From the Trenches

Much has been written about the barriers—both internal and external—women face in getting to positions of leadership. Just read Sheryl Sandberg’s new book Lean In and you will be exposed to obstacles galore. We talk about the glass ceiling, the labyrinth of leadership, and the double bind that women face.

My daughter calls it “The Brotherhood Code” (or “Bro’ Code” for short). Others use terms such as “The Unwritten Rules” or “The Good Old Boys’ Network.”

In her controversial book Get to Work…and Get a Life Before It’s Too Late, Linda Hirshman urges women to act now by entering into or staying in the workforce. It’s a compelling read even if you don’t agree with all of its arguments.

In the past couple of weeks, we have seen poor judgment and behavior from some high-ranking leaders in our country and here in Atlanta. Leaders who were previously held in high esteem in their communities and beyond.  Leaders who wield considerable power in their areas.
These recent occurrences cause me to ask the following question: does power corrupt or does power reveal? I have discussed this with many of my colleagues and have found that we don’t all share the same opinion.

A new book, "The End of Men," is hot off the presses and in bookstores or on Kindles across the country. Recent newspaper and magazine articles deal with the same topic—and in largely the same way. The gist? That men’s “command and control” style of management is outdated and they are incapable of adapting to the changing workplace environment. Consequently, we will see—well—the end of men as rulers of the workplace.

The alternative rock band Lit wrote and performs a song called “My Own Worst Enemy.” There are times when I feel that women in the workplace sing this song’s refrain over and over again. We don’t have to look any farther than YouTube to find the most recent example of this—with Melissa Mayer, newly appointed CEO of Yahoo, playing the fall guy.

In March, the cover of Time magazine shocked its audience with a picture of a woman and the headline “The Richer Sex.” This should be great news indeed—not because women want to be better, richer or more powerful than men but because it signified that perhaps we are getting a foothold in workplace equality. In the inside article, “Money Women and Power,” the author, Liz Mundy, writes that as female economic clout grows, it is changing the way men and women go about the various areas that make up our lives: work, play, shopping, sharing and “even loving each other.”

Three years ago I wrote a blog about Augusta’s National Golf Club’s male-only membership policy. This topic unfortunately reared its ugly head again last week when Virginia Rometty was denied membership—at least for now. Augusta National is a vivid example of a good old boy network doing what it does best—exclude women. Only this time it’s different because Rometty isn’t just any other woman.

Women let guilt get to them. I don't have any lofty, university-backed study to support this but my guess is that more women than men feel guilty when they have to leave their small children at daycare or home with a nanny when they go to work. My unscientific, qualitative study of female leaders shows that those who make it to the top don't let these feelings consume them. The women I interviewed for my book, If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Secrets to Career Success From Top Women Leaders, offer this simple piece of advice: Don't feel guilty

Ambition. Those who have it generally get ahead in the workplace. Those who don’t have it aren’t usually as successful—except those who get lucky. Ambition spans gender, race and ethnicity…or so one would think. Unless you are one of those columnists who espouse that women don’t get ahead in business because they lack ambition.