The need for early career women to lead authentically and to support one another as they do so is important not just for our workplaces but for the world. According to the 2019 Women in the Workplace Study by McKinsey and LeanIn, here are three important realities we face: Reality: Over the past five years, the number of women in senior leadership has grown. Still, women continue to be underrepresented at every level and popular culture often portrays women operating from a scarcity mindset. Over the past several months, I have been interviewing many women for my book on early career women and leadership development, and a common theme that has emerged is this distinction between a scarcity and abundance mindset. During a group interview with women who work in the STEM field, one woman shared, “Scarcity would say there’s not room for both of us to talk about the same subject. Abundance would say there’s more than enough room at the table for both of us—there’s grace enough to go around.” She explained that when she falls into a scarcity mindset, she finds herself thinking, “I’ll stop talking, because I believe that you’ve taken what is rightfully mine.” On the other hand, if she approaches the same situation with an abundance mindset, she’ll assume there’s plenty of space for her, too. Reality: The “broken rung” is the biggest obstacle that women face. Conventional wisdom says that women hit a “glass ceiling” as they advance that prevents them from reaching senior leadership positions. In reality, the biggest obstacle that women face is the first step up to manager, or the “broken rung.” According to McKinsey's recent Women in the Workplace study, this broken rung results in more women getting stuck at the entry level and fewer women becoming managers. As a result, there are significantly fewer women to advance to higher levels. To get to gender parity across the entire pipeline, companies must fix the broken rung. Reality: Women’s experiences are not universal. Women’s experiences are often shaped by other aspects of their identity. Most notably, research has shown that black women and women with disabilities face more barriers to advancement, get less support from managers, and receive less sponsorship than other groups of women. Does this resonate with you? Tell us your experience with the "broken rung" below and your thoughts on how we can support one another in 2020 by: Flipping the script on women supporting each other at work Promoting an abundance mindset Fixing the bottom rung so more women can advance to manager and senior leadership positions Creating a nurturing and safe community where all of women's experiences are honored and celebrated in their unity as well as diversity in this group. Let's work together to address these challenging realities head-on and to see the opportunities as we work together for a more equitable world. Thank you for being here in this group. You make this work purposeful, and I am so grateful!