The fact that she is able to make headway in such a male-dominated field is nothing short of remarkable. 2016 will see the rise of many qualified, influential female leaders. They will raise the standard of excellence and exceed all expectations of any qualified professional. The start of this trend begins with Becky Hammon. Standing at 5’6’’, Becky Hammon is making history as the first female fulltime NBA assistant coach.

Regardless of her gender, she could not make a better candidate for the position. As a South Dakotan native, she grew up with a passion for the game. In 2011, she was recognized as one of the league’s 15 greatest players. After completing her career with the San Antonio Stars in 2014, she transitioned to another phase in her career as a coach.

Beck Hammon was not hired because she was a woman. She was hired because she had the best value to offer the NBA and her boss, Greg Popovich, recognized it. The fact that she is a woman is simply a bonus. Women should not be hired simply because of their gender, but rather as a result of their merit. They should be held at equal if not greater consideration than a male counterpart if her experience or knowledge warrants such an evaluation.

Unfortunately, historically that has not been the case. Current research shows that this is a mistake. According to research published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in February 2016, “the presence of women in corporate leadership positions may improve firm performance…… For profitable firms, a move from no female leaders to 30 percent representation is associated with a 15 percent increase in the net revenue.” This conclusion was done on an analysis of 21,980 firms from 91 countries. The study suggests that the correlation may come from the inherent advantage non-discriminating companies have through “superior performance via functional diversity.”