Page 35 - Free Yourself From

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

Below is a process that will help you to focus on those areas
where you need to excel, where you may be falling short, and where
you can hold steady based on your role and the impact you are try-
ing to have.

Your Alignment with Your Organization

How well aligned are your abilities and interests with your organi-
zation’s goals and values? Answering the following questions will
help to determine just that.

• What behaviors and attributes are valued in your
organization?
• Based on where your organization is headed, what
abilities will it need in its leaders over the next two to
five years?
• What skills and behaviors will you need to bring
continued value to your organization and succeed in your
ideal role?
• How can you make the most of your strengths to fill those
needs?
• Where will you need to shore up your weaknesses to round
out what you bring to your job?

After doing this exercise you should see a strong alignment
between your organization’s current and future needs and your
strengths. You want to make sure that you don’t wind up in a situa-
tion where you’re striving to fit your square peg in a round hole.
If you’re beginning to see that your abilities and inclinations are
not well aligned with the organization, then you need to start a
process for determining what it would take to get in the groove or to
look at the pros and cons of staying versus leaving.