Page 13 - Free Yourself From

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

porate ladder. Know that we all have sticky floors—men and women
alike. However, my organization has been able to identify unique
patterns of behaviors, beliefs, and assumptions that unknowingly will
hold back accomplished and smart women from achieving their great-
est potential.
After years of working in senior human resources jobs, I left the
corporate world to launch SHAMBAUGH Leadership, a consulting
firm that provides leadership and organizational development exper-
tise to Fortune 500 clients around the world. I also created a division
especially for women, Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL),
which is dedicated to the research, development, advancement, and
retention of women leaders and executives across the globe.

What Are the Sticky Floors?

For the past 10 years, through WILL, I have been helping organiza-
tions turn women with leadership potential into senior-level leaders.
A large part of this work has been helping the women to recognize
and address any beliefs, assumptions, and self-defeating behaviors
that have held them back. This does not mean that women are always
stuck and are not talented. Quite the contrary. However, rising to
greater levels of influence, responsibility, visibility, and decisionmak-
ing, requires us to view things from a broader and more diverse per-
spective. And to realize that what made us successful in our careers
so far may not be the best equation for continued success. When we
are not aware of what we do and the impact it has, or apply the right
techniques and skills to overcome certain obstacles, we run into the
sticky floors which can limit our ability to achieve our ideal career
goals. These sticky floors fall into a handful of categories that I will
address chapter by chapter in this book. The chapters will not only
help you to explore where you are on each of these, but will also