In an effort to fill the leadership gap, the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard has developed a new initiative to reimagine what leadership is and look at the core attributes and skills that women need in order to be successful leaders. They call it the Athena CORE10.

Here are the 10 attributes:

1. Vision: Creating, defining and motivating others with purpose.
2. Ambition: Striving for success, owning expertise and projecting power.
3. Courage: Taking bold, strategic risks.
4. Entrepreneurial Spirit: Being imaginative, flexible and persistent in pursuing opportunity.
5. Resilience: Learning and bouncing back from adversity.
6. Communication: Listening actively, speaking persuasively and establishing authority.
7. Leverage: Identifying and optimizing the use of key resources.
8. Collaboration: Sharing diverse strengths and perspectives.
9. Negotiation: Bridging differences to come to a beneficial agreement.
10. Advocacy: Standing up for yourself and for others.

These 10 interconnected competencies can help support a lifelong path of effective leadership. By implementing training programs that focus on strengthening these attributes, organizations can provide millennial women with the skills they need to seize C-suite positions.