The story we tell ourselves:
Strong career women reach the top on their own merits.
It's time for some truth...
You believe...
men and women have the same opportunities to advance in their careers.
men and women are equal across all aspects.
women tend not to lean in and give up too soon.
that hard work and outperforming your peers will overcome any bias you may encounter.that if you don’t hit your goals, it's on you.
This mindset has proven its worth.
Look at you! You work in a supervisory capacity, so you did good!
But now the game has changed. You're going after a scarce commodity: a position in senior management.
The numbers don't lie...
The higher up the corporate ladder, the fewer women
23%
Executives
29%
Senior Managers
37%
Managers
42%
Professionals
47%
Support Staff
"The advancement of women has been a focus of corporations for over 25 years, yet the ratio of women in top jobs has remained virtually unchanged in the past 10 years. In fact, in some major organizations, early progress has given way to a stall or decline."
Ivey Business Journal
You’ve worked hard to get to where you’re at. Now, it’s your turn to make the next leap in your career.
But higher management just keeps ignoring you. This must be so frustrating when you feel that, as a woman, you just can’t make it in the corporate world. This must be very frustrating.
What if I told you that you can turn everything that you feel is working against you into a turbo boost for your career? What if you could flip the script and turn your obstacles into advantages?
My book shows you how. It's called How to get past the gatekeeper.
You will learn scientifically proven tactics and strategies to conquer obstacles and use them to get what you want. And you will learn exactly what to do when feelings of doubt and uncertainty arise.
And it doesn’t stop there.
The Ally in your Corner is your safe haven.
The place for you to continue honing your skills and exchanging ideas and strategies with other high-achieving women. Together, you will get to the next level of career success.
- Bosses, managers and peers don't always have your best interests at heart.
Of course, your supervisor wants to help you improve. But he also bears the responsibility for the team, department or organization.
Your peers may go the extra mile to help you further your career. But helping you could cost them the pay raise or the promotion.
So, even if you join forces with others, the results may be disappointing.
You end up dealing with challenges alone, and not always successfully.
Also masterminds and accountability groups often disappoint.
You need proper feedback and support to get to where you want to be.
It's time to look elsewhere for the support you need. The right person can make the difference.
I'll help you find her.
- Get a head start on your journey to the next level.Fill in the form to find the perfect person to help you get to senior management.
Why me?
My name is Phaedra. I’m not a manager, let alone a senior manager. I don’t work in corporate (not anymore) and while there, never even attempted to climb the ladder. So you wonder why listen to her? Why should a career-oriented woman in the corporate world read my book? Or join this community?
At the beginning of your career, you had something to prove. Mainly if you had the professional skills to do what they hired you to do. The skills that would help you create value for the organization and would get you noticed enough to get that first promotion.
But as you rise in the organization, other skills come into play.
Like how to resonate with the people who have the power to make or break your career. And the discernment to know when and how to use these skills, especially when dealing with (unconscious) bias and stereotyping.
The intangible stuff we don’t talk about but is a substantial part of what you need to get to the next level.
I’ve practiced them. I’ve studied them. And now I'd love to teach you how to use them to your advantage.
An excerpt from my book
The blonde, the joke and the Gatekeeper
Once upon a time there was a blonde-haired woman manager, who was just promoted to her first managerial position. Till one day, someone made a ‘dumb blonde joke’.
Unbeknownst, even to herself, her unconscious brain makes a connection. A connection between her blonde hair and certain traits that are not conducive to leadership. She finds herself going the extra mile to disprove the stereotype.
Working long hours, fearful of making dumb blonde mistakes. Walking on eggshells. Wanting to make a go of it. Needing it too much. Anxious and stressed, she ends up making the mistakes she was trying to avoid.
At the other end, the Gate Keeper resides. The Gate Keeper! This is the person (often a man according to statistics) with the power to make or break the blonde woman’s career. He is told the same joke...
The Gatekeeper laughs at the joke, but it was a hectic day, so he soon forgot all about it. He had five meetings to attend and a report to finish.
Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months. And then, one day, the blonde-haired woman and the Gatekeeper’s paths crossed for the first time. It was at a meeting where the blonde-haired woman and a colleague presented their research findings. Unbeknownst, even to himself, the Gatekeeper remembered more of the times she got things wrong, but, funnily enough, he remembered more of the times her colleague got things right.
A fortnight later, their paths crossed again. He's impressed with the quality of the work, but, he thought, the blonde-haired woman could have challenged herself more. Her colleague, yes, he was the star of the show.
The end (for now)
Want to know more?
A book for two
Every summer holiday, I would buy an activity book for my children. That would keep them busy on long trips to our destination, whether by car or by plane.I want the same for my readers: a book that will not only hold their attention, but give them the nudge they need to put what they learnt to the test.So I've created an activity book for career-minded women managers. Ambitious women who want to become part of senior management. To do that, they have to get past the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper who is part of an organizational system that women have to learn to navigate in order to get to the next level.Let’s say you’ve arrived at the last page of my book. What do you have?
What you have is clarity.
Before you hadn’t noticed how women professionals, especially those in higher management, made conflicting statements, while ignoring the genuine challenges women face. You will now have a clear vision of what the real challenges are and what you can do to combat them.
What you have is a buddy and the support of other career-focused women who will continue to be part of your journey.
You can bounce ideas off each other, compare strategies, give each other a leg up, hone your persuasion skills, network. You’re not alone anymore, you have allies.
What you have is a plan specific to your situation.
You know where the gatekeepers are in your organisation. What your ‘superpower’ is and how to use it to gain more influence in and outside your organization. Influence that you can use to climb the corporate ladder.
You become a better leader, who knows her worth, while remaining true to herself.
And that’s more important than anything else, whether you get a promotion or not.
Would you like to be notified when the book comes out? Leave your name and email. I'll send you weekly updates and other free resources that will give you a head start on your journey.
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on your journey to senior management!
The Ally in your Corner© 2021