Working to answer this question has been a recurring theme for me given the disproportionately low representation of females in senior roles in most companies. Figuring out what the senior women have done that worked for them is something I’ve explored from the perspective of diversity and inclusion champion, leadership development consultant, and executive coach.

I had the chance to interview business and human resources executives specifically about promotions at senior levels, what women could to do to make it over the threshold and to possibly even accelerate getting there. I used this data to craft a process that women can use to drive their career progress more intentionally. Since I’m getting ready to launch a course on that very topic, I've been enjoying reviewing those very interesting transcripts.

Here’s what came up for me as I considered that work. The process was good -- once I was back in corporate I had in fact used it to finally get myself...