Navigating Black Women's Unique Challenges in Leadership: My Experience as a C-Suite Executive

As Black women, the challenges we face in the workplace are often more complex than they seem on the surface. I recently reflected on a post by Ngozi Cadmus highlighting key terms—like intersectionality and the glass cliff—that perfectly describe the hurdles many Black women encounter in their careers. Her insights resonated with my own journey, particularly as a C-Suite Executive.

When I stepped into my executive role, I immediately found myself in an over-tasked, under-supported, and underfunded department. The expectations were high, but I lacked the resources to succeed. I couldn’t hire the needed staff, and while my team had great intentions, many lacked the experience and development required to tackle the massive workload. To make matters worse, it was peak season, and there was no time to pause or level set. It was a prime example of stepping into a role where you have to hit the ground running—no room for error, but significant risk if things went wrong.

No matter what my team and I accomplished, the “needle” kept moving, making it nearly impossible to achieve sizable progress. We were always playing catch-up, and the pressure was relentless. This is a perfect illustration of what’s known as the glass cliff, where Black women often ascend to leadership roles in times of crisis—given high-risk positions with low support. Failure seems built into the equation.

📖 Intersectionality explains this dynamic well. As a Black woman in a leadership role, I wasn’t just navigating the usual challenges of executive leadership; I was dealing with compounded layers of racial and gender bias that amplified the difficulty of the role. My experience wasn’t simply about being a woman in leadership or being Black—it was both at once. This amplified the expectations while limiting the resources available to meet them.

🧱 The Concrete Ceiling was another challenge I encountered. Unlike the glass ceiling, which many women face, Black women often hit an even tougher barrier—one that’s nearly impenetrable. Despite my efforts and those of my team, it was clear that breaking through this ceiling would require extraordinary effort and resilience. Even when we succeeded in making strides, it often felt like those achievements went unnoticed or were never enough.

👁️ Intersectional Invisibility added another layer. As a Black woman in a C-Suite role, my presence was hyper-visible. Every move I made was scrutinized, yet at the same time, many of my contributions were overlooked or undervalued. It’s a strange paradox—being seen yet unseen, expected to succeed against all odds but rarely given the credit when you do.

💡 These terms—intersectionality, the glass cliff, the concrete ceiling, and intersectional invisibility—perfectly capture my challenges. But they don’t just describe my experience; they represent the realities many Black women face in leadership roles. It’s time to move beyond just acknowledging these obstacles and start dismantling them.

We need to create workplaces where Black women aren’t set up to fail but are given the support, resources, and recognition to thrive. Only when we expand our understanding of these unique challenges can we begin to create real, lasting change.