Glass Ceilings at the Top: Why the C-Suite Stays Narrow

Pipelines look healthy on paper. At the top, they thin fast. This series steps into succession meetings, calibration sessions, and board searches to track where access is granted, where it is delayed, and why “must haves” often map to earlier gatekeeping. We follow two anonymized leaders as they miss stretch roles that later read as “not ready yet,” then test a fix that puts proof ahead of comfort. The plan is simple and exact: map proving grounds on the calendar, start every shortlist wide, formalize sponsorship, teach board readiness in stages, and log each change with dates. Early results show wider slates, faster time to fill, and two durable appointments. The open test is clear. In a tight market, will the process hold. If it does, the top widens and stays strong. If it does not, the old mold returns in one quarter.