I had dinner with Hillary at the Hilton. Hilary: tastefully dressed. Blonde, neatly coiffed. Lots of bling bling. Lots of sensible things too. Hillary is a great conversationalist with fascinating stories. The dinner was a while ago. As you can imagine. I also like her husband. Although he has a bit of a reputational blemish.
It wasn't a festive dinner either, because Hillary was downright gloomy. A few years ago she had been painfully passed over for an important position.
By a man. At first, she had taken her loss with dignity. She sought shelter and took early retirement. But over time, bitterness took hold of Hillary. That bitterness concerned the number of women in top positions. She finds it pitifully low. The women who are there, they usually do a fantastic job. But there are far too few.
“Women are the greatest source of talent that is not being used.”
I don't know if it's true. I can think of other forgotten sources of talent.
But Hillary sees it this way.
Now you might think, "Yeah. Of course. She's looking through her own tainted glasses." I understand your thinking that way. Hillary herself has not been able to fulfill her ambition and claim her position.
She did not achieve her goals. While Hilly had her family background in her favor. "If I haven't succeeded..." she morose over her amuse. Objectively speaking, Hillary is right.
More than 40 years after women climbed the labor market on an equal footing, we find only a handful of them in high positions. And those are not to be envied. I know, because they are sitting at my table.
Undoubtedly, it is lonely for everyone at the top. It is rough. It is a carousel of positions. The political game dominates. Tit for tat is a way of dealing with things.
Strategy is your lifeline
But believe it or not, as a woman at the top, it’s even lonelier. Even rougher. You’re not one of the boys. You have to earn your place outright. So obvious that they can’t ignore you. And strategy is not your lifeline, but your armor. That’s downright tiring. As a woman, you run that marathon on soldier’s boxes.
Once at the c-level you are on your own. On the board and in the higher management there is no man to be seen who wants you to succeed. Who supports you.
When you, as a woman, take decisive action – in the interest of the organization – your male colleagues will react aggressively as standard.
Because women who have the ambition to lead on a large scale, they provoke resistance. That is the case in business. And that is the case in politics. The more local or regional, the more intense.
According to Hillary, it's partly a matter of upbringing. Women are raised with the idea of equal opportunity.
“With hard work, anyone can achieve anything.”
And that is not true.
Maybe up to a certain level, but above that the game is rougher and meaner. Free Fight. Mixed martial arts. It’s not the results that matter, it’s who you are. Or: what you are. Who you know, that too. And women are not prepared for that.
That gave me an idea. Are you a woman on your way to C-level? Then contact me. If there are enough registrations, I may be able to organize a meeting or a colloquium. Or a mastermind group. Perhaps these meetings are already running by the time this text reaches you. It could be that you simply insert.
Your input could be extremely valuable.
If you don't feel like it: that's fine too. I expect to meet you at the level of your choice.
Hillary's name is not Hillary. In this story, only the Hilton, the dinner, and I are true. I thought Hillary was funny as a pseudonym. But there is no humor in her opinion of women near the top.
Hans Ruinemans, boardroom monk