Combatting Corporate Cowardice.

Companies say they want authentic, courageous leaders. But they reward the well-crafted appearance of these things while punishing actual authenticity and courage. It's time for leaders to lead again.

For close to 23 years, I chose to work and stay at Levis — even when better financial offers came along — because I felt I could be my authentic self there. There had always been much ballyhoo about “being your true self at work” (even before that was trendy), wanting “true originals” to work there, and I (mostly) experienced that to be true. Until I didn’t.

Levi Strauss & Co. LinkedIn overview of the company

When I really expressed my views (outside of work) in 2020 and 2021 — that closed public schools were misguided, ineffective and cruel for a generation of children — I was shown the door. When true authenticity reared its head, it wasn’t so welcome after all.

I promised my husband I wouldn’t worry about trying to get a job for a year. (He’s the fun one, I’m the worry wart.) We agreed I’d focus on: gathering myself after two years fraught with conflict (in addition to 30+ years in corporate America), writing a book and making a documentary film on the harms of school closures for the nation’s children. I failed in not worrying about trying to get a job (I’m the worry wart, remember?), but I succeeded in writing a book and making the better part of a documentary. Two out of three ain’t bad.

Now that I’m “gathered”, and the book (please check it out if you haven’t yet) is written and the documentary is well on the way to completion, I’m refocusing my efforts on getting back to work. And I can tell you that the blackballing and the ousting by the “woke mob” (something the Left says doesn’t even exist) is real.

Recruiters who reached out to me post-resignation to offer congratulations and assistance — folks I’ve known for years and know the quality of my work — have now ghosted me. After saying that they want to be a part of bringing courageous leadership back to the C-suite, they no longer answer my texts and emails.

For the most part, (former) friends and long-time colleagues won’t even admit they know me, let alone say anything close to: Jen is really good at what she does. If you need a leader, Jen would be great! (Oh, and I read her book and liked it!)

I get emails from CEOs from well-known companies — public companies that you KNOW, you eat their food and wear their shoes — that say: You will lead a company again. The corporate world needs you. We need courageous leaders!

But none of them will say this publicly. Instead I get: We’re rooting for you but please forgive us if we can’t say so publicly. We’re breadwinners and can’t risk our positions as such. I won’t out them, because I’m not a jerk (despite some public opinion to the contrary). So you can believe me or not, but I’m not posting screen grabs out of a sense of kindness and propriety. (And by the way, I’m the breadwinner too, despite their assumption that as a woman my income is secondary and incremental, not essential.)

I’ve gone through some — not a lot (I was on a break!) — interview processes. I wrote about one in my book. This was for the CEO of a well-known close to $10 billion company. I told the recruiter before I started: “I want to make sure they know my story. I don’t want to go down this road if it’s not a real possibility.” They know, he assured me. That’s why they want to talk to you.

Then I did many rounds of interviews, all focused on my capabilities, my experience, my results. Until the last one with an HR leader. Here’s how that went (from my book):

The interviewer asked me if I would have done anything differently at the end of my time at Levi’s. I said “no,” which I’m sure was not the answer she was hoping for. I think she wanted some repentance, an admission that I’d seen the error of my ways and could be trusted in a new leadership role going forward. I didn’t offer that up.

I told her that if I were ever to lead a company or a division of a company again, I would make it my mission to create a truly inclusive environment, welcoming not only racial, gender and sexuality diversity, but viewpoint diversity as well. I stressed this would be in the service not just of my personal beliefs, but in the interest of product excellence and best-in-class business performance. I’d attempt to steward a return to normie capitalism.

I told her one of my hallmark phrases is “great ideas can come from anywhere.” The point being, I want to hear from you because I know there is business benefit to this kind of culture wherein people feel comfortable speaking up.

She told me that she didn’t think that was possible in the world right now. “Companies follow the culture, they don’t lead it,” she said.

The interviewer said the quiet part out loud: We want leaders who will follow not lead. I never heard from them again.