Abstract
This article contrasts the strategies that men and women have employed in pursuit of their career advancement in an elite professional services firm. Analyzing narratives in interviews of 115 senior leaders in a global investment bank, I find that women and men have used markedly different strategies to advance their careers and achieve success. Each group pursues the same objective–building relationships–but utilizes different means. Men “have opinions;” women “know facts.” Men emphasize having a point of view, assuming connections with colleagues and clients that can withstand conflict. Women emphasize their technical capabilities, not only to prove their competence, but also to establish connections with colleagues and clients grounded in achievements and expertise. Despite their differences, successful men and women’s strategies have similar aims: legitimacy and connectivity. For men, having an opinion fits within a culture that privileges a “masculine ethic,” practicable due to the social fabric tyin...
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