Cracks in the Glass Ceiling

Why am I starting a newsletter called Kicking the Glass Ceiling?

Because while my corporate career looks successful on paper – I walked away after 25 years, without achieving the COO roles I really wanted and was perfectly qualified for.

I definitely put some more cracks in the glass ceiling – but I wasn’t able to break it.

When I came out of school with a Finance degree and became a CPA,?I truly believed men & women were equal and that if I worked hard, I could get to any level I wanted. And while I still believe that, I now know that we can’t do it alone.

I came up the ranks fast – and yes I worked twice as hard as my peers to get there.?My husband & I were also juggling a new child, dual careers, and the stress that comes with a baby, and daycare, back when working from home didn’t exist!

But I also had a great boss as a Director who acted as my sponsor – and dealt with questions like

“how do you work with her – she’s so aggressive!”

If I stayed at work late I would get asked

“who is with the baby?”

and would have to remind people that my child had 2 parents. We juggled our schedules based on who had more critical deliverables and took turns working late. Without a true partner at home, my career would have been impossible. But that’s a whole other topic for another day.

I thought I had made it when I got to the VP level. Because I knew I could do the job. I thought that’s all I had to do.

But when I got to the Executive level,?that’s where the challenges really started.

?I was a VP at 33. Nine years later, after being a top performer, taking on every special project that came my way, and succeeding, I was still a VP. Every new role was a lateral move. Yes, I learned a lot – and I really enjoyed my stints in Six Sigma and IT as they gave me the skills to land more senior roles - eventually.?

But I had to go to a new company and start over to move up the ladder each time.

Why weren’t my skills and experience enough to get me a role in the company that spent all that time training and investing in me??

The pattern continued at every company - despite being successful, promotions were not offered.

After successfully designing & implementing a new ERP system as an SVP Finance, a new CFO role for my division was created above me to implement systems at another division. I was perfectly qualified for the role. I was 1 floor down in the same building and never considered. A male peer with no previous systems experience got the job, and would have to commute – from overseas! You can’t apply for a job that is never posted.

I left corporate not because I was stressed or burnt out. I left because I was bored – lacking challenge & opportunity.

To this day I am approached by recruiters for straightforward CFO roles I could have done 10 years ago - not the COO roles I have the potential for.?

So now I'm building my own business to create my own opportunities, for myself and the next generation. So many of you have commented that you have had the same experiences of bias in the workplace. Bias comes in so many forms - gender, race, LGTBQ, disability, age - but they all have something in common. It creates cultures where people don't feel safe, where opportunities are offered only to the select few who fit the mold. It creates massive obstacles to anyone who is an "outsider" and then proclaims "if you work hard, you can get these opportunities too".

I'm calling BS. I worked my ass off. I did ALL the things I was supposed to, at great personal cost to my health, and was still kept out of the club. Yes, we need to work hard to succeed. But we need businesses to work harder at being more objective. At creating systems that are fair and create opportunities for ALL.

If you want to join me on this journey - then hit "Subscribe" on the button above so we can all work together to break the glass ceiling.?

Check out my new KickglassKat page for regular posts on all things related to #diversity and #leadership! If you have ideas for future topics of discussion - let's hear them in the comments.