Kamala Harris and the Glass Cliff: Why We Need to Set All Leaders Up for Success

Whew, the 2024 elections are over, and America has decided. A lot of headlines and social media posts are declaring that Kamala “failed.” Despite running a decent campaign with similar missteps most campaigns have, it was always unlikely she’d win, especially under such a tight time frame. And this isn’t to say I’m endorsing her policies or arguing that her campaign decisions weren’t flawed. But was she truly set up for success, or was she just the latest high-profile woman to be pushed off the “glass cliff”?

The glass cliff is a term that describes the pattern where women, and often other marginalized leaders, are handed risky leadership roles or promotions during times of crisis. They’re essentially being set up to fail. And when they do, they’re often scapegoated as evidence that they weren’t up for the job in the first place. If the Democratic Party truly wanted Kamala as their nominee, why didn’t they choose her earlier, when conditions were more favorable? Why wait until Biden’s poll numbers were tanking and Trump was a clear frontrunner? By making a Hail Mary pass and then expecting her to accomplish the near-impossible, her “defeat” seems like a setup more than a fair shot.

The Glass Cliff in Corporate America

This glass cliff phenomenon isn’t unique to politics—it’s a recurring pattern in corporate America, too. When departments or companies find themselves struggling, they often bring in women leaders or leaders from underrepresented groups to turn things around. These high-stakes roles come with the unspoken implication that if the ship sinks, the new captain will be blamed. If by some miracle, these women succeed, they rarely receive the recognition or support they deserve to stay afloat long term.

Consider some high-profile examples:

• Marissa Mayer at Yahoo!: Hailed as a tech prodigy when she took the helm in 2012, Mayer was tasked with turning around a struggling Yahoo, one of Silicon Valley’s most storied companies. But Yahoo had been on the decline for years, struggling with competition and identity issues long before she arrived. Despite some successes, Mayer was widely criticized, and the weight of Yahoo’s long-standing issues fell squarely on her shoulders. When she couldn’t deliver a miracle, her leadership was questioned.
• Mary Barra at General Motors (GM): Barra took on the role of CEO in 2014, becoming the first woman to lead a major global automaker—just as GM was grappling with a massive recall crisis. She faced unprecedented scrutiny, bearing the brunt of years of neglected safety issues that predated her leadership. Although she successfully navigated the crisis, GM’s troubles and cultural challenges loomed, casting a shadow on her leadership tenure despite the odds she overcame.
• Ellen Pao at Reddit: When Ellen Pao stepped in as interim CEO of Reddit, the company was already facing internal and external tensions around issues like workplace culture and content moderation. Pao’s efforts to modernize the platform faced immediate resistance, and when controversies arose, the pressure mounted against her alone. Her departure was met with relief from critics, but many in tech noted that the deeper issues within Reddit had little to do with her leadership.

In each case, these women took on roles that many wouldn’t touch because they were told, in essence, “only you can fix this.” But when systemic issues proved too great to overcome, their leadership and competence were called into question.

Setting All Leaders Up for Success

When organizations—and yes, political parties—set leaders up with unrealistic expectations, they’re fostering an environment where the true potential of those leaders is never realized. If we truly want women, people of color, and other marginalized groups to thrive, we must ensure that they’re given the same fair shake as their predecessors or counterparts. Here’s how we can move the needle:

1. Consider the Whole Picture Before Appointing Leaders: Don’t just bring in a new leader when there’s a crisis. When companies only promote women or other marginalized individuals into troubled roles, they’re setting them up for failure. Create development paths for all potential leaders to gradually take on roles, and ensure crises are managed by qualified leaders who are prepared, not merely “available.”
2. Provide Meaningful Resources and Support: Leaders stepping into challenging roles should have the resources and backing to succeed. If a leader is expected to revamp an entire department, give them the budget, people, and time to do so. Setting up a “rescue mission” without support sends the message that failure is expected and even welcomed.
3. Evaluate Success Realistically: Leaders shouldn’t be held to a superhuman standard just because they come in during a turbulent time. Success should be measured on progress toward specific goals rather than an all-or-nothing turnaround. Allow leaders to demonstrate their abilities through meaningful milestones that reflect the challenges they inherited.
4. Share the Wins and Losses: When a leader does turn things around, give them the credit. And when they don’t, avoid scapegoating them for systemic failures that existed before they stepped into the role. Real change takes time, often beyond the tenure of a single leader.
5. Create Succession Pipelines that Aren’t Crisis-Dependent: When we see leaders placed in high-stakes roles only in times of crisis, it’s often because there aren’t robust succession plans in place. When organizations have a more proactive approach to leadership development, they can match the right leader with the right opportunity, crisis or not.

Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and its outcome may be the latest high-profile instance of the glass cliff, but it’s far from the only one. If we want to see diverse leadership flourish, we need to start by treating all leaders fairly—giving them the chance, support, and stability to thrive. Let’s not make marginalized leaders the face of failure in times of crisis; let’s create environments where they can genuinely lead and be celebrated for it. In politics and business alike, true success comes when every leader has the foundation they need to reach their full potential.