Shelli Brunswick is COO of Space Foundation and a speaker on tech used for the betterment of humanity and planet Earth.
This is a period of great transition for the American workforce, complicated by an uncertain economy. The great news is that the unemployment rate is a low 3.5%. And NPR reported that the number of women aged 25 to 54 who are engaged in the workforce hit an all-time high at 77.8%. The numbers are even higher for African American women—80% are working or looking for work. With women disproportionately affected by job loss during the pandemic, this kind of rebound is worth celebrating.
But is it too good to be true? People shifting from full-time to part-time work against their will went up by 452,000 in June 2023—the highest jump in three years. Rather than engage in traditional layoffs to cut costs, companies seem to be trying to hang on to as many workers as possible due to the talent crunch, but they’re offering fewer hours (and therefore fewer benefits). Women are particularly vulnerable. In fact, glass cliff scenarios come to mind.
Are Women Facing A Glass Cliff?
The “glass cliff” refers to a phenomenon in which women (or other underrepresented groups) are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions in challenging or precarious situations, such as during times of crisis or when an organization is in decline. Think pandemic. Think recession.
Women are then held to higher standards than their male counterparts, work under a more watchful eye and could be seen as being set up to fail. As organizations grapple with talent shortages, increased competition and potentially longer sales cycles and smaller deals or order sizes, conditions are ripe for a glass cliff.
What We Can Do
Prior to becoming the COO of Space Foundation, I was an officer in the U.S. Air Force. I was often the only female voice in the room, but I owned the position within a culture that I understood. My experience in the Air Force is one that I remain grateful for, especially because I received support and mentorship that I still rely on today.
As I learned through my engagements with the government on the Hill as a space acquisition officer and later coming to work for Space Foundation, where I’ve worked with women across the global space ecosystem, no environment is alike. As such, here are three of my biggest learnings to address the glass cliff that can be applied to just about any industry:
1. Offer mentorships.
I’d never have reached this point in my career without the support of mentors. I formed relationships with incredible people who invested time into helping me find the best resources, giving me training that helped me become a better leader, assisting me in understanding my unique assets and how to apply them and opening doors that I could use my skills to walk through.
My mentors changed my life and gave me the confidence to tackle challenges. In fact, I feel the role of mentorship is so important to shattering the glass cliff that I now serve as a mentor through numerous programs, like the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs’ (UNOOSA’s) Space4Women and WomenTech Network, as well as informally advising women that I meet through my work with Space Foundation. By sharing knowledge and experiences, I can provide increased visibility and representation to women in the space industry. And as I “pay it forward,” I continue to learn from others as we build a more supportive community. Engaging in mentorship, as a mentee or mentor, is something necessary for fully developing a diverse workforce.
2. Promote diversity and inclusion.
When most people think of the space industry, they don’t consider it a mecca of diversity, largely based on the representation shown in movies or old news clips. But the space ecosystem has changed dramatically since the Space Age began in 1957. What used to be a quest for dominance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is now a global collaboration that involves more than 90 countries. The space ecosystem couldn’t have experienced the massive levels of innovation without participation from a diversity of regions, backgrounds, genders and generations—and we know diversity and inclusion is key to our future success. In fact, several companies have signed on to Space Workforce 2030, committing to further diversify their workforce.
But space is just one industry. With more women coming back to the workforce and more flexible options for how to work, this is a moment of tremendous opportunity for many industries. Organizations should prioritize creating environments in which individuals from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to succeed. This includes actively promoting gender diversity at all levels, challenging biases in hiring and promotion processes and providing support and resources for underrepresented groups.
3. Develop new types of leadership pipelines.
Leadership development tends to focus on cultivating skills within a diverse pool of talent, providing training through upskilling and reskilling. It also enables the establishment of a clear and transparent path for career advancement. These types of programs are fantastic and necessary for investing in the next generation of leaders.
But other skills are also imperative for a strong leadership pipeline. Over my career, I’ve learned that the best leaders need three main traits to succeed. They must be inspirational, authentic and have gratitude. For leaders to be effective, people have to want to follow them. At the same time, they have to believe that leadership is sincere, that leaders believe in what they’re saying to employees and others and that employees can respect their word. And by expressing gratitude for their employees’ work and accomplishments, as well as for those who’ve helped them along the way, leaders become more relatable. Appreciation can take a leader a long way! Yet, these skills aren’t often addressed in training. We need to reimagine employee development to incorporate soft skills to build the strongest possible leadership pipeline.
Much can be done to shatter the glass cliff and empower women in leadership. It requires concerted efforts from individuals, organizations and society, but sometimes, the smallest steps, like those highlighted here, can make the biggest difference.
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