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The Glass Cliff: How We’re Setting Women and Global Majority Men Up For Leadership Failure with Sophie Williams
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In this episode Siân Harrington speaks to Sophie Williams about the concept of the glass cliff, where women and marginalized groups are often hired in leadership roles when a business is already underperforming, setting them up for failure. It delves into the impact of the glass cliff on women in the workplace, the reasons behind it and the implications for organizations. The discussion also covers practical advice for HR leaders and individuals to mitigate the glass cliff and create more inclusive work environments.
Key takeaways:
- Women are now in regression, not progression, around the world
- The glass cliff phenomenon sets up women and marginalized groups for failure by hiring them in leadership roles during times of organizational crisis
- The impact of the glass cliff extends beyond individual experiences to the broader implications for workplace diversity and organizational culture
- The Great Break-Up: why women in leadership positions are leaving organizations
- The need for organizations to create more inclusive work environments and recognize the value of diverse leadership perspectives
- Practical steps for both HR leaders and individuals to mitigate the effects of the glass cliff
About Sophie Williams
Sophie Williams is the author of the new book The Glass Cliff, which draws on almost 20 years of research from around the world on The Glass Cliff phenomenon. She is a former global Leader at Netflix and has held the titles of COO and CFO in London advertising agencies. Williams is also author of Millennial Black & Anti-Racist Ally, a TED Speaker, the voice behind Instagram’s @OfficialMillennialBlack, and part of the UN Women UK’s delegation to the Commission of the Status of Women conference in 2023 and 2024.
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Chapters
1. Introduction (00:00:00)
2. Introduction to the glass cliff and Sophie Williams (00:00:40)
3. Women in regression: why women are in regression, not progress, including examples from the UN conference and gender pay gap data (00:03:55)
4. Explaining the glass cliff: Detailed explanation of the glass cliff and its implications for women and racially marginalized individuals in leadership (00:08:03)
5. Political examples: Analysis of the glass cliff in UK politics, including examples like Theresa May and Liz Truss (00:10:43)
6. Impact on women and under-represented groups: Discussion on why the glass cliff matters for women and underrepresented groups in the workplace, including data on representation and leadership (00:15:15)
7. Tokenism and representation: Exploration of how women and minority leaders are often tokenized and the implications of this framing (00:19:33)
8. Spotting and mitigating the glass cliff:Practical advice for women on how to identify and mitigate the risks of the glass cliff (00:20:41)
9. The Great Break-Up: Introduction to the concept of the Great Break-Up and its implications for organizations and women in leadership roles (00:28:35)
10. HR Leaders' Role: Strategies for HR leaders to break down the glass ceiling and glass cliff, including valuing soft skills and considering quotas (00:34:30)
11. Advice for individuals: Practical steps for women and racially marginalized individuals to prepare for and succeed in leadership roles (00:38:56)
12. Conclusion (00:42:24)
21 episodes
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