Page 53 - Free Yourself From

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

to continue moving forward in spite of all the distractions and disap-
pointments and detours that you encounter along the way. And there
will be disappointments and distractions: mergers, acquisitions, lay-
offs, missed promotions, failed projects, and the like.
Why is this vision thing particularly important for women? A
study conducted by Harris Interactive indicated that 4 out of 10 qual-
ified women (37 percent) reported that they had left their work vol-
untarily. Having broken through the traditional glass ceiling and
reaching the executive suite, many found that they were dissatisfied
or questioning the direction in which they were headed. I have heard
many accomplished women say that when they get to that place of
power, they find themselves asking, “Is this it?” They become frus-
trated and find the position is not doing it for them. It doesn’t bring
the sense of fulfillment and happiness they had thought it would.
Usually, it wasn’t the level of power that disagreed with them. Rather
the specific position that got them to the executive suite wasn’t
aligned with their personal vision and thus, it wasn’t the position
they could best serve.
When I coach women who are moving from an individual con-
tributor role to a manager’s job that is meant to prime them for an
executive role, I ask them to step back and look outside their day-to-
day activities. I ask them to describe to me how they see themselves
in a broader context, in their personal life and career.
I remember one woman who had a very vivid vision for herself.
She saw herself succeeding in three major roles: mother, business
leader, and servant to others in the community. What that meant for
her was that a big piece of her life was going to be focused outside
of work, on her family, and community activities. She knew clearly
what she wanted her family experience to be for each of her children
and for herself. She also had a clear picture of where she wanted to
take her organization and the kind of culture and work environment