Women Must Send the Corporate Ladder Back Down

Why is it that even as adult women we are dealing with the mean girls?  What keeps us from supporting and sponsoring each other so that there are more women in leadership roles?  Women blame men for keeping us down… but are they really?  How much of it comes from men and how much of it is from other women?  The question should really be … why aren’t the women who are climbing the corporate ladder sending the ladder back down to other women?

As a journalist and CEO interviewing fellow women executives I find it disturbing when a female professional tells me, “I have more male friends than women.”   Sadly I hear this more often than I care to admit.  Is it no wonder than less than 20% of the Fortune 500 companies are run by women?  It irritates me that the high school clique and mean girl mentality still prevails and continues on and  into our careers.

As women we have the ability to support one another but more often we don’t.  Can we finally accept our differences and support and elevate one another. Men compete for positions all the time but they don’t get catty the way women do.  They don’t judge each other by their clothing and hairstyles so why do we?

We must be vigilant about protecting and helping other women coming up the ranks.  Mentor professional young women and help them grow professionally.  We can’t continue to perpetuate this problem otherwise it will affect those we love such as our daughters, grand-daughters and nieces.

If we ever really want to shatter the glass ceiling we will have to work together collectively and become part of the solution not the problem.  Today more than ever we must help each other.  As we move up the corporate ladder it’s important to send it back down to the next woman in line.