With this book, Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg make a major contribution to knowledge leadership within the field of gender parity. Unfortunately, many (if not most) of those in greatest need of reading it are the least likely to do so. As they explain, they hope their readers “come away with a better understanding of the systemic disadvantages that aspiring and actual female leaders face and then turn a clear eye on their own teams, departments, and companies…Subtle yet obdurate barriers stand in the way of gender parity, but the glass is riddled with cracks.”

It is impossible to know, of course, how many women now remain atop the shards of glass. Obviously, “the journey toward true equity and inclusion is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Much of the material in the book is based on extensive interviews that Ammerman, Groysberg, and their associates conducted among women who now occupy leadership positions or aspire to do so. Check out the Notes” section (Pages 257-278) which cites primary and secondary sources. Also keep in mind that Ammerman and Groysberg have wide and deep prior experience of their own with the various systemic disadvantages on which they focus.. This is a research-driven book.

Some of Ammerman and Groyceberg’s most valuable insights are provided within these mini-profiles:

o “Reaching for the Top: The Honorable Barbara Hackman Franklin” (Pages 33-38)
o “Leading with Purpose: Ana Paula Pessoa” (57-63)
o “Paving the Way and Paying It Forward: Michele Hooper” (85-92)
o “Championing the Gender Equality in the Media: Ros Atkins” (119-127)
o “Settling for Equality: Qualcomm” (169-172)
o “Bringing Inclusive Management to Wall Street: Jack Rivkin” (199-204)
o “From Innovator to Advocate: Ilene H. Lang” (215-220)
o “A Pioneer’s Path: Professor Regina E. Herzlinger” (251-256)

As Ammerman and Groysberg correctly suggest, each of these mini-profiles examines key issues when addressing “the systemic disadvantages that aspiring female leaders and then turn a clear eye on their own teams, departments, and companies.”

That said, this book is also intended to remind those who read Glass Half Broken of how far women have come in the workplace. As noted earlier, “Subtle but obdurate barriers continue to stand in the way of gender parity, but the glass is riddled with cracks.”

Obviously, no brief commentary such as mine can do full justice to the quality of the information, insights, and counsel that Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg provide when explaining how to recognize and shatter the barriers that still hold women back at work. However, I hope I have at least indicated why I hold them and their work in high regard.

This book will not shatter any barriers to gender parity but it can help prepare countless men as well as women to do so sooner rather than later. Its material will also help to ensure that those barriers do not reappear. It is only a matter of time and, yes, relentless vigilance.