Page 97 - Free Yourself From

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

place too long and finally want to make a move. The trouble is, by the
time they understand this, it’s too late; that long stagnation is their
biggest hurdle to finding something new.
Here is an example of what I mean . . .

Scenario

Sally had a great relationship with her boss, Ted, for more than five
years. They worked well together and he trusted her with important
tasks that he either didn’t have time to do or that he thought she could
do better. In his eyes, Sally was loyal, reliable, and hard working.
Their career discussions were limited. Sally just assumed that they
would talk about next steps in her career when the time was right and
in the meantime it was important to do a great job for her boss and
the team. But Ted was on quite a different page. He assumed Sally
was enjoying her job, doing work she found interesting and challeng-
ing, and that she was content to do it indefinitely.
Eventually, Ted decided it was time for him to move on and told
Sally that she would be the best candidate for his replacement and
that he planned to suggest her name to his boss. Sally, feeling flat-
tered, thought that made sense and assumed she would automatically
fill Ted’s shoes when he left. She had preliminary discussions with
Ted’s manager, but several weeks later learned that the company was
hiring an outsider for the job.
Sally felt betrayed. After all, she had all the functional history,
knew how to get things done, knew the people, and was the elected
go-to person for everything in her department. Even her former boss
thought she was the best person for the job. What else were they
looking for?
The problem? While Sally had Ted’s praise and appreciation and
her teammates loved her, she had become insular. People outside her