Is The “Broken Rung” Holding You Back From Leadership or Is It Something Deeper?
Issue 2879— March 23, 2026
An early morning check on social media led me to Liz Elting’s latest Forbes.com article, “Women Are Bypassing the Broken Rung. How Corporate America Can Keep Up.” I highly recommend it.
The “broken rung” was coined by McKinsey and Company. It was later published in book form by authors and McKinsey partners Larena Yee, Kweilin Ellingrud and Maria del Mar Martinez to describe what they say is even more pervasive than the glass ceiling as a barrier to women’s advancement in corporations.
In case you’re not familiar with the concept, here’s how the book description puts it:
“Although women today outperform men in educational settings, they immediately lose ground once they enter the workforce, moving up the career ladder at significantly lower rates. One of the big reasons for this, say McKinsey consultants, is that women aren’t building as much experience capital—the knowledge, skills, and wisdom that can be gained only on the job.”
“Experience capital” is a useful idea, but how can you build experience capital if you aren’t promoted into roles that give you the opportunity to do so?
The survey data tells the story: As the authors explain in the Harvard Business Review, women and men enter the workforce relatively equal, with women having the advantage in education since they earn almost two-thirds of college degrees.
But as soon as they enter the workforce, they lose their advantage. For every 100 men who are promoted to manager, only 81 women get promoted. Why?
The answers are both systemic and individual women’s culturally learned mindsets and skillsets.
Two main points in Liz Elting’s article stand out for me.
1. She explains in detail why and how many women are opting out of workplace cultures that don’t respect them by starting their own businesses. So it’s not that women lack ambition as McKinsey and LeanIn’s recent study concludes. It’s that they are fed up, and now women know they have the wherewithal to succeed on their own terms.
This can be good news for individuals and the economy as a whole if women “dream big and win” as Liz’s book with that title says. In fact, when women start businesses that grow to, say, Microsoft levels, a formidable power shift will occur. That’s the best way to get over the ridiculous notion that women lack sufficient ambition. I called BS on that when the study came out last December.
Women do increasingly pivot to entrepreneurship. That‘s consistent with what we’ve found at Take The Lead, so much so that our most recent 50 Women Can Change the World program was for two cohorts of female entrepreneurs. We saw the trend and addressed the need.
And we aren’t alone. Resources and podcasts like this one I had the pleasure of doing with host Anjel B. Hartwell, called “Wickedly Smart Women,” is one example. In fact, she asked me many questions about starting up Take The Lead, because even though it is a nonprofit or social profit as we like to say, the start up mode challenges are much the same as for for-profit businesses.
What a great time I had with the very ambitious women at the WIT Network!
2. The second point in the article that rang true to me is in this quote: “Thus, investing in women’s career advancement isn’t just about supporting women; it's good for business.”
While there are strong metrics to support this, the troubling fact is that even though that data has been clear for decades, many companies are eliminating their women’s leadership development programs and support for women’s ERGs. Further, they are bowing to pressure to backtrack their support for DEI initiatives overall, including those aimed at advancing women’s careers from entry level up through leadership roles.
That trend is likely to ensure further female attrition from their workforces.
Because women have most at stake in correcting this negative spiral, it is essential that they “take the lead” and prepare themselves with mindsets and skillsets such as those I teach in the 9 Leadership Power Tools to Advance Your Career course.
There’s a version for women climbing that corporate ladder and one that focuses on entrepreneurs.
So there are solutions.
What approach would work best for you?
Whether you’re aiming to grow your leadership position in an organization or are an entrepreneur—or aspiring to go out on your own—this course provides you with the tools and the mindset to clarify your intentions and succeed. You can register here.
It’s not just more advice or inspiration empty of actionable steps. You have plenty of that. I’m about real, accountable action. You deserve it.
Real life examples:
Like Lisette Flores, attorney and activist said: “I can now pin‐point exactly where I am in the continuum of embracing my power, leadership, and professional growth. This course broke it down for me… where I have been, where I am, and how I'm getting to where I want to be.”
“My main takeaways? Know your power and use it… This course was a good reminder that no one is just going to make you a leader or give you power. People may help, but you have to make the choice to go forward.” –Gillian Doucet, Development Officer
And if you’re a smart company that wants to recruit and retain top talent, you can license the program and offer it in-house with Take The Lead’s facilitators or your own.
I’d be happy to discuss this with you. Ping me here to set up a time. Meanwhile here’s a link to a brochure with our services that can help you be the place women (and actually everyone) will want to work.
Whatever future you envision for yourself, I know you can achieve it.
The rung isn’t broken. The system is. But you’re more capable than any system. I’m here to support you in moving forward to your own preferred future.
Here’s that link again to register.
GLORIA FELDT is the Co-founder and President of Take The Lead, a motivational speaker, and a global expert in women’s leadership development and DEI for individuals and companies that want to build gender balance. She is a bestselling author of five books, most recently Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take The Lead for (Everyone’s) Good. Honored as Forbes 50 Over 50, and Former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she is a frequent media commentator. Learn more at www.gloriafeldt.com and www.taketheleadwomen.com. Find her @GloriaFeldt on all social media.