Writing a book revealed the obvious: The workplace was set up for the norms of a different era. We need to stop acting like it still makes sense.

Today feels a bit surreal to me. After 18 months of work and years of ruminating, To the Top is now in bookstores. (Thanks to all who pre-ordered.) It’s incredible to me that so many disparate thoughts materialized into an actual, tangible, cohesive book (with a pink cover, no less!)?

When I set out to write a book about how more women can get to the top of corporate America, I was thinking about what women—especially ambitious young women starting out—could do to help ensure their success. I was thinking: Build a strong network of personal and professional support. Focus on finding a passion that will motivate you to keep developing your career. Manage your time ruthlessly, especially as you face the demands of toggling between career and family. Pay more attention to building wealth and less to the “should,” or other people’s ideas of what it means to be perfect. These are all crucial. In fact, they are essential.?

But through the process of writing To the Top and interviewing women leaders around the globe, I saw very clearly that these strategies are not enough.?

As amazing as women are—and if I’ve had one bias confirmed while writing this book, it's that we are truly amazing!—we are not going to move the needle far enough to reach gender parity in the highest ranks of corporate leadership anytime soon if society doesn’t acknowledge that business culture was set up 100 years ago to meet the needs and norms of a different era.?

For me, that was an “ah ha” moment. Not that I thought that corporate culture was ideal. I saw—and experienced—sexism. I knew the numbers and personally watched too many of my women friends exiting stage left. But I found a way to navigate the complexities of toggling between my demanding career while raising my small children. I forged my own formula that enabled me to do what I needed to do to succeed. I believed the status quo would be different once enough of us made it to the top and had the power to push through the necessary and overdue systemic changes.?

I wasn’t appreciating the bigger picture. Those structural roadblocks are exactly what get in the way for so many of us on our journeys to the top. We need to move them. Now. Together.?

That’s the biggest lesson I learned from writing this book. And it’s all thanks to the dozens of women who gave me their time, shared their experiences, and showed their vulnerabilities. These astounding women include Petra Axdorff , Marianne Bergmann R?ren , Amy Bunszel , Gim Choo Ng , Kat Cole , Titi Cole , Jennifer Goldfarb , Elena Gomez , Agnes Heftberger , Dame Vivian Hunt , Susan Levine , Heidi Locke Simon , Sarah Mensah , Donna Morris , and Christa Quarles , as well as Julie Greenwald of Atlantic Records, Mindy Grossman, the former CEO of Weight Watchers, and Dr. Odette Harris of Stanford University.

In bringing all of their wisdom together, I hope this book can inform and inspire the next generation of leaders to move roadblocks so more women can make it to the top.?#tothetop ?