The Secret Key for Women Who Want to Advance in the Workplace

The workplace is a container that holds multiple types of personalities. The structure holds many levels and departments that can be siloed and illogical. Often people have been added into the container over time by numerous leaders for different reasons. Some of the reasons they were originally added no longer exist. The workplace container as a whole is constantly in motion and it can create a “Matrix” effect. It can be very overwhelming for new employees to navigate workplace dynamics while still learning the company’s product, mission, and goals.

For women, the workplace can be even more challenging, especially when you are the only one. When you are the “only” of anything in the workplace there is a big spotlight that is placed on your person and your performance as you move through your day.. Sometimes the spotlight shines on you out of curiosity and other times it can be a light intended to blind and hinder your success. The good news is that the spotlight can’t predict. It can only follow.

Women who have advanced in the workplace from their original position have one unifying trait. They are fast. They were able to stay in front of the spotlight. A recent study from LinkedIn uncovered that women reach leadership positions faster than men, but significantly fewer women make it to the top.

Additionally, there is another speed bump for women who desire to advance. McKinsey’s 2021 Women in the Workplace report noted that “ “Women continue to face a broken rung at the first step to manager.” The data indicates that for every 100 men who are promoted to a first level manager position, only 86 women are promoted. This means that men greatly outnumber women at the manager level which means fewer women will be able to be promoted to higher levels of leadership over time such as director, vice president, etc.

So what is the solution for women who want to promote in the workplace? Get to the first level manager position fast and help other women get there with you. The best way to improve the odds of women advancing to executive leadership is to populate more managerial positions with women earlier on in their careers. It becomes a matter of demonstrating peak performance with peers. Don’t let the container run you - Run the container. Subscribe here for more information, updates, and promotions.