2 Confronting Corporate Reality

       “If you exclude 50% of the talent pool, it's no wonder you find yourself in a war for talent.”

       –Theresa J. Whitmarsh, executive director of the Washington State Investment Board

      Spotting and addressing the barriers that are blocking organizations from the enormous opportunities and advantages of high-performing, right-balanced teams with great leadership isn't difficult, but you have to know where to look.

      Let's begin with the story of Mike, someone who embodies the experiences of many male employees in the business world.

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Mike was smart, driven, and loved to compete, graduating from a prestigious university with honors and starring on its football team. He viewed every aspect of his life as a challenge to be the best, whether it was his relationships, college studies, or job. After graduation, a large financial services company hired Mike for a financial analyst role. Mike and his boss, a fellow college athlete, hit it off right away. Conversations about sports over cups of coffee in the hallway evolved into frequent lunches together. Although no other female colleague received similar invites to eat lunch with the boss, Mike chalked it up to his initiative, drive, and winning personality. And while female colleagues were interrupted in meetings by a few combative colleagues, Mike's boss always made sure that his views were carefully considered over their objections.

      Thanks to their frequent business lunches, Mike's boss introduced him to his own boss and other peers throughout the organization. When it was time for promotions, Mike's boss advocated for his promotion, although he had only been at the company for six months. No other employee had advanced as quickly, even his hard-working colleagues Amy and Margot, who had been key contributors on his most successful projects and had been overlooked despite being with the company for 18 months.

Leadership throughout the organization began to perceive Mike in the same way his boss did: he was competent, a great leader, and had promise and potential. Mike continued to progress through the organization, making the most of every opportunity in his path, and ultimately landed in a senior executive position. A few times in his career he encountered an overly aggressive executive who used his power to subdue him and deride his performance, but Mike always managed to deflect the person's behavior or to address it head-on. He had built a big enough network to sustain him through these small hits to his career. Each conflict with a colleague or manager attempting to derail him became an opportunity to compete and win. When Mike heard reports of some colleagues, mostly women, being bullied by his latest supervisor, he found that bully's weakness and relied on his own network in order to prevail. At times Mike crossed paths with Amy, who had advanced to a position below him in the company but surprisingly stalled in her progress despite producing excellent work. He learned that Margot had moved on to another firm and reasoned that she had been unable to handle the high-stakes pressure and risks like he could.

      Mike leveraged each opportunity and relationship to prepare himself for his next step. Over time he became known throughout the company as decisive, competitive, and a risk taker. Departments and projects under his responsibility consistently produced positive outcomes. He developed a strong network outside of his company and stayed up on industry trends. If he wanted information, he simply reached out to his vast network of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. He would leverage this information with his leadership team, from which they would generate ideas. Mike even distinguished himself by serving on a nonprofit board. After 18 years in the business, he was finally promoted to the C-suite and had reached the pinnacle of his career.

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      Mike's story stands out as a tale of success. He wisely made the most of each opportunity, took initiative, and understood when to take risks. His success is not a mirage, and he had a lot to be proud of as he looked back on his career. However, Mike and many of his colleagues were also blind to the inequalities others experienced, especially women. Mike rose to success, but how much unnecessary conflict held him and his colleagues back? How many sleepless nights did he have because he was being targeted by another leader who was levels higher than him? How many employees suffered unnecessary distress and loss of productivity because of leaders who undermined them? Can we even quantify the loss of a talented colleague like Margot or the barriers that prevented Amy from leading at a higher capacity?

It's likely that more women in leadership roles could have spotted the toxic trends holding women back at Mike's company. This would have greatly benefited Amy and Margot, while also helping Mike and the company, since he had already demonstrated