Ep. 037: The Leadership Path for Canadian Women

Guest: Carol Baird Ellan, Chief Judge, BC Provincial Court

What are some of the obstacles that women face in seeking leadership roles?

According to Carol Baird Ellan, the Chief Judge of the British Columbia Provincial Court (2000 - 2005), the path women must navigate includes family, societal views and expectations and a lack of appropriate mentoring. She points out that in her career, she was encouraged to strive for success and was supported by her family, but wasn’t never mentored in the realm of commerce and finance. As a result, she says she focused on aspects of her career at one of the city’s major law firms without an appreciation for business development.

Eventually her climb stalled. She says, “It’s important to know the overall logistics of the firm. I excelled at making clients happy but I was taken to task for not doing enough client development, for not seeing the bigger picture of the firm and where it wanted to go. As a result I did well in one area but I wasn’t viewed as partnership material.”