Why So Many Executive Women Are Leaving (And Thriving!)

Dorothy Mashburn
Jul 16
3 min read

Updated: Jul 21

The month I accepted a new job was also the month (apparently) I started giving off invisible vibes that I was done being overlooked.

Suddenly, I was magnetic.

An executive being stopped by a smiley face as she is trying to exit her job — Please don't leave!

The CEO reached out. Wined and dined me. Asked about my ambitions - as if I hadn’t been articulating them for the last three years!

It was flattering. It was annoying. And candidly, it was too late.

This is a story that replays over and over; in my own life, and also in the careers of high-achieving women I work with every day.

They pour years into an organization. They deliver. They fix broken teams.

They absorb the “not now” and the “next quarter” and the “once we stabilize.”

They stay longer than they should.

And then one day quietly, deliberately they stop waiting.

Here’s What No One Tells us:

You don't get tapped for the higher role when they sense you are about to leave - that is not a reward. It’s a retention tactic. One that often arrives a quarter (or so) too late.

By the time they notice you're drifting, you've already written the LinkedIn message to the recruiter. You've already pictured yourself somewhere else.

You’ve already asked: What if I didn’t have to prove myself to those who won’t see my value?

The thing to remember is: you still have a choice at this point.

When they suddenly start showing interest, checking in more often, asking about your “career path,” inviting you to lunch - don’t mistake it for an awakening. It’s not that they suddenly see your worth. It’s that they’re terrified your workload will land on their plate.

They’re managing risk, not nurturing talent.

You can use that fear. You can negotiate. You can say: “Now that I have your attention, here’s what I want.”

And for some women, that works.

Or you can do what most of the women I coach end up doing: You leave.

Because you’re done playing the floating game. Where your name comes up in succession planning, but they believe you are ready in 2-3 years.

Interestingly, about 84% of the women I coach choose the second path. But because they’ve finally seen it for what it is: a holding pattern, not a runway. And once you recognize that, you stop negotiating to stay. You start positioning for the next chapter.

You are not alone!

More executive women are leaving than ever before. According to McKinsey, the “broken rung” at the manager level has turned into a broken ladder at the top.

And women aren’t waiting for it to be fixed. They’re climbing out and building their own staircase.

They’re walking away from companies that called them “critical” but never “promotable.” They’re done watching underperforming men get the stretch assignments they were told they weren’t “ready” for. They’re launching consultancies, joining boards, stepping into C-suite roles at places that actually value what they bring.

Spoiler alert: They’re not falling apart.

They’re thriving.

They’re making more money. They’re working with people who don’t take credit for their work. They’re sleeping at night. (Well… most nights!)

The fear of leaving used to loom large. What if no one wants me? Turns out, lots of people do. Just not the ones you’ve been giving your best years to.

If You’re Still in the “Wait and See” Phase

Let me save you some time. They probably won’t change.

They probably won’t see your worth until you become a flight risk. And even then, they’ll try to keep you with flattery and vague promises, not a real promotion or pay bump.

Trust me I’ve been there. I didn’t leave because I hated the job.

I left because I hated who I was becoming in the job: The head-down, dependable one (quietly seething) who trained her replacements but wasn’t trusted to lead them.