What Office Steve Knows About Getting Promoted that You Don't
How to beat the bias game and get paid like the Steves
TL;DR: The "broken rung" is real: for every 100 men promoted to their first management position, only 81 women get the same opportunity (and for Women of Color, it's even worse). Women in service roles often find the first step up particularly difficult to navigate. To climb past this broken rung, you need strategies to build recognized "experience capital,” strategic visibility, and sponsorship. AI tools can be a powerful ally in quickly developing the technical skills that command respect and higher pay. The key is understanding what you're up against and deploying specific tactics to avoid getting stuck at the entry level.
Hey there 👋
I recently had dinner with my friend Lucy. She's extraordinary — possibly the most capable person I've ever met. As a personal assistant to a high-profile executive for 17 years, she orchestrated complex logistics, managed delicate relationships, and solved impossible problems daily. She could get anything done, knew everyone, and operated with remarkable efficiency.
But when her boss passed away, Lucy found herself stranded professionally at nearly 60 years old. By all rights, with her skills, judgment, and experience, she should be a CEO or COO by now. Instead, she's struggling to find work because the rung between "support role" and "leadership track" was simply missing for her.
This is the "broken rung" phenomenon in stark relief. The most crucial promotion — that first step up from entry-level to management — is where women's careers often stall. And for women in support or service roles, that gap can feel like a chasm.
I recently listened to a podcast featuring McKinsey researchers Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez discussing their new book, 'The Broken Rung,' which is based on a decade of research. Their findings confirm exactly what Lucy experienced: at the first critical promotion to manager, for every 100 men who advance, only 81 women make the same jump. For Latinas, it's 65, and for Black women, just 54.
This isn't just a momentary setback. That first missed promotion creates a gap that widens over time, leaving many women perpetually playing catch-up in both position and pay.
The Problem Pattern: The Experience Capital Gap
What's really happening when women hit this broken rung is what McKinsey calls an "experience capital" gap. Experience capital is the cumulative wisdom, knowledge, and practical experience you build that becomes recognized as valuable by decision-makers.
Women face a multi-layered challenge here:
We accumulate different types of experience (often more support-oriented)
Our contributions are frequently less visible to senior leadership
Our experience is often not recognized as "leadership material"
We're less likely to be given high-risk, high-reward assignments
We typically have narrower, more junior professional networks
We're over-mentored but under-sponsored
The result is a reinforcing cycle: without that first promotion, you miss critical early management experience, which makes you less likely to get the next opportunity, which keeps your network smaller, which means fewer sponsors opening doors for you... and on it goes.
How Most People Try to Solve It (And Why It Fails)
When facing this challenge, most women double down on approaches that feel comfortable but rarely work:
Becoming even more indispensable in their current role (which paradoxically makes it harder to promote you)
Taking on more administrative work to be "helpful" (which reinforces perceptions you belong in support roles)
Waiting until they're 100% qualified before applying for promotions (while men apply when they're about 60% ready)
Focusing exclusively on technical credentials (while neglecting strategic relationships)
Hoping their excellent work will "speak for itself" (it won't; someone has to speak for it)
These approaches feel productive, but they address symptoms, not causes. They make you better at your current level rather than preparing you for the next one.
A Strategic Approach: A Workable Game Plan
Instead of doing more of what hasn't worked, here are specific actions you can take starting this week:
Seek P&L responsibility (even in small doses) P&L (profit and loss) responsibility means having direct impact on financial results, and it's often the difference between being seen as someone who just gets tasks done versus someone who drives business decisions. If you're thinking "I'm not good with numbers," stop right there. That's internal bias talking, and it's holding you back. The truth is that P&L skills are learned, not innate, and they're far simpler than we make them out to be.
Action steps:This week: Ask your manager: "Could you walk me through how our team's performance is measured financially? I'd like to understand how my work contributes to our bottom line."
Next phase: "I'd like to manage the budget for our upcoming project. I can track expenses against the plan and flag if we're trending over or under."
Regular practice: Start tracking metrics for your work that translate to dollars (time saved, revenue generated, costs avoided)
Steve Snapshot: Notice how the Steves of your workplace naturally gravitate toward roles with financial oversight? It's not because they're better with numbers. It's because they ask for those assignments directly. "I'd like to manage the budget for the team offsite" is a sentence that has launched many a Steve's career. They know P&L experience is currency for promotion—and now you do too.
Make your impact visible (without bragging) Women often struggle with visibility because we're taught to put our heads down and work hard. But if decision-makers can't see your impact, it might as well not exist.
