The fact that some women have risen to the top has not led to an improvement in the situation for all women in the company. Perhaps we should focus our efforts on the whole pyramid. Here's how.
How the Conversation Started at the Top
When people began to talk about "gender equality," the focus was on what was happening at the top, based on the premise that change had to occur at the top to have an impact at all levels of the company, like a ripple effect.
The concept of the glass ceiling monopolized the attention of the press and corporations since 1984, when it was coined by Gay Bryant in Working Woman magazine: women have reached a certain point — the glass ceiling — where they are near the top, and they stop, and they get stuck.
Then the specialized press began adding data on the percentage of women and minorities on boards of directors. A study by McKinsey & Company showed that companies that invest in ethnic and cultural diversity in executive teams are 33% more likely to be leaders in profitability than their competitors.
The Glass Cliff
The 2008 crisis presented "a unique opportunity" for women and minorities to achieve a leadership position. Several women, won over by this "Savior Effect," accepted these opportunities. This is the glass cliff — a way of recruiting a woman as a last resort to save an almost impossible situation.
Often, these women inherited unsustainable situations: information asymmetry, a board of directors that was 75% or more male, and "trash hidden under the rug" — a phenomenon also called the "glass rug."
Women in the business world who have been victims of the Savior Effect include Ellen Pao, former CEO of Reddit, Patricia Russo, former CEO of Lucent, and Marissa Mayer of Yahoo. What happened next? All of these women were replaced by men, which meant a setback in the quest for inclusion.
The Broken Rung
Given the complicated situation of women at the top and the lack of results for most women at all levels of companies, we ask ourselves: what if the root of the gender barrier were found in a much less visible and reportable place, such as in the recruitment of first-level management?
McKinsey, in its most recent study, seems to opt for this solution, reporting that for every 100 men promoted to a management position, only 72 women are recruited and promoted. If we add the pay gap and unconscious biases to this initial recruitment gap, we clearly have a set of limitations that translates into a "broken rung" in the advancement of women.
Addie Swartz, creator of Aurora
What We Can Actually Do
Fixing this flaw should be a strategic priority for both companies and ourselves. How can we do this?
For me, it is necessary to develop skills in communicating more assertively and add this effort to the specializations and master's degrees that many of us have already pursued. Great female CEOs have ultimately failed to respond to business needs due to deficiencies in their communication and their inability to create cohesion in their teams.
Another tool is to seek out and choose a mentor. In the best-case scenario, this is facilitated by the company, but it could also be on one's own initiative. Being able to benefit from a role model from whom to learn and to whom to turn is invaluable in understanding how to manage oneself better. Although for the moment mentoring has not translated into recommendations for promotion, it has already proven its worth in terms of knowledge transfer.
Finally, the best tool is knowing your value and knowing that you are fulfilling your personal mission. It is not the same to perform a job because "I have to" as it is to do it "because I am passionate about it."
Your current position — whether it is managerial, executive, entrepreneurial, or civil servant — should be a means to a greater end, which is your life's purpose. And if you are wondering what your purpose is, then that is where you should start. I will gladly help you.