Women Leaders: Broken rungs and glass corridors

Beata Socha
Jun 2
2 min read

In May 2026, I focused on women in leadership: their career paths, obstacles, turning points and success stories. For Warsaw Business Journal, I interviewed 16 women leaders from across insurance, real estate, pharma, fintech, logistics, construction, education, consulting and more.

Despite very different careers, several themes came up again and again:

Careers are built rather than neatly planned. Leadership paths are rarely linear. They involve detours, industry changes, unexpected opportunities and, sometimes, starting your own business.
You cannot stay quiet if you want to lead. Visibility matters. So does learning to speak about your achievements, step forward before you feel 100% ready and make your ambitions known.
The choices you make early matter. Women may encounter “broken rungs” and “glass corridors” long before they reach the proverbial glass ceiling. Choosing roles that open the path to leadership can make a lasting difference.
Mentors, sponsors and other women matter enormously. One conversation, recommendation or vote of confidence can change the direction of a career.

The common message? Leadership requires intention, courage and a willingness to change direction. Careers may not go according to plan, but with the right mindset and people behind you, the glass ceiling becomes a lot easier to break.

As part of the project, I ran a conference for Women Leaders in Warsaw, streamed on LinkedIn.