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Making the Break 81

immediate department, including Ted’s boss, had a limited view of
who she was and what her capabilities were. Because she assumed
Ted would always look out for her, she hadn’t networked and she
hadn’t sought opportunities that would make her visible to and val-
ued by the other leaders in the organization—others who make the
decisions about promotions.
For women who have a strong instinct to settle down and get
rooted in a job, it usually comes from being socialized as a young girl
to be loyal, nurturing, and supportive to others. When they find the
opportunity to express these tendencies at work, it immediately
appeals. They feel intrinsically rewarded and motivated to stay doing
whatever it is they are doing.
In addition, it’s probably what you saw your parents do. Up
through the early 1980s, employees expected to stay with a single
company for most of their careers. But times have changed dramat-
ically. And while we still see some long-term employees in the mid-
dle ranks, it’s not a trait you often see in executives.
The continuing trends of mergers, acquisitions, and reorganiza-
tions with their accompanying reshuffling of executive teams has put
a new light on the realities of career advancement. In addition, in a
global marketplace where all kinds of diversity are seen as bringing
potential value, the more different companies and people you’ve been
exposed to, and the more you’ve worked in different parts of the
country or even different parts of the world, the more likely you are
to be understanding, making use of and appealing to different points
of view.

The Myths About Staying in One Place Too Long

Table 5-1 shows some outdated career myths and some of the new
realities that are important to understand: