The invisible glass cliff

On July 14th Ms. Mojdeh Cox, (Fmr) President and CEO of Pillar Non-profit was fired without any explanation or notice. Standing at barely 5’2, the community share that she would be escorted out of the building like a malefactor. Supporting a family of six, in an instant, she would not only lose her job, her pride and belonging, but would also quickly realize that the future of her family was in jeopardy.

Ms. Cox joins a group of “countless female leaders, such as Carol Bartz (fmr) CEO at Yahoo, who were given a precarious leadership position and left standing on the edge of a "glass cliff" with no support.

It is moments such as this one when we are reminded why organizations such as Elevate International exist. "The term "glass cliff" refers to a situation in which women are promoted to higher positions during times of crisis or duress, or during a recession?when the chance of failure is more likely.?Put simply, women in these situations are set up for failure," as explains Julia Kagan in her article Glass Cliff

As many of us stand with Ms. Cox during this traumatic journey, I also had to re-examine my courage.

At first I told myself: “Don’t make this about gender, color or background Solange, because you know very well that even some of the people who walk by your side as allies might feel uncomfortable and “politely” take a step back… stay neutral and make everyone happy.” After all, even after movements such as #MeToo, Times Up, and Black Lives Matter, we still live in a society where psychological safety continues to be common practice in our professional and social culture.

Tempted to opt for this safety, I had to re-evaluate the importance of this platform that I am fortunate to stand on, the space we hold as leaders in society and the change it’s meant to create.

Because “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“For women of colour in senior leadership roles, advancing has historically required us to minimize all the brilliant and unique things that make us different, such as our ethnicity, in order to get that promotion”, as Samanta Krishnapillai shares in her article on this specific subject.

While this is Ms. Cox’s nightmare today, it is unfortunately also the reality of many people of color, immigrants, and people from diverse communities.

“research shows that women and people from ethnic minorities are more likely to be chosen to lead a company, sports team, or even country when it is in crisis mode. While those glass cliff positions can provide a way for some leaders to prove themselves, they come with significant downsides – including stress, burnout, and derailed careers”. - BBC, The invisible danger of the 'glass cliff'

We need to do better. If we truly want to create an equal society, a human centred leadership is urgent.

Examples of supporting article - The Glass Cliff

• The invisible danger of the 'glass cliff',?https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220204-the-danger-of-the-glass-cliff-for-women-and-people-of-colour
• How Women End Up on the “Glass Cliff”, Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla R. Branscombe, Harvard Business Review,https://hbr.org/2011/01/how-women-end-up-on-the-glass-cliff?
• The 'glass cliff' is a serious problem for women in corporate America. Here's how to dismantle it, Marguerite Ward, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/women-and-people-of-color-face-glass-cliff-us-2020-7??

Related articles on Ms. Mojdeh Cox Exit

• Glass Ceiling, Glass Cliffs, and a Shard of Glass to the chest: Women in Leadership, https://oncanadaproject.ca/blog/mojdehcox
• The Hammer:?https://londontlife.ca/2022/07/19/the-hammer/
• Pillar Nonprofit member agencies seek details as chief executive exits, https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/pillar-nonprofit-member-agencies-seek-details-as-chief-executive-exits

#diversityequityinclusion #leadership #change #societyandculture #Elevatewomen?