Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg, Harvard Business School; authors, Glass Half Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work

In our professional roles at Harvard Business School, we have the privilege of getting to know some of the world’s brightest and most accomplished executives—in the classroom, at various events, and through our research. The authors of this book, who attended the “Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director” executive education course at HBS, are glowing examples of the kind of remarkable leader with whom we get to build relationships, and by whom we continue to be inspired. Bonnie Hagemann, Lisa Pent, and their colleagues in the WomenExecs on Boards network came to Harvard Business School to get an education, and they left with a mission to change the world. 

The issue of gender parity in leadership positions is a complex one that deserves rigorous and sustained attention. Both of us are passionate about bringing the insights of gender research to people who can use those lessons to create real change in their companies and in society. Together, we coauthored Glass Half Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work (Harvard Business Review Press 2021), with the goal of helping organizations dismantle the barriers that keep women from advancing. With colleagues at HBS, we helped to found the school’s Gender Initiative in 2015, where Colleen serves as director and where Boris is a faculty affiliate. Boris also co-chairs the “Women on Boards” course and teaches an MBA course on gender at work. We’ve authored and coauthored numerous articles and case studies on the state of gender in the workplace and on the career paths of women leaders. The courage, resiliency, and perseverance of the leaders profiled in this volume demonstrate what we have known for years: companies and industries need more women at the top.

Our experience studying leadership and organizations, and working directly with executives to help them develop and foster talent in their companies, has made it clear to us that women who have ascended to senior ranks have a critical role to play in fostering gender equity. The female leaders in the following pages provide inspiration for other women, whether emerging or established in their careers, who too often see very few role models who share their gender. They also provide important insight to all readers, regardless of gender, about the obstacles that women navigate in pursuit of their aspirations. The proverbial ladder of corporate success remains more difficult for women to climb. In the following pages, women who are incredibly successful by any measure are courageous enough to tell the messier parts of their stories—the challenges, the frustrations, and the hurdles they had to overcome to attain the heights they’ve reached. Together, they offer an honest look at the complexities of life and work and what it takes to keep moving forward in the face of adversity. There are lessons to be learned from these career journeys, but perhaps more importantly there is solace to be taken in knowing that everyone struggles—even those who appear to have it all. This book is a call to other leaders to find their inner strength and persevere, and to appreciate that everyone around them has had to do the same. 

“When you make it to the top, turn and reach down for the person behind you.” This exhortation,  often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, is carried out faithfully by the team behind this remarkable book. They have normalized struggle and setbacks for current and future leaders, and in so doing inspired compassion for ourselves and others.  That compassion and encouragement is exactly what women deserve as they grow, rise, and reach for the top.

Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg, Harvard Business School; authors, Glass Half Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work