Page 109 - Free Yourself From

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

I think for many of us, we hold back and avoid taking that leap
into a new or more challenging role because we have such high stan-
dards. We may have an opportunity to consider a broader level of
responsibility but we sometimes end up saying that we are not confi-
dent in that job—too much of a stretch based on what we know now,
so we end up staying where we are. Sometimes our instinct will prob-
ably be to pull back and stay where we feel safe, know the job, and
have little room to fail or let others down. This is a common reaction
for many women. Why? First, women have a tendency to overanalyze
the risk. While it is good to be prudent, this can also be a limiting fac-
tor for advancement. Successful women say that their biggest regret
was not taking that risk or leap sooner. Much of what held them back
was that inner voice saying, “I am not totally familiar with some of
the new skills needed for the job,” or, “What if I let someone down?”
Or, “Not now, I need to go back to school and in a few years I’ll be
ready.” They needed to be totally ready and fully competent.
If you have executive suite aspirations, you have to learn to sup-
press that instinct, leave emotions out of the equation, and focus on
objectively sizing up what the opportunity can or can’t do for your
career.
Here are five questions that will help you to take an objective view:

1. What can happen short and long term if I take the new job?

2. What do I lose short term and long term if I don’t take it?
3. What can I gain if I take it and it works?

4. What do I lose if I take it and it does not work?
5. What are some contingency plans if it does not work?

Making a change or taking a risk is most risky if you haven’t
thought through what you are getting into. But, once you break
down both the positives and negatives and you begin to think