The Glass Ceiling: Mitigating Cultural Barriers as a Business Leader

The Glass Ceiling is an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions. Just a brief glance of the past 20 years of political candidates is a glaring reminder of the systematic changes that are yet to happen within the workforce.

Why should you care?? Well, the American workforce is made up of a wide range of races, cultural groups, generations, and there is an increase in women employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022, women made up 46.8 percent of the labor force. There's interesting data available to review . Employees have rights and options and are no longer tolerating work settings that aren’t conducive to personal health and growth.?

What can companies do to create a space for women and minorities to have the opportunities to thrive within the same settings white men have in our leadership positions??

There are plenty of deep, statistic-filled articles to comb through, so I’ll make my points based off of what I have experienced with companies that have gotten it right.

Here are 3 (of many) ways your company can successfully mitigate cultural barriers:

1. Proactively Bridge the Generation Group Gap. ?Each generation represents a group of individuals who share common experiences, customs, and belief systems. Creating a successful, intergenerational team is imperative to secure the future of any company. Although there is a deep awareness of the differences between the generational cultures, awareness is only the first step in the right direction. Assess your current team and review what age groups are represented. Consider your location, what mentalities are prevalent in the leadership group, and decide what adjustments need to happen. For example, in 1974 the US District Court Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr. found the city of Boston guilty of unconstitutional and intentional segregation in its schools. It takes generations, education, and effort to change the dynamics of a society's mentality. Just as some areas in the United States have progressed slower with integration within the school systems, some have progressed slower with integration of generations and minorities within their workforce. There are also clear differences in mentalities toward working mothers, women in leadership positions, and religious affiliations within the older Americans in the states. I am not saying all older adults hold this mentality. I am calling out social norms that are being reflected in tangible ways. What's the solution? Ensure announcements, meetings, and general communication is offered in ways that cover the generations represented on the team. Ensure top executives are educated on generational behaviors and trends, so top talent from other generations is not overlooked or dismissed over misunderstandings.?Intentionally focus on the minority generational groups and consider what change they are representing within the workforce and what that means for changes you need to make within your organization.
2. Create Space for Cultural Tribalism Sensitivity. Cultural Tribalism is a more complex concept. However, it should not be overlooked. Tribalism is defined as a strong loyalty to one’s own tribe, party, or group. We focus on a simplified component for the sake of time. In the US, we conceptually understand how different Americans can be based on which city and state they originate from. However, when setting expectations for the frontline team, companies often fail to create successful training to ensure the team’s success. A personal example I can offer is an experience I had early on in my career. I worked for a large company with a great reputation for high customer service. The site I initially worked in was located in the county with the clients representing upper middle class customers. The workforce was driving in from the city with the workers representing lower class and from other cities altogether. This should not have been a problem at all. However, the leadership team utilized general company onboarding protocols with the team and did not supplement with additional training to support the success of the staff. There were often customer service complaints about inappropriate comments the staff made, poor customer service, and poor phone communication. There was a higher turnover rate at that site than others that were in close proximity. Why is that a problem? The staff being turned were often their most skilled and the systematic problem was not being addressed. What was the underlying cause? The staff’s social norms in the city were perceived as rude and uncaring by the customers they were supporting.? The sad part was the service being offered was nursing care and the patients were receiving the appropriate care- it was their loved ones who were offended by the behavior. So, terminating the CNAs based on interactions with family members becomes a disservice to the actual patients.?What is the solution? When dealing with perceived attitudes, incorrect language use issues, or high turnover due to improper conduct, follow what I’ve lovingly coined as the Pause, Assess, and Address approach.?Pause the immediate actions that are in place. Assess what the contributing factors may be. Address how you will move forward and do so quickly. Questions to consider when assessing. Do your leaders proactively identify language that would be considered inappropriate and offer appropriate substitutions? Are there simple company scripts that can be implemented to ensure the same verbiage is used for customer service interactions? An example of this is how one fast food company substituted the word phrase “you’re welcome” with “my pleasure”. Simple substitutions can be the beginning of a culture shift in the workplace.?Consider investing in Executive Leadership Coaching for your top leadership.
3. Establish clear expectations of your leadership’s treatment of their teams. Many times, high-level executives are hired for their reputation for driving for financial results, outcomes with closing deals, or because their names are elevated in the field. However, the leadership’s mentality toward employees matters. “Below the bar” behavior does not happen overnight. It also doesn’t stay in the boardroom. When interviewing for leaders, ensure you ask questions that uncover their mentalities toward women, minorities, mothers, and LGBTQ employees. Ask scenario-based questions that allow you to uncover underlying biases. Ask for ways they have supported staff growth and supported staff engagement. Ask what their plan is to improve employee satisfaction. Ask for examples of their past companies that made accommodations for protected groups. Establish a standard that team members are the leader's customer.?

Although I have more strategies and data to share, this is a great start. I will leave you with the words from a book that changed my mindset as a young professional 20 years ago:

“If I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”?-Dr. Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People?