A Cautionary Tale for Tall Poppies and Women Leaders

“Tall poppy” is an Australian cultural term that refers to people who stand out for their high abilities, enviable qualities, and /or visible success. But standing out, in this case, generates hostility and elicits a host of undermining behaviors to bring them down a peg. This compelling desire to cut high achievers down to size is called the ‘tall poppy syndrome.” All leaders make mistakes, it just comes with the territory; and many do fail. But for women who stand out, who exude drive and independence, who enthusiastically challenge the status quo - all the things we admire in male leaders - their failures present an opportunity to pull out the poppy shears. So how can women who are leaders avoid this? Read the article