Climbing the ladder? Depends which one.

I met an intelligent, ambitious woman the other day with a story that was both shocking and instructive.

Lisa Biffin had a job at one of the major telecommunications companies. When she bridled at instructions to collate and staple documents one day, she was told explicitly by her manager: “You will be promoted on tenure here, not on talent.”

It was an “ah-ha” moment for this young woman. Until then, Biffin had wondered about the reason for her lack of advancement over 2½ years with the company. She had put herself forward for opportunity, had done her work with more than diligence and seemed to be purposely rewarded with “put-you-in-your-place” tasks and projects.

And so Biffin left. She entered her new job several levels higher, as the national operations manager with a mid-sized listed telecommunications services provider, Service Stream Communications.

Even Biffin was little surprised – her experiences had led her to assume it would be a long hard climb up the ladder – but she is thriving with her responsibilities managing 200 staff and will be responsible for another 50 or so to handle national broadband network contracts. “I’ll always be grateful to the executive general manager here, Stephen Ellich, who is my boss, for believing in not only me but in other women being as successful as the men within the industry,” she says. Smart guy. He’s won a talented hard worker and a lot of loyalty.

I listened to the chief executive of Biffin’s former employer address a room full of senior managers about the “problem” of promoting women in his organisation. In the process of his presentation, he more or less threw up his hands and surrendered to failure.

It takes a lot of courage to leave a job and find another in the belief that your employer is wrong and you are right. Systematic discrimination is wearing, to put it mildly.

Biffin backed herself. As an operations manager she is getting the kind of experience she needs for advancement into senior management, chief executive or board roles in the end. Advisory roles, such as HR, legal and marketing will get you only so far.

For women, Biffin’s story gives some hope that picking and choosing your employer might be a way up the corporate ladder. At least some are enlightened and smart.

For chief executives, Biffin’s story tells us is that issue of promoting women is not so hard.

Just do it.

Do you agree? Write and tell me your views.

BRW

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