Learn to Navigate The Glass Cliff Before You Fall Off

                                                            By Fundera

You worked hard to get where you are -- maybe getting your MBA and securing loans for your start-up, and now you have reached the executive level. While you may have taken a hammer to the glass ceiling, are you fully prepared to navigate the glass cliff?

What is the Glass Cliff?

If you haven’t heard of it, the glass cliff is a phenomenon where female executives are hired in precarious times, only to be set up for failure and then subsequently replaced by men.

While this may sound apocryphal, it’s actually based on research that found this phenomenon to be a full-fledged crisis. In the turnover of 608 women executive positions in Fortune 500 companies, 604 of them were replaced by men. Women’s tenures in office tended to be shorter, and were typified by challenging times in the company history.

How to avoid falling off the cliff?  

Primarily, educating yourself about it is the best way to prevent falling victim to this issue. The infographic below outlines some ways to approach the cliff with confidence.

Some lessons include:

• Make a long-term plan: A feasible plan that outlines a reasonable level of success will make it more difficult to give others fodder for ousting you in the short-term.
• Get compensated for the risk: Learn exactly what the risks are in taking over at this time and make sure you are compensated appropriately. Men are 4 times more likely to negotiate contracts.
• Say No: If terms do not look favorable, don’t hesitate to walk away. Being set up for failure is worse than not taking a position that seems exciting but holds too much risk.

For more tips on how to navigate the glass cliff, check out the infographic from Fundera below: