According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025, the projected time to global parity is 123 years!
Not all humans, male or female, are born to be leaders. Global analytics and advisory firm Gallup says only 10% are natural leaders – but 20% can learn to become one, and we don’t need to wait for anyone’s permission.
The gender gap escape room
Let’s take an escape room as a metaphor for closing the gender gap. The rules are to work together to smash the glass ceiling, remove yourself from the sticky floor and avoid the dangerous cliff.
The glass ceiling is invisible until you look up. From HIS point of view, things are going well. The guys have been working well together for years. From HER point of view, she has kept her head down and worked faithfully, even lost sleep to over-deliver. She keeps asking: “Why don’t they see me? When is it time for promotion?”
The sticky floor carries the weight of social proof because so many women are stuck there. From HIS point of view, she works hard and well. His deadlines are met, results are delivered and his boss is happy. It would be unfortunate if he lost such a talented asset. He nominates her for another L&D programme. HER question is: “Why am I not getting a ‘return on effort’? Am I not good enough?”
The dangerous cliff: After months of hard labour, things look promising. The board decides to give HER the ‘break’ for which she has been hoping. She thinks:“Hooray! I’ve been promoted! But wait a minute. Things are in a mess! I am not sure I can unravel the chaos and convert a potential bankruptcy into a profitable enterprise.” She is at the edge of that dangerous cliff.
”Make sure you are seen and heard in the right circles and for the right reasons”
Here is how leaders exit the escape room
They discover that the keys to their future were always in their hands. The ‘L.E.A.D. model’ shows them which doors to unlock to step out from under glass ceilings, how to unglue themselves from sticky floors and how to avoid falling off dangerous cliffs.
Learn about yourself. Discover how you can leverage your strengths to achieve self-mastery by mapping requirements, qualifications, mindset, support networks and other necessary details. This is how you take control, build self-confidence and remove self-generated obstacles.
Engage with others so you make better choices in the real world. Who do you know and who knows you? What do they know about you and what do you know about them? Becoming politically savvy is essential. That means getting into the right circles and positioning yourself as someone with expertise, but also great interpersonal and relationship management skills. Leadership is about competent people management. Make sure you are seen and heard in the right circles and for the right reasons. Build the skills of giving and receiving feedback, influencing, negotiating and sales, so you can claim your achievements with confidence. Expand your network for support inside and outside your organisation.
Advance by taking your place at the leadership table confidently. You are well prepared with ‘Learn’ and ‘Engage’. Consider leadership styles and build the capabilities necessary to earn trust, communicate a vision, create team cohesion around a common purpose, establish effective ways of working together and ensure your team shares a common identity.
Develop a growth mindset. Recognise that learning, development and growth are non-negotiable constants for those who aspire to the highest levels of leadership. There is no plateau for leaders – only the next level on their leadership journey.
You now have the keys to unlock the doors of the escape room.
Fay Niewiadomski is a strategic leadership adviser, founder and CEO of ICTN, creator of the L.E.A.D.© Programme for the development of women leaders, and author of Decisions That Matter.
