Dr Luz Longsworth explores leadership’s hidden currents
THE barriers women face in pursuing leadership positions are well documented, but Dr Luz Longsworth believes there is more to professional advancement than breaking through the glass ceiling. In her new book, Through the Glass Bottom: Navigating Leadership’s Hidden Currents, she examines the less visible forces that shape women’s experiences in the workplace and influence how they lead.
Published in 2026 and now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions, the book draws on Longsworth’s more than three decades of experience in higher education, business and hospitality.
The idea emerged during a drive along Jamaica’s north coast, when Longsworth was reflecting on a difficult experience within an organisation. She began to consider how her focus on overcoming visible barriers might have caused her to overlook the underlying dynamics affecting her and other women.
“It struck me that while I was looking up and trying to break glass ceilings, I had neglected to understand the undercurrents that were also affecting me and other women in the organisation,” she recalls.
The image of a glass-bottom boat, which allows passengers to observe what lies beneath the Caribbean Sea, became a metaphor for the book’s central argument: Understanding leadership requires looking beyond what is immediately visible.
Those hidden currents can include workplace relationships, organisational culture, unspoken expectations and personal beliefs that influence professional decisions and opportunities. Recognising them, Longsworth argues, gives individuals greater control over how they respond to their circumstances.
“You do not have to participate in every undercurrent in your organisation. But you do need to see them, because awareness gives you choice and agency,” she says.
Longsworth’s perspective is informed by her career at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), where she spent nearly three decades and ultimately served as principal and pro vice-chancellor of The UWI Open Campus. She is now senior corporate director of Sandals Corporate University, overseeing training and development across nine Caribbean countries.
These experiences have reinforced her belief that leadership is not simply an innate quality but a discipline that requires continuous learning and development.
“As my career developed, I also began to understand that leadership was less about being the person in front and more about developing the people around you,” she says.
The development of others is central to her philosophy. Longsworth credits her mother and former UWI, Mona campus Principal Professor Gerald Lalor with helping to shape her understanding of leadership as a responsibility to recognise talent, build confidence and create opportunities for others.
“The title of leader is temporary,” she says. “Your best legacy is to develop others to lead and to lead even better than you did.”
The book also considers the continuing pressures women face in professional environments, including the expectation to repeatedly prove their competence and the self-doubt associated with imposter syndrome. Longsworth sees mentorship and solidarity among women as important ways to navigate these challenges.
She believes these lessons have wider implications for Caribbean organisations, which must invest deliberately in developing talent if they are to strengthen their institutions and prepare the next generation of leaders.
“Leadership development is not a one-day workshop. It has to be a long term investment,” she says.
Ultimately, Through the Glass Bottom encourages readers to look beyond titles and professional achievements to consider how they lead, what shapes their decisions and whether they are helping others realise their potential.
“Leadership is a lifelong journey of intentionally setting out to improve yourself and the people around you,” Longsworth says.
