The Hidden Price of Success: Why Senior Women Are Redefining Achievement on Their Own Terms
Successful women challenge traditional achievement norms, discussing the 'success tax.' Redefining success with a focus on wellbeing and impactful leadership.
As boardroom diversity inches forward with women now comprising more than 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs, a quieter revolution is taking place in corner offices across the nation. Successful women are challenging traditional notions of achievement and speaking openly about what researchers call the ‘success tax’ – the often-invisible emotional and physical toll of climbing the corporate ladder.
Recent data from Deloitte’s Women at Work 2024 report reveals that while executive burnout has declined from nearly half in 2022 to about a quarter in 2024, the underlying challenges remain stark. A concerning 20% of women worry that discussing mental health could damage their career progression, whilst 18% feel the workplace isn’t appropriate for such conversations.
The True Cost of Being the ‘Go-To’ Person
Executive coach Dana L. Cox, creator of the Positioned to Paid™ System, knows this terrain intimately. Through her work with high-achieving women, she highlights how the role of being everyone’s reliable solution-provider comes with hidden costs, particularly for Black women who often navigate additional layers of systemic bias and cultural expectations.
‘Understanding the true cost of success isn’t just about counting hours worked or analysing profit margins’, Cox notes. ‘It’s about recognising the physical, emotional and relational toll that ambitious women silently shoulder whilst maintaining their professional personas’.
Breaking the Burnout Cycle
The pressure to maintain peak performance isn’t just an individual challenge – it’s a systemic issue. According to research on executive wellbeing, perfectionism and burnout are reaching epidemic levels, particularly among women in leadership positions.
A striking finding from KPMG’s latest study shows that 75% of female executives have experienced imposter syndrome during their careers. This persistent self-doubt not only contributes to increased stress and anxiety but can actively prevent women from pursuing advancement opportunities.
The Rise of Strategic Energy Management
Progressive leaders are now advocating for a more sustainable approach to success. Cox’s Strategic Energy Management™ methodology represents a growing movement towards intentional career development that prioritises wellbeing alongside achievement.
Recent data supports this shift in thinking. Studies on women in leadership show that 79% of executive women now identify wellness as crucial to their professional success, actively creating boundaries and prioritising self-care practices.
Financial Literacy: The Often Overlooked Power Tool
Beyond managing energy and emotional resources, Cox emphasises the critical role of financial literacy in sustainable success. This focus comes at a crucial time, as current statistics show women-led businesses represent $18 trillion in revenue, yet face persistent challenges in accessing capital and financial education.
The landscape for women in senior roles continues to evolve. While 2023 marked a historic high with 53 women CEOs in the Fortune 500, representing just over 10%, the broader picture shows room for improvement. Among S&P 500 companies, women account for only 8% of CEO positions.
Redefining Success on Personal Terms
The conversation is shifting from merely achieving positions of power to sustaining meaningful impact while maintaining personal wellbeing. This evolution reflects in boardroom compositions, where women directors have increased by 31% across the STOXX 600 in the past five years.
Perhaps most encouragingly, 82% of executive women now emphasise the importance of earning their teams’ trust through empathy and clear communication, suggesting a more holistic approach to leadership is taking hold.
Research consistently shows that when leaders prioritise both wellbeing and achievement, it creates a positive ripple effect throughout organisations, leading to increased productivity and engagement.
As women continue to reshape leadership paradigms, the focus increasingly falls on creating sustainable success – success that doesn’t demand silence about its true costs, success that makes room for wholeness, and success that future generations of women can aspire to without fear of burning out along the way.
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