A weekly thought for leaders with the courage to introspect.
Women on the top. It remains lonely.
I had dinner with โHillaryโ. At the Hilton.
Tastefully dressed. Blonde. Perfectly coiffed.
Bling bling. But above all: lots of sensible things.
A great conversationalist. Fascinating stories.
But no festive dinner.
Hillary was gloomy.
Years ago she was passed over for a top position.
By a man.
She took her loss with dignity. Took early retirement.
But bitterness slowly creeps into your system.
Her frustration wasn't just about herself.
She targeted the structural disadvantage of women at the top.
โWomen are the greatest source of talent that is not being used.โ
Is she right?
Maybe. Maybe not.
I also know of other forgotten talent sources.
But Hillary looked with the eyes of experience.
And her pain ran deep.
More than 40 years after women were officially granted 'equal opportunities' in the labour marketโฆ
โฆthey can still be counted on one hand at the top.
And who's sitting there?
He is not to be envied.
I know.
Because they are sitting at my table.
It's always lonely at the top.
Rough. Hard. Political.
Strategy is your survival mechanism.
But as a woman at the top?
That's even lonelier.
Even rougher.
You're not 'one of the boys'.
You have to earn your place.
Irrefutable. Undeniable.
And strategy is not your lifeline.
It's your armor.
It's tiring.
Exhausting.
Running a marathon.
On soldier's boxes.
On the board you are alone.
Support from male colleagues? Forget it.
Taking decisive action, even in the interests of the organization,
provokes resistance by default.
Not because you are wrong.
But because you are a woman.
With ambition.
According to Hillary, it's partly upbringing.
Women receive:
โWith hard work, anyone can achieve anything.โ
But that's not true.
Up to a certain level, perhaps.
But up there?
Different laws apply there.
There it is no longer a competition.
There's the Free Fight.
Don't count your results.
But who you are.
What you are.
Who you know.
And women are not prepared for that.
That got me thinking.
Are you a woman on your way to C-level?
Let's get in touch.
If there are enough registrations, I will organize a meeting.
Or a mastermind carousel group.
Perhaps that group already exists by the time you read this.
Maybe you can just join in.
Don't feel like doing that? That's fine too.
I expect to run into you sooner or later.
At the level of your choice.
Hillary's name is not Hillary.
Only the Hilton, the dinner and me are correct.
But her message?
He's deadly serious!
—
The space between the words is where insight arises.
Until next week when our thoughts touch again.
Hans Ruinemans
The Boardroom Monk โฏ๏ธ