Page 12 - Free Yourself From

We Have Come a Long Way, But Is It Good Enough? xi

better able to take advantage of opportunities in a global and con-
tinuously evolving business world.
One statistic after another indicates that women are increasingly
instrumental in strategy, decisionmaking, and leadership. So where
are these women? It seems that many of the ones who should be
storming the executive suite to influence important company-wide
decisions are still somewhere down on the lower floors, taking direc-
tion from above.

What Does a Sticky Floor Look Like?

Like every other diligent schoolgirl, I learned that working hard and
keeping your head down over your schoolbooks will win you high
marks and recognition. I applied the same strategy when I started
working by putting in long hours, staying on task, and being untir-
ingly diligent. However, I eventually realized that what gets you to
the head of the class doesn’t necessarily land you the corner office.
The things I learned in kindergarten were the very things that could
make my feet stick to the floor.
Women who believe that success is earned by meeting deadlines
and staying under budget are mistakenly clinging to inappropriate
career strategies. In today’s workplace, everyone is expected to meet
their goals. To be considered leadership material, you need to step out
of the “worker bee” box and, well . . . lead!
When I talk with women passed over for promotions or executive-
level jobs, I often see problems that are their own creation, such as
the one above. This is good news for women though, because while
you can’t single-handedly alter broad societal views and cultural
taboos, you can learn from your mistakes and make changes in your-
self. A sticky floor is a better problem to have than a glass ceiling
because you can pull yourself free of the sticky floor, or see it before
you get stuck, and begin climbing to the highest rungs of the cor-