Patching the leaky pipeline.

All through my engineering education and career, and on into corporate, I noticed the same thing: the higher I went, the fewer women I saw. We called it the leaky pipeline. Brilliant people drop out one by one, not because they lack ability, but because no one is holding the door open.

After my PhD and postdoc, I decided to exit academia and go into corporate. I arrived believing that merit alone would carry me. Then a mentor recommended Harvey Coleman's Empowering Yourself. His PIE model says performance is only 10% of career success. The other 90% is image (30%) and exposure (60%). That's why visibility in corporate is everything: who knows you, who is willing to open the door for you, who will give you a second chance.

When I look back, almost every big opportunity in my life came from someone who gave their time, took a chance on me and made space for me. I keep thinking about first-generation professionals who walk in knowing nobody and have to figure it all out alone.

InvytIn is my way of patching that pipeline. It gives people on the inside an easy way to reach back and help the next person in. Everyone deserves someone who will share the unwritten rules and hold the door open.

Everybody can succeed when someone guides them and opens a door.