The Difference Between Being a Leader and Being a Ladder
When you’ve worked in male-dominated industries long enough, you’ll notice a pattern.
Some people climb the ladder of success—and then immediately pull it up behind them. They think: I had to work twice as hard for half the recognition. Why should anyone else have it easier?
Others become the ladder itself—lying flat, letting others step on them, carrying the weight of everyone else’s advancement while their own careers remain stalled.
Neither of these is leadership.
True leaders don’t pull the ladder away. And they don’t allow themselves to become one either.
They climb—and then they create more rungs.
The Problem With Being a “Ladder”
So many women are conditioned to believe that being a good leader means being endlessly supportive, accessible, and selfless.
We:
Mentor without recognition
Take on invisible labor no one else will do
Smooth conflicts at our own expense
Advocate fiercely for others, but not ourselves
And while it may help those around us, it often leaves us depleted, overlooked, or even replaced by people we trained.
Being a ladder isn’t leadership. It’s sacrifice without strategy.
The Problem With Pulling Up the Ladder
The opposite problem is equally damaging. Some women who fought their way into leadership positions—often at great cost—believe others should “pay their dues” the same way.
They distance themselves from other women, gatekeep opportunities, and sometimes even perpetuate the very systems that once held them back.
It comes from survival. But it reinforces the cycle.
Pulling up the ladder doesn’t make you stronger. It just makes you lonelier at the top.
What True Leadership Looks Like
Leadership isn’t about being a ladder—or removing one.
It’s about building new flight paths.
Leaders Build More Ladders
True leaders don’t fear competition. They understand that success multiplies. By creating access for others, they expand influence—not diminish it.
Leaders Protect Their Altitude
They lift others without sacrificing their own careers. They know that their visibility, power, and advocacy mean little if they burn out or disappear from leadership entirely.
Leaders Model What’s Possible
They show what it looks like to rise and to carry others with them. Not by being the ladder, but by being the pilot—charting a path and showing others how to follow.
The Shift
Here’s the truth:
You don’t have to erase yourself to elevate others.
And you don’t have to close the door to protect your position.
Leadership is about holding your space at the table while making sure another chair is pulled up beside you.
It’s not about scarcity. It’s about legacy.
Reflection for You
Ask yourself:
Am I elevating others in ways that honor my own career, too?
Have I unintentionally become a ladder—carrying others while standing still?
Have I ever pulled the ladder away out of fear or scarcity?
What would it look like to build more ladders—without losing myself in the process?
If you’re ready to move from ladder to leader—where your career and your impact both rise—let’s start today.
Download your free guide:
Breaking the Cycle: 7 Hidden Signs It’s Time to Level Up—and Lead
Or, if you’re ready for one-on-one support:
Schedule a call with me today to map out your leadership path.
Beyond the cockpit. Beyond the hierarchy. Beyond the flight deck.
Leadership isn’t about being a ladder.
It’s about building the runway for those who follow.
Until next week,
Dana