The “CMO Most Likely To Change Jobs” Strikes Back On Double Standard

You are probably already familiar with the term “glass ceiling,” but have you heard of the “glass cliff”? It’s a term used to describe a scenario when a woman is put in a position of power to manage a doomed initiative and then blamed for its demise when it inevitably fails. Senior marketing executive Bozoma Saint John, who has recently spearheaded top roles at Apple, Uber, Netflix and Pepsi was described crudely by AdAge magazine as “the CMO most likely to jump jobs in 2021.”

Many objected to her portrayal, pointing out that there was no context given for why she might have needed to change jobs more frequently than more privileged peers. Saint John herself pointed out the double standard in an Op-Ed, writing “if you fail, it’s everybody’s failure. The pressure that comes with that can be crushing. You have to be perfect. If you lose this job, then perhaps the next person won’t get the shot to do it.”

She’s right. That’s a lot of pressure for anyone. Coupled with the phenomenon of the glass cliff, what it means is that leaders like Saint John and many other women or minorities who reach these elevated positions are often never given the right support to succeed. When they fail, it shouldn’t reflect badly on the gender or ethnicity they represent. It should reflect badly on the organization that failed to support them in the first place.