The unseen side of leadership
Can a summit be made of glass? And what happens when it cracks?
Female entrepreneurship is growing impressively, but behind the encouraging numbers lurks a trap: the Glass Cliff.
The Glass Cliff phenomenon was coined by psychology professors Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam from the University of Exeter, who first introduced the term in 2005. It all started when Ryan read an article in the Times of London claiming that British companies with more women on their boards of directors had lower average share prices than those with fewer or no women. However, the researchers noticed a crucial gap: the article hadn’t examined when these women were being appointed. So, they analyzed the data and found that, more often than not, women were being called upon to take leadership roles when the companies were already in crisis.
From there, the concept of the Glass Cliff was born. Women were granted access to positions of power, but precisely when the risk of failure was higher than ever. As Ryan explained on the Freakonomics podcast in 2018, “the term is meant to evoke this idea of women teetering on the edge, and that their fall – or their failure – might be imminent.”
Glass Ceiling
Unlike the better-known “Glass Ceiling,” which refers to the barriers that keep women away from top positions, the “Glass Cliff” describes the situation where women – especially those who have already broken through the “Glass Ceiling” – are placed in leadership roles during times of crisis or high risk for the business.
Put simply, women are often called to take on executive posts when the company is facing serious problems, putting them in a “glass abyss” where the probability of failure is especially high. If they fail, their failure is used as an excuse to question their worth.
In this way, the Glass Cliff highlights how fragile equality can be when it is not accompanied by support and real opportunities.
The social and cultural perception that women possess skills such as empathy, diplomacy, and crisis management often makes them the “alternative solution” in tough situations. But this can become a trap: placing women in high-pressure roles with limited support increases the chances of failure, which often reinforces stereotypes about female leadership’s supposed incompetence.
Examples of Glass Cliff
A striking example is Marissa Mayer’s appointment as CEO of Yahoo in 2012. She took the helm of a company that was already in crisis, with limited prospects and major challenges. Although she had significant credentials, the risk was enormous, and when Yahoo was ultimately sold, the failure was attributed mainly to Mayer.
Another interesting case is Linda Yaccarino, who became the CEO of X (formerly Twitter) in 2023, immediately after the controversial takeover of the platform by Elon Musk. Despite high expectations, the company saw its monthly ad revenue drop significantly, placing Yaccarino in an extremely precarious position.
For women, the experience of the Glass Cliff can prove to be psychologically draining and discouraging. The increased probability of failure does not necessarily reflect their actual abilities, but often serves as a “justification” for questioning their worth in leadership roles.
The Glass Cliff may reveal the weaknesses of our systems, but it should not define the future of leadership. With more awareness, solidarity, and support, we can create conditions that do not confine women solely to “rescue” roles.
The phenomenon reveals hidden facets and deeper inequalities that cannot be fully captured in just a few lines. In future articles, we will continue to explore it with more examples, statistical data, and details that will shed even more light on the challenges – and the potential – of female leadership.
Together, we can prove that summits are not made to break, but to lift us all up.