Page 155 - Free Yourself From

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

I wasn’t at quite that level—getting to tag along with Bob, who was
at that level, was a fabulous opportunity. Over soup, I learned what
was on the CEO’s mind, what his priorities were, where the com-
pany was heading and, by inference, what he viewed as the top pri-
orities for the human resources, and how I could better support the
organization. I came back to my office with information I could
use to prioritize my work to make the best impression on the people
above me.
In general, my many lunches with Bob and others put me in with
the in-crowd. I gained a lot of important information I never would
have had otherwise that helped me to understand how the company
worked and how key players made decisions. It’s the information that
I most credit with making my time at the company successful.

Get Good at the Prep Work

Think of the most polished female leaders you know: maybe Avon
CEO Andrea Jung, Hillary Clinton, or Oprah Winfrey. Their nails
and hair are always styled, they think carefully about what they wear
to every meeting, social event, and public appearance. They antici-
pate the questions people will ask them and think very carefully
about what they say and how they say it whenever anyone outside of
their innermost circle is in earshot. They’re always on-message. In
short, they’re well put together. They project presence and a carefully
thought-out image. They know what they want to say and what they
do and don’t want people to know about them. People respond to this
polish and it’s what enables them to get things done.
Clearly you don’t have the advisers, assistants, and interns they do
to help them keep themselves so well put-together, but the idea is
still there. Women who are priming themselves for the executive suite
work at presenting themselves well. They don’t have chipped nails,
they make time for a good haircut, and they always sound and look