From Stuck to Soaring: How Women Can Navigate the Leap from Mid-Management to Executive Leadership

This article was inspired by the insightful discussions and engaging conversations during the ISB Women Power Hour, where I enjoyed exchanging ideas with fellow ISB alums. These conversations reinforced the importance of evolving leadership styles in a dynamic world and how crucial inclusivity, authenticity, and adaptability have become in shaping modern executive presence.

This is the first article in a series on Executive Presence, Diversity & Inclusion and Leadership Navigation for women at periodic intervals. It highlights many women's challenges transitioning from mid-level management to executive roles. The piece explores the hurdles and opportunities during this pivotal career stage and offers strategies to help women accelerate their advancement and break through the glass ceiling.

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For women in mid-level management, the leap to senior leadership can feel daunting and elusive. While many women excel in their current roles, they often encounter roadblocks when trying to move from managing teams to shaping the strategy of an entire organisation. This transition from mid-management to executive leadership is not just about acquiring more responsibility; it involves breaking through external and internal barriers between women and the C-suite.

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This article explores the challenges women face in mid-management and provides strategies to help them successfully transition to senior leadership roles. By addressing these obstacles head-on, women can position themselves for growth, shatter the glass ceiling, and confidently rise into the executive ranks.

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Why Women Get Stuck in Mid-Management

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The journey from mid-level manager to senior leader is filled with potential traps, especially for women. Despite strong performance, many women report feeling "stuck," unable to ascend to higher leadership roles even after years of dedication. The feeling of career stagnation can be frustrating and demoralising, mainly when women see their male counterparts advancing more rapidly.

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1. The Mid-Management Ceiling

Unlike the well-known "glass ceiling" that blocks women from top executive roles, there is another, less visible barrier at the mid-management level. At this stage, women often manage teams, take on significant operational responsibilities, and become deeply embedded in the day-to-day functions of their departments. However, advancing beyond this level is not always straightforward.

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Several factors contribute to this mid-management ceiling:

Limited opportunities: As organisations grow, they tend to create more mid-level management roles than senior positions. This results in a bottleneck, with fewer senior roles for those aspiring to move up.

Perceptions of leadership: Organizations may not always see mid-level managers, particularly women, as having the "executive presence" required for senior leadership. As a result, women are often passed over for promotions despite their qualifications.

The experience catch-22: Many companies require senior leadership experience before promoting candidates. However, women cannot gain the knowledge they need to be considered for such positions without the opportunity to step into a senior role.

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2. Gender Bias and Stereotypes

While gender biases are slowly being dismantled, they still affect women's career progression. Unconscious biases often lead decision-makers to underestimate women’s leadership potential or assume that women are less committed to their careers due to family responsibilities. Moreover, women are usually held to higher standards of competence and must "prove themselves" repeatedly before being considered for executive roles.

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Women also face stereotypes that portray them as more communal or less ambitious than men, leading to assumptions that they are better suited for middle-management roles rather than senior leadership positions. These biases contribute to the perception that women are not "ready" for executive responsibilities despite their proven capabilities.

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Strategies for Breaking Through the Mid-Management Ceiling

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For women aspiring to senior leadership, the journey requires more than hard work. It calls for strategic actions that clarify their ambitions, build relationships with decision-makers, and showcase their leadership potential. Here are practical strategies to navigate this transition:

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1. Make Your Ambitions Clear

One of the most common reasons women remain stuck in mid-management is that their career goals must be explicitly communicated to senior leadership. As Megan Bock, a career coach, emphasised, many women assume their hard work will naturally lead to a promotion. However, they may be overlooked without clearly articulating their desire for senior roles.

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Actionable Tip:

Have direct conversations with your supervisor and senior leadership about your aspirations. Clearly state your goals, your values, and the steps you will take to reach executive leadership. Being vocal about your ambitions signals to decision-makers that you are serious about advancing your career.

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2. Build Strategic Relationships

Networking plays a critical role in advancing to senior positions. Women in mid-management often focus their energy on executing their current responsibilities, leaving little time to build relationships with senior leaders. However, visibility is critical to being considered for promotion. Senior executives will likely advocate for your advancement if they know your work.

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Actionable Tip:

Focus on building relationships with key stakeholders within and outside your organisation. Attend industry events, join leadership committees, and seek mentorship from senior leaders. These connections can provide opportunities for sponsorship, where senior leaders advocate for your promotion behind closed doors.

