I’ve been thinking about how often organizations rely on people who are exceptionally good at making things work.
The leader who steps into a struggling function. The person who absorbs additional responsibilities after a reorganization. The one who navigates competing priorities, limited resources, and difficult decisions, and still delivers.
We recognize these people for their resilience, adaptability, and ability to execute. We trust them with more because we know they’ll figure it out.
But at what point does someone’s ability to make things work prevent us from questioning why the work is so difficult in the first place?
And are we rewarding exceptional people for making imperfect systems work instead of fixing the systems themselves?
The Value and Cost of Being Dependable
Throughout my corporate career, I moved across functions and took on roles that stretched beyond what I’d done before.
Curiosity drove much of that. I wanted to understand different parts of the business, how decisions connected, and why certain things worked while others didn’t.
I also became someone leaders knew could figure things out.
Some of my greatest opportunities came from assignments where responsibilities exceeded the role, resources were limited, or expectations weren’t entirely reasonable.
I made them work. And I learned a tremendous amount.
Those experiences gave me credibility, exposure, and eventually greater influence. They also put me in positions where I could advocate for others, challenge assumptions, and help change parts of the culture around me.
Looking back, I recognize something that wasn’t always clear while I was in it.
I was helping improve the organization while also helping sustain some of the practices I believed needed to change.
Both can be true.
When Capability Becomes an Expectation
I’ve seen this pattern throughout my career, particularly among accomplished women.
Someone demonstrates she can handle complexity, so she gets more of it.
A leadership role is eliminated, responsibilities are redistributed, and a capable woman steps in. She takes on the work, delivers, and perhaps gains visibility or a new title. But the responsibilities don’t always come with comparable authority, compensation, or resources.
The organization benefits from her ability to adapt.
What doesn’t always happen is a discussion about whether the role itself still makes sense.
This isn’t exclusively a women’s experience. Men also navigate expanding responsibilities, restructuring, and the pressure to continually prove themselves.
But the expectations haven’t always been equal.
I remember when women leaving work on time for a child’s appointment or activity could be met with frustration or an eye roll. Men at similar levels leaving to coach their children’s teams were often celebrated for being involved fathers.
Both were showing up for their families. The response wasn’t the same.
Those moments shape what people believe they need to do to succeed, what they’re comfortable asking for, and how much they’re willing to carry without saying anything.
The research offers important context.
McKinsey and LeanIn.Org’s Women in the Workplace 2025 report found that women are as committed to their careers as men, yet less likely to express interest in promotion. When they receive comparable career support, that difference disappears.
The report also found that for every 100 men promoted to manager, 93 women were promoted. For women of color, the number was 74.
These findings don’t explain every individual experience. But they raise questions about how organizations recognize potential, support advancement, and interpret ambition.
Someone’s willingness to keep delivering doesn’t necessarily mean the expectations surrounding their work are equitable or sustainable.
What Changes When We Get Curious
One of the more meaningful lessons from my career came through conversations with a male colleague.
We were part of a cross-functional leadership group, and over time we had candid, respectful discussions about the experiences of women in the organization.
He began to recognize that several of the women around that table had capabilities far beyond their current roles and organizational standing.
More importantly, that awareness changed how he involved and advocated for them.
It wasn’t one dramatic moment. It was a series of conversations that changed how we saw the people around us.
I’ve also experienced and heard from women who have had some of their most difficult leadership relationships with other women.
We shouldn’t ignore that either.
Many of us learned to advance in environments where opportunities were limited and competition was part of the culture. Those experiences can shape how people lead, sometimes long after the circumstances have changed.
Culture isn’t sustained by one group of people, and it won’t be changed by one group either.
We all have assumptions worth questioning. The important part is being willing to listen, learn, and act differently.
Rethinking the Return on Ambition
Lately, I’ve had more conversations with accomplished women who are questioning the traditional corporate path.
These are women who have spent decades building expertise, taking on challenges, and earning their place.
They haven’t necessarily lost their ambition.
They’re reconsidering what they want in return for it.
For some, it’s about compensation or autonomy. For others, it’s health, caregiving, family responsibilities, or whether another promotion is worth what it requires.
Some are exploring consulting or entrepreneurship. Others want to continue leading within organizations, but with different expectations.
I’ve learned firsthand that building something independently isn’t an easier path. There’s uncertainty, plenty of trial and error, and a different kind of responsibility.
But it’s pushed me beyond the perspective I’d developed inside corporate walls.
Through my involvement with RWIT, Women2Watch, WOCRA, and WIRLS, alongside advisory work and conversations with leaders across industries and generations, I’ve experienced the value of people coming together to share what they’ve learned, challenge perspectives, and create opportunities for one another.
These relationships offer something beyond networking. They’re places where people can talk honestly about what’s difficult, learn from different generations, and help one another see possibilities they might not have considered.
Men who listen, mentor, advocate, and challenge assumptions are an important part of that progress, too.
Our careers and our growth don’t have to follow one prescribed path.
And maybe our organizations shouldn’t be designed around the assumption that they do.
An Opportunity to Design Work Differently
AI and emerging technologies are changing how work gets done, how decisions are supported, and how organizations think about roles and capabilities.
We’re still learning what effective Human + AI operating models look like. There isn’t one proven approach, and I expect organizations will continue experimenting, adjusting, and learning.
But the decisions being made now will shape how people work for years to come.
We can use technology to make existing structures more productive without addressing what’s not working.
We can automate tasks, consolidate responsibilities, and expect those who remain to absorb even more.
Or we can use this opportunity to rethink how work is structured, how authority and responsibility are distributed, and how we recognize the different capabilities people bring.
The people who’ve spent years navigating organizational complexity and finding workarounds understand a great deal about where work breaks down.
Their perspectives should be part of deciding what comes next.
That includes experienced women whose contributions may not have been fully reflected in their titles, compensation, or opportunities. It also includes people across functions, generations, and backgrounds who understand how work actually happens.
Human judgment, empathy, relationships, and the ability to navigate ambiguity will continue to matter. We should be thinking carefully about where those capabilities are most valuable and how technology can support them.
And if technology creates more capacity, shouldn’t we ask what we want that capacity to make possible?
More output is one answer.
Greater flexibility, meaningful opportunities, healthier working lives, and better ways for people to contribute should be part of the conversation, too.
What We Choose to Carry Forward
I don’t believe organizational cultures change overnight.
I also don’t believe every difficult assignment represents inequity. Some of the hardest roles I’ve taken on gave me experiences I wouldn’t trade.
But there’s a difference between giving someone an opportunity to grow and continually depending on their ability to compensate for something that isn’t working.
As we rethink the future of work, I’d encourage leaders to become more curious about that distinction.
Look at the people who consistently deliver. Understand what they’re doing behind the scenes to make that possible.
Look beyond titles and reporting structures. Consider whose capabilities aren’t fully recognized or utilized.
And as technology creates new possibilities, involve the people who understand the work in deciding how it should change.
Experienced women have spent decades helping organizations evolve, often while navigating expectations that weren’t designed around the full range of their responsibilities or capabilities.
Their perspectives should help shape what comes next, alongside the men, allies, and next generation of leaders who will inherit these decisions.
We have an opportunity to rethink how work gets done. Why would we simply carry the same expectations into a different operating model?
The goal shouldn’t be to keep finding exceptional people who can make imperfect systems work.
It should be to build organizations where more people have the opportunity to do exceptional work.
Research reference: McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org, Women in the Workplace 2025, December 9, 2025.