The Ladies Getting it Done
Recently, I was in a conference room waiting for a meeting to start. It was an important tactical meeting ahead of the launch of an important project. As we were waiting for one or two final participants to join, one of the attendees looked around the room and laughed. “Well, we’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” It didn’t take long for the rest of us to realize what she was talking about. Of the five people in the room, all were women.
As anyone in a technical field knows (and many other fields, for that matter), even in 2020, this is rare. Often I am the only woman in a room of five or even ten. This was likely the norm for the other women in the room with me as well. But I don’t necessarily want to spend this post talking about the challenges of being one of a few, or even the biases we may or may not face. I want to talk about just how these women are damn effective.
My experience
Of the five women in the meeting that day, I know for a fact that least four of them are total badasses (if someone could nominate me for the official ladies badass club, I’d be grateful). Their areas of expertise spanned the gamut, from staff engineer to communications, operations, program management, and more. All of them were relatively senior in their roles, but none had yet reached director level.
These women were making real decisions, getting real shit done, and, most importantly, taking real ownership.
Here’s the thing. In looking around at this group of women, and the projects they were involved with, they all punch above their relative ranking in terms of outcomes for the organization. All were on the relatively narrow critical path for this project’s launch. That’s not to say that our male colleagues aren’t doing a good job, or pulling their weight. I can’t speak to all of these women’s counterparts. But what I will say is that these women disproportionately represent a type of team player who has developed a reputation for reliable, no-nonsense, plain-and-simple effectiveness.
Looking at one example, the senior technical program manager who was in the meeting had recently returned from parental leave. Our parental leave is pretty generous by American standards; she was out of the office for eighteen weeks. When she returned, there was a collective sigh of relief and a nearly universal sentiment of “Thank God she’s back.” This woman was promptly put in charge of our most important program. For those of us that are nervous about the impact a baby can have on our career, and who have grown up learning disheartening impact parenthood can have on a woman’s prospects, this woman provided an encouraging counter-example. Her value to the organization is recognized and translates into meaningful responsibilities.
The big question
But what’s next? As I mentioned earlier, none of these women have reached the elite levels of management. A few are close, but the senior leadership of our organization is still stubbornly mostly male (and mostly white). Two, only two, of our group of five so far have children. Even though there are a few women on the executive team, the next layer down from them is dominated by male directors, senior directors, and heads of departments.
Are these women about to break through? Or is this where the new glass ceiling lives, right here between mid-level effective excellence and the real echelons of decision-making power? I don’t know.
On the one hand, I look around and feel like this is where the breakthrough happens. Demographics and millennial gumption are on our side. These women are part of the vanguard that will reshape the boardrooms of tomorrow, and I get to see them at the point where their careers have just begun to blossom.
On the other hand, what’s different this time? And perhaps more importantly, since when is sheer competence the major determinant in a person’s career trajectory? One of the reasons that these women are so effective is because they tend to stay away from the bullshit. Sure, we may vent on the side, but when it comes down to it, these are women that put aside their personal preferences and just get it done. But within the bullshit lie political and in this realm is where favoritism and potentially advancement can follow. Is the political game good?
And that brings me to another point. Deep down, I fear that if there is a real liability it’s that these women may take and execute orders too well. They follow directions and deliver what’s asked of them, no matter how difficult. They are excellent lieutenants, but untested generals. I have no reason to believe this is true. They are, in fact, contributing to important decisions. But they aren’t yet the sole decision-maker for an entire area.
Additionally, I find myself wondering: who’s coming up behind us? If there isn’t a bench of just-as-competent, just-as-eager women rising through the ranks at earlier stages in their careers, then perhaps this is just a fluke; a quirk of hiring and timing and organizational need that cultivated this particular cohort. Frankly, right now it feels like the results are mixed. I’ve met extraordinary young women who are doing all the right things. But are there enough of them?
I feel like I’ve asked more questions here than I have offered potential answers. But thinking back to my colleague’s initial observation: have we come a long way? I can tell you that in that room, in that moment, it felt like we had. There was a breath of satisfaction of where we are, but the real proof will be in the next phases of these women’s careers — both the group of established, highly effective women, and the cohort waiting behind. In the meantime, I’m extraordinarily proud to work alongside this group of badass women.