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3. Seek Sponsorship, Not Just Mentorship

While mentorship is valuable, sponsorship is critical for career advancement. Sponsors are senior leaders who actively promote you for high-visibility projects, leadership roles, and promotions. Unlike mentors who offer advice, sponsors use their influence to open doors and provide opportunities for you to demonstrate your leadership potential.

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Actionable Tip:

Identify potential sponsors within your organisation who can advocate for you in decision-making. Build a relationship by consistently delivering results, seeking their input, and positioning yourself as someone they want to champion. Sponsors can play a pivotal role in helping you secure senior leadership positions.

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?Overcoming the Internal Barriers

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In addition to external challenges, women often face internal barriers that hinder their career progression. These include self-doubt, fear of failure, and the reluctance to take risks. By addressing these internal challenges, women can unlock their full leadership potential.

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1. Conquer Self-Doubt

Many women experience imposter syndrome, doubting their qualifications or feeling unworthy of leadership roles. This self-doubt can prevent women from pursuing promotions or taking on new challenges, even when fully capable.

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Actionable Tip:

Self-doubt is expected but should not dictate your actions. Affirm your achievements, reflect on your successes, and seek feedback from trusted colleagues to gain confidence in your abilities. Remember, you do not need to meet every qualification ideally to be ready for the next role.

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2. Take Calculated Risks

Advancing to senior leadership often requires stepping out of your comfort zone and taking on new challenges. This might mean applying for roles where you do not meet 100% of the qualifications or volunteering for high-stakes projects that will stretch your skills.

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Actionable Tip:

Embrace calculated risks as opportunities for growth. Consider what you have to gain, and weigh that against the fear of staying stuck. Often, the most significant risk is not taking any risks at all. Taking on new responsibilities, even if daunting, shows senior leadership that you can handle more critical challenges.

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3. Develop Executive-Level Skills

Transitioning to senior leadership requires more than operational excellence. Women in mid-management must develop strategic thinking, financial acumen, and decision-making skills essential for executive roles. This means stepping away from the day-to-day details of managing teams and focusing more on driving overall business strategy.

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Actionable Tip:

Seek leadership development programs or executive education courses to help you build the skills necessary for senior roles. Additionally, take the initiative to lead cross-functional projects or propose innovative solutions, demonstrating your ability to think strategically and make decisions impacting the entire organisation.

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Changing the Conversation: What Organizations Can Do

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While women can take proactive steps to advance their careers, organisations also play a crucial role in ensuring that women have the opportunity to break through the mid-management ceiling. Companies must create environments that actively support women’s progression to senior leadership.

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1. Create Clear Pathways for Advancement

Organisations must provide transparent career paths showing women how they can progress from mid-management to executive roles. This includes defining the competencies and experiences required for promotion and offering development programs that help women acquire these skills.

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Actionable Tip for Organizations:

Develop leadership pipelines identifying and nurturing female talent. Provide access to leadership training, stretch assignments, and mentoring programs that prepare women for senior roles.

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2. Address Gender Bias

Organisations must actively work to identify and eliminate gender biases that prevent women from advancing. This includes auditing promotion practices to ensure women are not held to higher standards than their male counterparts and addressing the unconscious biases that often favour men in leadership decisions.

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Actionable Tip for Organizations:

Implement unconscious bias training for all managers and decision-makers. Ensure that promotions and leadership opportunities are based on merit and potential rather than gendered assumptions about leadership capability.

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Conclusion: Breaking Through to Executive Leadership

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The journey from mid-management to senior leadership is challenging but possible. By overcoming external barriers, such as gender biases and organisational bottlenecks, and addressing internal challenges, like self-doubt and fear of risk, women can successfully transition to executive roles.

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Ultimately, the key to breaking through the mid-management ceiling is strategic action. Women must make their ambitions clear, build strong networks, seek sponsorship, and take calculated risks. At the same time, organisations must support this journey by creating clear pathways for advancement and addressing the biases that hold women back.

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As women rise into senior leadership, they break through the glass ceiling and pave the way for future generations of women leaders.

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Share your Thoughts

Are you ready to leap to senior leadership? Share your experiences and strategies for breaking through the mid-management ceiling and advancing to executive roles.