Despite wanting to advance to director or vice president positions as much as men, women don't feel as though their employers aid them in knowing when the time is right for a promotion. That is according to Be Leaderly's recent report, Out of the Comfort Zone: How Women and Men Size Up Stretch Assignments—And Why Leaders Should Care. Women also are less likely to "round up" their skills—that is, to overestimate their skills and what they are capable of doing—when considering taking on a stretch assignment.

The report's authors, Jo Miller and Selena Rezvani, did find many similarities between women and men around stretch assignments. For example, for both sexes, the top criteria in deciding to take on a stretch assignment was whether they thought they could make a positive outcome as a result of that assignment. They both also want stretch assignments that fit with their overall career goals. And men and women pointed to office politics, followed by lack of time, as challenges to taking on such a post.

But then come more dissimilarities. Men are more likely to cite money as an important factor to weigh in making a decision about a stretch assignment—3.5 more likely. Women tend to be less engaged in and passionate about their jobs (at 67 percent versus 77 percent for men). However, that may be because there's a correlation between individuals who are engaged with their work and those who feel their employer helps them assess their readiness to make a career leap. A mere 27 percent of women agreed with the statement "My company makes it easy for me to gauge my readiness to advance internally." Meanwhile, 40 percent of men agreed.

The report differentiated between stretch assignments and stretch roles. Stretch assignments are temporary and internal, helping employees prepare for future roles. Stretch roles, on the other hand, are new, permanent positions that give employees added responsibilities or where they learn new skills.

The Out of the Comfort Zone findings are a result of an online survey of 1,549 U.S.-based professionals between December 2017 and March 2018, working in a broad range of industries.

To improve the odds that women take advantage of stretch assignments, companies should create a culture where women's skills are recognized. Further, for both men and women, organizations will be better served if they promote a growth mindset among their employees. Also, make sure that stretch assignments are rewarded—not with money but with, for example, public recognition.