The Leadership Ladder Wasn’t Built for You—Here’s How to Climb Anyway
You’re Doing Everything Right. So Why Does Leadership Still Feel Out of Reach?
You’ve put in the work.
You’ve delivered results.
You’ve been the go-to person on your team—the one others trust, the one who steps up.
And yet…
You see less qualified colleagues getting promoted.
You’re told you’re “not quite ready” for leadership—but no one gives you a clear path forward.
You spend just as much energy navigating bias, office politics, and unspoken expectations as you do on your actual job.
You wonder if your authentic leadership style is a liability—if you need to conform just to move up.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
For underrepresented professionals—women, people of color, LGBTQ+ leaders, professionals with disabilities—the path to leadership isn’t just a climb, it’s an obstacle course.
What you’re experiencing is called leadership loss—and it’s one of the biggest, yet least discussed, reasons why talented professionals leave companies long before they ever reach the C-suite.
What Is Leadership Loss?
Leadership loss happens when high-potential professionals check out, burn out, or leave altogether—not because they lack talent, but because their workplace isn’t designed to fully recognize, support, or develop them as leaders.
It’s not always loud. It doesn’t always look like quitting. But the signs are there:
Quiet Quitting: You’re No Longer Going the Extra Mile
Not because you don’t care. But because you’ve seen how effort gets overlooked.
Instead of striving for leadership, you do what’s expected—nothing more. You redirect your energy toward things that actually matter to you: your health, your family, your creative passions.
Burnout: The Leadership Tax on Underrepresented Professionals
You work twice as hard just to be seen.
You code-switch.
You manage microaggressions.
You adjust your leadership style to fit unspoken expectations.
That’s emotional labor—and it’s exhausting. Over time, you start questioning: Is this worth it?
You Watch Less Qualified People Move Up
You see people who haven’t done the work get tapped for leadership roles.
Meanwhile, you’re told:
❌ “You need more experience.”
❌ “We’re not sure you’re the right culture fit.”
❌ “You’re a great leader, but the team isn’t ready for your style.”
You start realizing that potential isn’t the problem—access is.
You’re One of the Few at Your Level—And It’s Exhausting
If you do break through, you find yourself one of the only—the first woman, the first person of color, the only LGBTQ+ leader in the room.
You now carry an unspoken burden:
The pressure to represent your entire community.
The expectation to overperform just to prove you belong.
The weight of being in spaces that weren’t built for you.
And slowly, you start wondering: Is it worth staying?
Why Leadership Loss Hurts You—And the Companies That Let It Happen
Here’s the truth: When leadership loss happens, companies lose just as much as you do.
Lost Productivity – If underrepresented professionals have to spend 15-20% of their time just navigating workplace dynamics instead of focusing on their work, that’s thousands of dollars in lost impact per employee per year.
Costly Turnover – Companies spend up to 200% of employees' salaries replacing them. If diverse leaders leave, companies lose knowledge, credibility, and innovation.
Innovation Stalls – The leadership bottlenecks pushing out underrepresented professionals also kill new ideas, diverse perspectives, and forward-thinking solutions.
Companies can’t afford leadership loss. But they often don’t recognize it until it’s too late.
So what can you do?
4 Ways to Take Control of Your Leadership Path
You can’t control the system, but you can control your strategy. Here’s how:
Define Your Own Leadership Value Before Anyone Else Does
Too often, underrepresented professionals get boxed into roles that limit their leadership potential. Before that happens, define it for yourself.
Ask yourself:
What impact do I want to have as a leader?
How do I define effective leadership, and am I aligning my work with that vision?
What strengths and skills do I bring that aren’t currently recognized—but should be?
Leadership isn’t about a title—it’s about how you show up and make things happen, regardless of where you sit in an organization.
Find the Gaps in Your Company’s Leadership Model
Most companies don’t have an intentional, inclusive leadership development strategy—they operate on default settings that favor certain types of leaders.
Look at the patterns in your organization:
Who gets promoted? Is there a common background, personality, or work style?
What leadership qualities are actually rewarded? Are they aligned with real impact, or just visibility?
Are leadership paths clear? Or do you have to guess how to move up?
Once you understand the gaps, you can be strategic about navigating them.
Build a Strategic Network Inside and Outside Your Company
Mentorship is great. Sponsorship is better.
Find the people who:
Have influence and can advocate for you.
Will give you unfiltered feedback about leadership expectations.
Are already at the table and can help you get there.
And don’t just rely on your company to provide this. Build your network beyond your workplace.
Know When to Stay, And When to Walk Away
Not all workplaces will recognize your leadership potential. And you don’t have to stay where you aren’t valued.
If you’ve tried to navigate leadership bottlenecks and keep hitting walls, ask yourself:
Is this company capable of evolving, or is it stuck in its ways?
Am I being developed, or just managed?
Do I see people like me thriving here—or just surviving?
Sometimes, the best leadership move is taking your talents somewhere that will actually invest in them.
You Belong in Leadership. The Question Is—Where?
Leadership loss isn’t about your abilities but whether your workplace is designed to recognize and develop them.
Your leadership is valuable. Your work is valuable. You are valuable.
The real question isn’t whether you should be in leadership. It’s whether your company deserves to keep you.
Ready to Lead on Your Terms? Join the Untapped Leadership Lab
If you’re tired of hitting leadership roadblocks and ready to take control of your path, you don’t have to navigate it alone.
The Untapped Leadership Lab is a dynamic space designed for underrepresented professionals like you—leaders who are ready to challenge the status quo, build strategic influence, and unlock new leadership opportunities.
Inside the Lab, you’ll get:
Practical tools to navigate leadership bottlenecks.
A powerful community of like-minded professionals.
Strategies to lead authentically—without conforming.
It’s time to stop waiting for leadership to recognize you and start leading on your own terms.
Join the Untapped Leadership Lab today: Learn More & Register
