Who Carries the Key? The Complexities of Gendered Leadership Development

KeyBank’s Key4Women (K4W) program was developed to help women achieve success in executive roles. K4W empowered women leaders by providing advocacy, connections, and resources. What was unclear was whether K4W’s initiatives effectively dismantled the invisible barriers that women faced after promotion or inadvertently placed the burden on women to navigate ongoing structural obstacles independently. Were K4W members being connected with the “right” people? Were the skill development options reflective of the intersectionality at play for K4W members? Or was the K4W program continuing to reinforce the preexisting barriers to the success of female executives? This critical incident invites students to discuss the support types that genuinely empower women to reach the C-suite and thrive within it.