A look back at what she was thinking, and what finally changed
Call her Joanne, for now. She is a composite rather than any real member or client. She is 51, the only woman on a nine-person executive team, and she is studying the promotion slate for the second time, since the top name belongs to a woman and she has just realized she does not want to sign off on it.
For six years she has been the sole woman at that table. She earned her seat by being the one who wasn't "like the others," a remark she has heard from male colleagues and, much to her embarrassment, took as a compliment. The director up for consideration is 38, sharp, and stronger with the numbers than Gail was at that age. Across Clark County, these two women are fighting over one budget, one slot on the CEO's calendar, and ultimately one seat at the table.
Building the argument against her takes little effort. "Not ready." "Give it another year." "Strong, but divisive." Gail has heard each of those applied to herself. This evening, she is the one who voices them.
Option A: Tell her "not yet," and mean it
She informs the committee that the director needs another year. The price: the director waits, notices who didn't stand up for her, and starts looking elsewhere. Gail holds on to her seat and her status as the lone exception, and the cost of that status is a pipeline that contains exactly one name.
Option B: Put her name forward publicly and make room for her beside you
She announces, "She's prepared, and I'm standing behind her," and for the following twelve months she works to open every door she can. The tradeoff is that she stops being the only woman in the room, a loss that is genuine even though nobody will name it aloud. Her own budget may get smaller. Her CEO is now comparing two women against each other. The reward is a colleague rather than a reflection, and proof that she can build something.
Option C: Keep quiet and leave the decision to the men
She refrains from voting. The price: the men decide, and the patterns in the data decide along with them. The 2025 McKinsey and LeanIn report shows that 31% of entry-level women have a sponsor versus 45% of men, and that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 93 women are. Staying quiet hands the default a win.
Lessons from seasoned leaders
Women from Henderson to Boulder City who have long been the only one at their level will spot Gail immediately, and most will recognize some version of themselves in her choices. According to them, the instinct behind it is seldom cruelty. It is scarcity. Standing out as the exception feels like a reward because that is how it was given, and women who receive it learn to defend it before they realize they are doing so. The ones who moved past it say much the same thing: the exception seat works like a quota of one, and defending it lets the company keep its numbers low without anyone choosing to. That same McKinsey research notes that just 54% of organizations treat women's advancement as a top priority. If Gail does not sponsor, the odds are poor that anyone else will.
The decision
In the composite account, Gail picks Option A during year three, and then she watches that director leave the company. In year six she selects Option B, throwing her support behind the candidate on tonight's shortlist. Her character was never what shifted. It was the math. A succession plan that depends on one individual unravels as soon as that individual leaves, and Gail was about to leave.
Whether this lesson applies depends on whether you believe there is room for more than one chair. When you have been the lone woman for years, you can end up no longer believing there could be others. It is worth checking.
Ballot paper
Looking back, which would you have picked at the start, A, B, or C, and be honest with yourself? Send your letter to the Las Vegas chapter and we will publish the results next month. If you have ever been on the other side of a Gail, we would like to hear that story as well.