The Future of Leadership is Yes, And...

In the early days of my doctoral program, I got into a debate with an elevated temperature. It wasn't heated, but we didn't come to agreement, either.

In that debate, I was right and wrong. This kind of struggle continues in many workplaces around the country. The story was about a woman who worked her way up the corporate ladder and earned her seat in the C-suite. She did the work. She earned it. And, if the men in charge would have remained steadfast in not having women in the boardroom, she wouldn't have made it. By no fault of her own, but due to the myopic 'leadership' of the existing team.

But someone in the Boys' Club saw her value and opened the door. She wasn't given anything; even the opportunity was earned. Yet, it was at the discretion of those in power.

People who are skilled and competent should be able to rise as quickly as they're capable. The only consideration should be for their professional contributions no matter how they come packaged. Yet, we're still finding our way as women hold approximately 26% of C-suite positions but make up closer to 47% of the workforce.

This draws the contrast of women in the workforce and leadership roles. However, it's just one demographic. Consider how the workplace could change for the better with a wider array of types of people leading the show. And it's a question much deeper than recruiting techniques.

The appeal of higher-level jobs is fading to a lot of folks. For example, some Gen Z workers want to get by comfortably, but would give up extras to not have to lead people. There are ways to make the work and workplace more attractive and appealing to employees with varied backgrounds.

The Cost of Inaction: Retention and Burnout

The stakes are high: women leaders are currently leaving their organizations at the highest rate ever recorded. A survey of 5,000 women across 10 countries showed that over 50% planned to leave their employer in the next two years. This exodus is driven largely by burnout, which is increasing faster for women than for men. Women consistently perform extra work, often called "office housework," by driving employee well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, yet this work is rarely formally recognized with financial rewards or career advancement.

Furthermore, when organizations fail to retain women, it leads to less engaged and less included teams overall, undermining the diverse perspectives needed for effective decision-making and innovation. Women are 150% more likely than men to leave companies not committed to inclusion for an organization with a stronger commitment to these values.

Fixing the Systemic Barriers to Advancement

To stem this talent loss, leaders must address two critical systemic issues: the broken rung and the insidious effect of remote work bias.

1. Repair the Broken Rung with Sponsorship The biggest structural hurdle remains the "Broken Rung," the critical first promotion to manager. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 93 women are, and this gap widens dramatically for women of color: only 82 Asian and Latina women, and 60 Black women, make this step. The solution is focused advocacy in the form of sponsorship. Employees with sponsors are twice as likely to be promoted. Yet, only 31% of entry-level women have sponsors, compared to 45% of men. Management must implement high-quality, formal sponsorship programs and shift the paradigm to promote women based on their potential, rather than requiring repeated success before granting advancement opportunities.

   
   

2. Mitigate Remote Work's Proximity Bias While remote work offers flexibility, it can also deepen gender disparities. Women working remotely are 40% less likely to be promoted than their in-office peers, largely due to proximity bias, where visibility is mistakenly equated with productivity. To combat this, organizations must establish structured remote frameworks and transparent evaluation systems. Companies should implement promotion audits, which studies show can reduce gender gaps in advancement by 18% and mandatory mentorship programs, which can boost female promotion rates by 20%. This transparency is crucial, as the promotion gap widens at higher levels; for remote senior roles, the promotion rate for women is 3% compared to 8% for men.

   
   

The Critical Role of Middle Management and Culture

Middle managers are on the front lines of career development, yet only 7% feel they have the time needed to be effective people leaders. Senior leaders must utilize critical thinking and technology to free up managerial bandwidth from administrative tasks. It's not all about AI. A very thorough workflow audit can identify opportunities for efficiency with the current systems without investing in anything new or changing entire processes. When released from burdensome processes and admin, leaders can focus on people development; the humanity of work.

Finally, addressing a toxic culture, defined as being disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive, is a fundamental responsibility of leadership. Leaders are the best predictors of a toxic culture, and accountability is essential for cultural detox. Leaders must quantify the benefits of cultural detox, publicly report progress on values, and model the behavior they expect from employees. Losing talent due to a toxic culture is 10 times more likely than turnover caused by low pay. By focusing on these structural and cultural changes, organizations can create a workplace where women leaders not only stay but thrive.

All of the recommendations are accessible. The most effective organizations are those where people want to go to work. Generally, people want autonomy, mastery of their area of responsibility, and a sense of purpose. This is true across cultures and genders. The best way to help diversify leadership is to create a great place to work.