Why? She said the most compelling evidence she has is that even though some progress has been made, the fundamentals have not changed. “The biggest problem is the broken middle rung,” Kerr says. By this she means that men on average get promoted faster and like a horse race are out of the gate that is their career faster than a woman. For every 100 men promoted from the position they entered a company in senior living, only 87 women are promoted. “That progression in the early years of a professional career makes all the diff erence. The more likely you get promoted early, the more likely you are a candidate for further growth if you start that way,” Kerr said.
The Diff erence-Making Traits Bringing it back to her story, she says despite the statistics pointing to the challenges of rising high in the executive track, the way she overcame barriers came from who she is as a person. In terms of personality traits, the fi rst thing in Kerr’s favor started with
her overarching goal to help people. “I have some sort of deep desire to change the world around me. This sounds a little silly to say it out loud, but I always had this sense,” she said. The biggest currency to getting this change accomplished is straight
from the musical Hamilton, where the lead character only wants to be at the table where decisions are made, to be in the room where it happens. Once at the table, it is key for other women in the profession to use
their voices to be heard. Oftentimes, she noted, she was the only female and certainly the only female of Mexican descent in the room, providing the very diversity of opinion and background that has traditionally been lacking in corporate senior living and in corporate America in general. “I found myself saying this idea or other sounds very common sense to
me, but it did not sound that way to the rest of the room. As a woman, I off er a diff erent perspective, and I am also from Mexico. This experience, growing up in Mexico, and my willingness to share often turned to my favor,” she said. Another trait Kerr sees as helping her is the ability to be agile. By this
she pointed to the positive aspects of being able to move quickly and easily through the business by being open to evolving. “This ties into not sweating the small stuff and be able to contribute…
and have a willingness to fail. If it isn’t right, learn along the way,” she said. This may bring embarrassment at times, but don’t dwell in the moment, there will be other moments to shine. “Experiences can be very rich to add to a conversation,” Kerr said.
To access the recording for the Zoom call featuring Mercedes Kerr, visit https://
www.argentum.org/research-and-initiatives/women-in-leadership/. Planning has also begun for additional 2023 Women in Leadership Zoom calls. Watch the webpage for updated information as soon as it becomes available.
“I found myself saying this idea or other sounds very common sense to me, but it did not sound that way to the rest of the room. As a woman, I off er a diff erent perspective, and I am also from Mexico. This experience, growing up in Mexico, and my willingness to share often turned to my favor,” she said.
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