Scotland’s first Muslim leader
Scotland was the first country in Europe to have a Muslim leader, Humza Yousaf.
It was a truly remarkable thing to witness. Having grown up in Scotland, I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime. To see myself represented felt powerful, and I’m not talking about the politics here.
Yousaf went on to resign. However, something really bothered me about the whole episode, and then I realised what it had been. His ascent to the First Minister and his subsequent fall told a story about the glass cliff.
Although I’ve written about this before, I thought it was worth exploring in more depth. After all, unless you’ve lived it, you may not even notice it.
See what you think.
The reality of the glass cliff
Humza Yousaf’s resignation reminded me again about the reality of the glass cliff for underrepresented people in the workplace.
The glass cliff theory describes a real-world phenomenon. Women and people of colour often end up in precarious leadership positions in poorly performing organisations.
British professors Michelle K. Ryan and Alexander Haslam of the University of Exeter coined this term in 2005. In their study, they examined the performance of FTSE 100 companies before and after new board members joined. They found that companies appointing women to their boards often performed badly in the five months before those appointments.
In addition, research by Alison Cook and Christy Glass showed similar patterns. In US college men’s basketball, teams promoted minority coaches more often to losing teams than to winning ones. Cook and Glass also analysed promotion patterns at Fortune 500 companies over 15 years. Compared to white men, white women and both men and women of colour became CEOs more often in struggling firms.
Consequently, the glass cliff theory shows that white men usually get stable leadership roles in successful organisations.
Why the glass cliff matters
When women and people of colour break through the glass ceiling, organisations often push them to the edge of a “glass cliff” with no support.
My reflection on Humza Yousaf has nothing to do with politics. I’m not going into the details of what the press reported at the time.
It’s not about that. Instead, it’s about the fact that his situation, although incredibly high-profile, mirrors the reality for so many women and people of colour. To be fair, it also mirrors the reality for other minoritised people currently in the workplace.
Organisations often hand out that “opportunity,” that precarious, high-risk position, without making the risk clear. We then step up, not even realising they’ve walked us to the edge of that glass cliff.
We don’t think about our welfare, only the opportunity and what we need to do. It’s high-risk, and I know there are high rewards if you succeed.
But what if you don’t?
The organisation puts you through the meat-grinder.
As you can tell, I’ve been there. Only the love and support of my family stopped me from falling off that cliff.
Moreover, research has shown another effect. When minority leaders fail, organisations return to the white, male norm. Cook and Glass showed that when a firm’s performance declines during the tenure of a minority CEO, boards often replace them with a white man. The researchers called this the “saviour effect”.
Therefore, my reflection to everyone who has taken a role that puts them on this glass cliff is simple: please be careful, because it carries so many insidious risks.
I get why you’ve taken the role. But you need to think about not the height of that cliff, but that precarious cliff-edge.
Get a safety rope, and have your own back. Because too often, no one else will.
Toxic culture warning signs
It’s time to break free. So here’s my regular reminder for those stuck in a toxic culture.
A sign of a toxic culture appears when the loudest voice in the room gets listened to and rewarded consistently. We’ve all been in meetings where that one person, so inextricably in love with the sound of their own voice, dominates and shuts others down.
But I’m talking about more than that. Specifically, I’m highlighting a situation where an organisation rewards that sort of braggart voice instead of reigning it in.
No space is held for quieter voices. Yet sometimes they contribute the most powerful ideas.
This isn’t about extrovert vs introvert. Instead, it’s about recognising one of the many indicators of a toxic culture.
If this resonates, then you may well be inside one.
“Quiet people have the loudest minds”
– Stephen Hawking
Wishing everyone the best week ahead.
Sal 🧭