Action steps:Create a "wins" document where you track your accomplishments (with measurable outcomes)
In team meetings, report results in business terms: "The campaign increased conversion by 15%, which translates to approximately $25,000 in new revenue"
When emailing updates, use a consistent format that highlights: 1) What was accomplished, 2) Business impact, 3) Next steps
Practice a 30-second description of a recent achievement that focuses on impact, not effort
Transform your relationship with your manager Your manager isn't just your boss; they're potentially your most important advocate. But this requires an intentional approach.
Action steps:Schedule a career discussion with these specific questions:
• "What skills or experiences do people at the next level typically have?"
• "Where do you see gaps in my experience that could hold me back?"
• "What upcoming projects could help me develop in those areas?"Make it regular: "Could we set aside 15 minutes monthly to discuss my development?"
Be explicit: "One of my goals this year is to move toward a management role. What would make me a strong candidate?"
Use AI as your secret weapon for technical skills This year, I received a larger raise than expected. Why? One reason: I brought technical expertise to the table that directly impacted revenue. But here's the secret — I didn't have that expertise initially. I simply had a vision for downloadable tools we could offer, and I used Claude AI to guide me through creating them step by step. I knew nothing about how to build these tools, but AI walked me through the process. Now we have an entire library of resources that differentiate us in the market, and I can point to the downloads and leads they've generated.
Action steps:Identify a technical gap in your team or company's offerings
Ask an AI assistant (like Claude, ChatGPT, or others) to teach you how to fill that gap
Use prompts like: "I want to create [specific tool/analysis]. I'm a beginner. Walk me through it step by step."
Start small, implement quickly, and track the impact
Convert mentors to sponsors Mentors give advice; sponsors create opportunities. Women often have plenty of the former but few of the latter.
Action steps:With existing mentors, shift the conversation: "I've valued your advice. Would you feel comfortable recommending me for [specific opportunity]?"
Be specific about what you're looking for: "I'm hoping to gain experience leading a cross-functional project. If you hear of opportunities, would you put my name forward?"
Make it easy: "I've attached a brief summary of my experience and the types of projects I'm looking to take on"
Follow up with updates on how you're implementing their advice (this builds confidence in their investment in you)
The key insight: The broken rung isn't repairable by working harder at your current job. It requires deliberately building different types of experience and ensuring that experience is visible and valued by decision-makers.
👉 Power Practice for the Week
Pick ONE of these actions to focus on this week:
Monday: Create an "impact inventory" - list everything you've accomplished in the past 6 months with the business results of each item (revenue generated, time saved, problems solved)
Tuesday: Schedule a 15-minute meeting with your manager specifically to ask: "What experiences would make me a strong candidate for the next level?"
Wednesday: Identify one technical or analytical skill that would make you more valuable in your role, and ask AI to help you learn the basics
Thursday: Reach out to someone two levels above you with a specific request: "I'm working on [project]. Given your experience, could I get your perspective on [specific aspect]?"
Friday: Practice explaining one of your achievements in terms of business impact rather than effort (e.g., "This resulted in $X savings" instead of "I worked really hard on this")
The Short of It ⚡
The broken rung is real: women are significantly less likely to receive that first crucial promotion to manager
Service and support roles can become career traps without strategic navigation
P&L responsibility is crucial for advancement (and you can learn it regardless of your background)
AI tools can help you rapidly develop technical skills that command higher compensation
The gap between mentorship and sponsorship can be bridged with specific requests for advocacy
Making your impact visible in business terms is essential for recognition
With you all the way,
- Kara
P.S. Next week, I'm starting a new series called "Tech Fluency: The Missing Link in Your Career Arsenal." Because here's the uncomfortable truth: tech confidence is now essential at BOTH critical career junctures—jumping that first broken rung AND pivoting in midlife.
While researching for this newsletter, I noticed a pattern: women struggling with that crucial first promotion often lack the same technical confidence as those trying to pivot at 45+. The tech fluency gap hits us twice—first blocking our advancement, then later limiting our options when we're ready for change.
So I'll be breaking down essential tech skills in plain English—not to help you book cheaper flights or generate AI poetry—but to give you the specific digital competencies that translate directly to higher compensation and career mobility at ANY stage. Because whether you're attempting that first leadership leap or reinventing yourself entirely, tech fluency isn't optional anymore—it's the currency of opportunity.
Want to share this newsletter with someone who needs to hear it? Go ahead and forward it along! 🙌