Women are often praised for being loyal at work. Loyal to their team. Loyal to their manager. Loyal to the organisation. But loyalty is not a neutral virtue in career progression, and for women, it is frequently misunderstood, misused, and unrewarded.
In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern examine how loyalty operates differently in men’s and women’s careers, and why staying put, staying grateful, or staying silent can quietly limit progression.
Research from Harvard Business Review shows a persistent double standard: exceptional men are expected to job-hop to advance, while exceptional women are expected to stay because they value relationships and stability. The outcome is predictable. Men accumulate opportunity. Women accumulate goodwill.
This conversation challenges the idea that loyalty is automatically strategic and reframes it as a two-way exchange that must deliver opportunity, development, and recognition in return.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why loyalty is often rewarded symbolically rather than materially for women
How being seen as “dependable” and “committed” can become career-limiting
The difference between loyalty to people and loyalty to outcomes
What women should assess before describing themselves as loyal
How to decide when loyalty is serving your career, and when it’s costing you
This is an earlier Lead to Soar episode, recorded in 2022–23, that laid the groundwork for later conversations about power, progression, and strategic career decisions. It stands as a clear, evidence-based challenge to the idea that loyalty alone will be rewarded.
Links and resources
Harvard Business Review – Stop Undervaluing Exceptional Women
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