Page 101 - Free Yourself From

84 It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor

If you checked any of these questions, it might be time to move on.
You’re quickly outgrowing your job (if you haven’t already) and if you
want to continue to develop and expand your professional skills, then
you need a new environment where you can cultivate different skills,
experience new opportunities, and work with a new group of people.
At the very least, you need to think about asserting your indi-
vidual brand and being recognized for your individual potential
instead of allowing yourself to be identified solely with one group or
person (your boss).

If I Do a Good Job, I Will Be Promoted When

the Time Is Right

For many women, the hardest part about getting off this sticky
floor—or maybe even recognizing they are on a sticky floor—is
breaking down the belief that their effort and good work are always
apparent to everyone and will be rewarded in due course. This just
isn’t true. We sometimes feel that people should know what we want
or, in some cases, should read our minds. We speak in code—maybe
talk about how hard we worked and what we got done—but does
that really let people know our true aspirations or career goals or
even frustrations?
Even if your boss and immediate co-workers appreciate your capa-
bilities and productivity, that doesn’t mean people beyond your most
immediate circle have any insight into your capabilities. Nor will those
other people necessarily make an effort to learn about you—why
should they when they have so much else going on around them? There
are several ways that being loyal to one person or group and patiently
waiting for your time to come can backfire.
Let me give you a few examples.
First, you might be doing a great job and hitting all of your objec-
tives, and your boss and team might appreciate your abilities and