Ever taken on a leadership role and thought: “Hang on… is this job cursed?” Maybe the team was in shambles, the budget had blown out, or the business was already halfway down the gurgler.

If that sounds familiar, you might’ve found yourself on what Professor Michelle Ryan calls the glass cliff, and no, it’s not a scenic lookout.

“The glass cliff refers to the phenomenon whereby women (and people from other minoritised groups) are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions in times of crisis,” says Ryan.

In other words, the house is already on fire, and suddenly you’re the one handed the hose.

Professor Ryan, a workplace gender equality expert with a global rep, coined the term nearly 20 years ago. Since then, the glass cliff has popped up everywhere, from big corporates to politics, and yep, even in small businesses and startups.

And while we love a good underdog story, constantly handing women the wheel after the bus has already crashed isn’t progress; it’s a problem.

So, where did this all start?

Believe it or not, it began with a spicy headline in The Times newspaper in London. The article claimed women on company boards were “wreaking havoc” on share prices.

“We did a reanalysis of the data and demonstrated that women were more likely to be appointed after a drop in share price – that is, the causality was reversed,” says Ryan.

Translation? Women weren’t the cause of the problem. They were being parachuted in to clean up someone else’s mess.

Is it still happening? You betcha.

You might hope that by 2025, this kind of thing would be old news. Nope.

“There is no evidence that the phenomenon is slowing down,” Ryan says. “Indeed, we can see a number of high-profile examples of glass cliff appointments at the moment.”

She points to several big names: think Theresa May (hello, Brexit), Sussan Ley here in Australia, and CEOs like Leah Weckert (Coles), Amanda Bardwell (Woollies), Vanessa Hudson (Qantas) and Jayne Hrdlicka (Virgin).

All of them handed the reins when the oxygen masks had already been deployed and the plane was mid-turbulence.

Leadership is still lonely for women

Even when women do get the top job, the experience can be, well… grim.

“Senior women are often the only women in the room,” Ryan explains. “They are often bullied and harassed, not respected, have less influence, and their tenure is often shorter.”

Why? Because we still expect leaders to look and act a certain (masculine) way. And when women show up with a different leadership style, they can cop backlash for not “fitting the mould”.

Fixing the pipeline” isn’t the fix

You’ve probably heard the line: We just need more women in leadership and the rest will sort itself out. But Ryan says that’s not the whole picture.

“Just fixing the number of women in senior roles, and in the pipeline, is not enough,” she says. “We also have to address the experiences of women in such roles, ensuring they occupy positions in which they can thrive.”

In other words, don’t just hand women the keys to a burning building and then wonder why they don’t stick around.

What about small biz and founders?

This stuff isn’t just happening at the top end of town. Founders and small biz owners, especially women, are often asked to lead through uncertainty with limited support, funding and resources.

So, what should you do if you think you’re being handed a glass cliff gig?

“There are a number of things that can help lessen the precariousness,” Ryan says. “Making the nature of the appointment transparent, and ensuring it provides sufficient resources, support, and time to ensure that the crisis can be dealt with efficiently.”

Ask the hard questions. What’s the real state of play? Will you get the support you need? And do you actually want the job? Or are you being guilted into it?

Should you take a glass cliff role?

Not every crisis gig is a trap, and not every glass cliff leads to a fall.

“This does not mean that failure is inevitable,” Ryan reassures. “But the risk is higher. The key is recognising it and ensuring support structures are in place.”

That might mean negotiating more resources, bringing in your own team, or just saying no if the role looks like a poisoned chalice.

What about the blokes?

Male allies have a huge role to play in smashing the glass cliff. But Ryan says it needs to be genuine allyship, not just token gestures.

“Male allies have a strong role to play… They often have the power and influence to change organisational culture,” she says. “Allyship needs to be transformational, rather than simply tokenistic.”

So if you’re a bloke in business: speak up when you see bias. Sponsor women into stable roles, not just crisis gigs. And back them once they’re in the seat.

What does “UNLIMITED” leadership look like?

Professor Ryan is one of the headline speakers at the Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit this year, and she’s pretty excited about it.

“I’m very much looking forward to speaking at the Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit alongside some of the most influential women in the country and across the globe,” she says.

She wants attendees to come away with a sharper understanding of just how subtle, and systemic, the glass cliff can be.

“To me, UNLIMITED leadership means getting to a point where gender does not impact on people’s ability to take on leadership positions… Their ability to make a difference, therefore, becomes unlimited.”

You can find out more about the Women Unlimited Conference here.

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