The old ways of thinking about the path to attaining senior roles, including within the C-suite, and to achieving success in the business world, are being redefined.
Jenna C. Fisher, Managing Director at Russell Reynolds Associates, is one of those visionaries helping to redefine and reframe how we view the path to the top, in particular, for women. Her new book, To the Top: How Women in Corporate Leadership Are Rewriting the Rules for Success, looks at both the latest scientific studies as well as the lived experiences of women in today’s workplace. She combines this with her two decades of experience as an executive recruiter to reveal the opportunity we have in front of us to close the executive gender gap—and offers suggestions on how to get there.
In an interview, Fisher discussed the elements of success, as well as the roadblocks still in the way and the mindset changes and support needed to overcome them.
Seeing a Different Way Forward
One of the things that prevent women from seeing as much success at the top of the corporate ladder than men is present from the very beginning of our careers. “When we think about the prototypical, successful career arc, that arc was really designed by, and for, men,” Fisher said.
Traditionally, the path to promotion has been through demonstrating successful results. While that doesn’t need to change, it’s important to consider the way we measured results in the past compared to how we can now. Back then, we didn’t have the technology to measure output like we do today, Fisher pointed out. “Managers would have to watch people get their work done. There was no other way of measuring outputs other than watching the inputs.”
So, when various child-rearing duties would land on women’s plates more so than they did men’s (which is often still the case, though we are moving closer to 50/50 parenting by heterosexual couples, Fisher said), the time away from the office that women would have to spend balancing their work and family responsibilities made it difficult to climb the ladder.
Not that men consciously designed this career arc to exclude women, Fisher explained. She doesn’t believe that the vast majority of men treat this career path as the default with the intent to harm or hold back women. It’s simply something that requires re-examination, challenging old assumptions, and more conscious reframing going forward.
Shifting Mindsets
Fisher shared that there is a mindset shift that she’d like to see with the goal of getting women in more senior roles, but it’s not the mindset of those women themselves—it’s the mindsets of the managers above them.
“The reason women aren’t more successful isn’t that they’re not leaning in enough. Women are working hard and delivering results,” she said. There are just a few things standing in their way, and for some of those things, managers can act to remove the obstacle.
“First, don’t be biased when somebody might need a little bit longer to get to the top,” Fisher explained. For example, a woman with a two-year-old and a husband who works full time and travels for his own work a lot might be delivering solid results, because she’s great at what she does. But if you compare her output to colleagues who are unencumbered, she might not be in the top percentages. That doesn’t mean she isn’t top corporate material at all! It might just take her ten years to make partner instead of seven or whatever the expected timeframe might be,” Fisher said.
“It’s a marathon, not a race. I’d rather have 80% of an awesome person while they take their time, than to burn people out and have them leave—something we see so often.”
The second thing managers can do is to encourage the people whom they think are special or have untapped potential to apply for the promotions that they truly are ready for and capable of. This is especially true for women and people of color. Since being assertive has in the past been seen as a positive trait in men but often a sign of “pushiness” when it’s observed in women, managers bucking that sexist trend and encouraging women to be confident and go for the next step in their career will have a huge positive impact.
The Elements of Success
When asked what the women who do make it to the top have in common, Fisher said there were four elements she saw repeatedly in either the women’s personalities or environments:
Passion. There can be a lot of distractions that arise in the course of navigating your career, “especially for women who want to have children,” said Fisher. It helps to be intrinsically motivated and to enjoy what you do to keep yourself striving at it. “You need to love what you do.”
Financial smarts. A career path needs to also be financially viable and compatible with other aspects of your life. Even if you love a role, if it’s not making ends meet and causing stress in other parts of your life it’s going to affect both work and home life negatively.
Being in a supportive organization. Organizations with track records of supporting, promoting, and retaining women see the most women in top roles, Fisher points out. “The companies that know how to set up structures that benefit women for the long term are going to win any wars for talent in the future.” Work environments where there’s empathy and understanding for everyone’s unique path, including their family life and responsibilities outside of the office, is something worth keeping an eye out for.
Having a mentor or sponsor who will help. Similarly, finding and allying with the individuals around you who believe in you and will support you, utilizing their own power and influence, is important. A mentor is great, and will give you guidance and advice, Fisher says, but you also need a sponsor to sing your praises to help you get past some of the more difficult career hurdles.
Believing in your ability and lifting up the next generation
Finally, when asked how women who are recently appointed to, or might soon take the leap to, a C-suite role can avoid feeling overwhelmed, in over their head, or thinking they don’t belong there, Fisher’s advice was simple but powerful.
“Remember that you were hired because you have the skills and attributes the organization needed. No one is hiring and paying executive salaries simply to check a box. If you got the job, it’s because you’re good at what you do, and you’re being acknowledged for that.”
Don’t panic and convince yourself that you’re out of your element. Take things as they come and know you’re there because you’re prepared for them.
“Also,” she added, “know that you are serving as an important role model for other people in the company. When you rise, other people will rise under you and with you. I don’t say this to place a burden on people, but to help them realize that they are already an inspiration to others, even if they don’t realize it.”