麦肯锡-为了达到顶峰_女性应该专注于技能培养（英）-2025.4_9页_549kb

Anita Leung's experience highlights the "broken rung" phenomenon where women advance slowly through corporate ranks. Despite comprising 59% of US college grads, women only account for 48% of corporate entrants and 81% of men get promoted for every 100, leading to fewer women at leadership levels. This gap is a hidden driver for the earnings disparity over careers with promotions boosting experience capital.

The report argues women can overcome this by focusing on skill building and networking. Three key drivers are identified: diverse professional networks, soft skills, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Networks can unlock hidden job opportunities and opportunities with senior leaders who can act as sponsors (prob increases with each sponsor by 10%) -- 95% of men and 93% of women find guidance easiest in personal settings. Small networks and too few men in networks harm women's visibility.

Soft skills (self-awareness, influencing, developing relationships, teamwork) are often undervalued yet crucial for higher-level roles with increasing human interaction demands. A McKinsey survey of 18k people globally found proficiency in soft skills leads to higher employment rates, salaries, and satisfaction. Yet hard skills are 2x more common in job postings and pay 2x more than soft skills.

Entrepreneurship, defined as a set of skills (initiative, risk-taking, innovation), is linked to top leadership roles and is essential for career growth regardless of job title. Women start more businesses than men (~50% US startups) but receive vastly less venture capital (2.3% globally). Yet women-led startups generate more revenue per dollar invested ($0.78 vs $0.31).

The authors stress women should balance building networks, soft skills, and an entrepreneurial mindset to overcome hurdles caused by broken rungs. Examples show that even small actions (like playing an audition) can be stepping stones for future growth.