The call came in from a senior male leader at a global financial institution located in New York City. He was interested in having me coach a female manager who was considered to have high potential. She stood out among her peers in a recent leadership program for her intelligence and performance, and the company was ready to invest in her career.
What was clear from the onset was that they wanted me to coach her not only on communication and leadership skills but her appearance. I know, it sucks! But unfortunately, the organization felt her appearance was so critical to her success that it needed to be addressed.
She was perceived as too young, although her chronological age was early 30’s, she looked much younger. Her wardrobe and hair was mentioned. They wanted her to “look more like a leader”. And one look around corporate headquarters, it was obvious what that meant. Tailored black or navy suit, heels, well-coiffed hair, subtle make-up. After all, this was a conservative institution mindful of staying true to its brand.
The executives understood at that time that despite her talent, her looks were an important factor for her to be considered a leader in their institution. I worked with her to improve her communication and overall executive presence. Over the course of our 18 month engagement, she was promoted twice. She is now one of the top female executives in the company. She learned to fit the mold and that along with her excellent performance positioned her well for leadership. What was clear was that she needed both.
You can be highly competent, articulate, experienced, and respected but if you’re a woman, how you look still affects how far you go.
This is the quiet force of lookism: discrimination based on physical appearance that creeps into everything from job interviews to promotion decisions. For women, the stakes are especially high.
While race, gender, and age discrimination have been recognized and challenged (at least on paper), appearance-based bias still lurks in the background, unspoken but powerful. It doesn’t show up in HR policies or employee handbooks. But it shows up in performance reviews, hiring choices, and the unspoken assessments that shape careers.
Read the full article on Substack.com.
Recent Comments