Case 3 - Analysis

“SONIA MILLAR: NEGOTIATING FOR THE C- SUITE”

Submitted To: Erica Carleton

Submitted By: Group 7

Golrokh Malekitehrani ID# 200472779

Jenna Broderick ID# 200362910
Asmita ID# 200477460
Michael Schell ID# 200228558
Shawlin Hoque ID# 200482072
Kelsie Rock ID# 200219179

GBUS 875: Women in Leadership

 Date: 09 November 2022

1. What is your analysis of the situation facing Millar?

The overall situation that Millar is facing can be described as concerning and puzzling because
of her positive reputation as a leader in the past, it is leading Millar to think about whether there
are ulterior motives resulting in her slow ascent to the CEO position. In Why Women Aren't
CEOs “there is seldom one reason someone else wins out, making the dissection of any outcome
all the more painful and perplexing.”
 Undermining: Millar is being undermined by her male colleague Winthrop.
○ Winthrop is flippant and ignorant of internal processes and procedures when it comes to
the acquisition of software. His conscious bias is evident as he deliberately
circumvented policies for his own advantage.
 Performance: Millar is a solid performer and has proven herself by expanding her portfolio
with clients and has a solid reputation in the industry however not receiving the “credit” or
same chances for opportunity her male counterparts are.
○ As mentioned in class, women face a double bind where their competence does not
correlate with likability. Additionally, they are not evaluated objectively.
 Promotion: Taking the CIO position is a huge shift in Millar's career path and can set her
far apart from her destination being the CEO seat because she was moved to staff position,
while line positions are usually where the central power lies.
○ Eagly and Carli mention that those line positions make critical and strategic directions
that directly affect performance and therefore are “more often promoted to top
corporate positions”.

2. What barriers/biases do you believe Millar is facing?

 Implicit bias - Millar is facing a bias or prejudice that is present in her workplace but not
consciously recognized.
○ There was in fact implicit bias training that was given, however Millar notes jokes about
it which leads us to think it was not being taken seriously.
■ As mentioned in class, leaders can face resistance when prototype expectations are
not met.
○ There is also a policy that all departments needed to obtain the IT group’s advice and
consent on any software purchase, Winthrop and his group bypassed her.
 Labyrinth Barrier - Millar has “proven” herself at GPWM by meeting goals, growing profit
and increased client base, however, she often finds roundabout or discontinuous routes to the
authority which impedes her ultimate goal of becoming the CEO.
 Second generation bias - In Women rising the unseen barriers “somethings in the water…
finding oneself excluded from consideration for key positions”. Millar seems just not able to
get to the top, not because of her ability, or her accomplishments but just something an for
some reason Mundell still does not see her as his key successor.

a. What has stalled Millar’s career?

 Loss of Responsibility - In the beginning Millar could clearly see her path to the CEO chair,
however when Mundell changed the structure of the company and Millar lost the family
office functions and portfolio management role from the wealth Management/Trusts and
Estates, she lost responsibility and her line of site to CEO.
 Organizational Culture - In class we talked about constructions of our organization’s
cultures treating women poorly. As Eagly and Carli mentioned, “when women enter these
male-dominated situations, they confront a culture that is marked by masculine values and
styles”, this is addressed in the case with:
○ Lack of female leaders at the top to support other female leaders in their journey. She
was one of two women, the other being the Corporate Council.
■ Trusting Mundell blindly as a mentor and friend and not being self-aware stalled
her career. As learned in class, networking, connections and mentorship can create
opportunities for followers to advance in their careers.
○ Because Mundell knew Millar was very committed to GPWM, he asked her to step up
(while taking a step down in her career) Millar is displaying attributes of a selfless
heroine to “save” the company.

3. What is your assessment of Millar’s decision to take the role of CIO?

Millar made this decision because she knew she could make necessary changes in the
most efficient way possible, which is one of the characteristics of transformational leaders as we
learned today, however this decision was not self-serving about her own career.
Taking this role would mean her “accomplishments would be hard-won and likely
viewed in metrics that would be equal parts subjective and objective.” Thus her performance
when being evaluated for CEO against her peers could look skewed. In class we discussed the
best way to promote is based on KPIs however if her results are objective it is not on a fair
playing field in the evaluation.
 Millar was seemingly put onto a glass cliff, or into a precarious leadership position where
she was given an impossible task. Even Mundell acknowledged she was the only one for the job,
admitting to unreasonable expectations. On the flip side we can also say arguably, the CIO role
and the challenges Millar will have to overcome will prepare her for the CEO role given the
skills and competencies she will develop.

4. What should Millar do now? Why?

Use emotional intelligence to anchor herself and best express her position on the matter
a. Hold a meeting with Winthrop and confront him about his actions which were undermining
her position and policies of authority as CIO.
i. Once she understands Winthrop’s reasoning for maneuvering the policy, she can
determine the best consequences, either positive or negative.
b. Idealized Influence (Attribute): Demonstrate qualities that motivate respect and pride from
association.
i. Use idealized influence with Winthrop to note that it is expected that he use the
policy in order to set a good example for his staff.
c. Idealized Influence (Behavior): Communicate values, purpose, and importance of
organization’s mission.
i. Remind and motivate others to follow the policy, say to Winthrop “I am pleased
that you are showing initiative, however you need to follow policy”.
ii. Re-affirm the reasons the policy exists in the first place.
d. Individualized Consideration: Focuses on development and mentoring of followers and
attends to their individual needs.
i. Show care and attention to the team.