The Glass Ceiling:
What You Don’t Know, Won’t Hurt You
by Debra Pestrak
For decades, women have blamed the glass ceiling—that invisible
barrier believed to keep competent, qualified women from rising to
power positions in corporate America—for stalling their careers.
But what if the concept of the glass ceiling were just that: a concept?
In business, men have traditionally made up the rules of the game.
How well do you play by those rules? At times, women find it easier
to blame something or someone else for the reason why they are not
rising within an organization rather than to look at themselves to
determine if they are acting or doing something that is holding them
back. Also, there are prejudiced people out there who unintentionally
hold others back, whether that prejudice is about someone’s
color, age, religion, or sex. If you go around complaining that things
are not fair, you will merely isolate yourself and put up a barrier.
Shattering the Concept of the Glass Ceiling
More and more professional women are taking the position that what
you don’t know won’t hurt you when it comes to
the glass ceiling, as evidenced in the new book Playing with the
Big Boys: Success Secrets of the Most Powerful Women in Business.
In fact, the majority of top female Fortune 500® executives profiled
in the book don’t find merit in the idea of a glass ceiling.
“I’ve never been a proponent of or a believer in the
‘glass ceiling,’” said Anne Sweeney, President of
Disney/ABC Cable Networks, one of the women interviewed for Playing
with the Big Boys. Sweeney believes the idea of the glass ceiling
has “held more women back than helped them.”
Instead, the Most Powerful Women (MPW) believe that the way to get
to the top is by focusing on what you can do and have control over.
They’re living proof that the strategy works.
Overcoming Challenges
Saying there’s no glass ceiling does not mean that women in
corporate America don’t face challenges. When it comes to getting
ahead, they face challenges just as men do. Ultimately, it’s
how you deal with challenges that make the difference in your career.
For example, Ursula Burns, senior corporate vice president and vice
president worldwide for manufacturing operations at Xerox Corp., encountered
resistance “more because of my age, interestingly, than anything
else,” she explains. Most times, Burns dealt with the resistance
directly. “More often than not, I would be very clear that this
is the fact of the relationship—for now, you work in this organization
and I lead this organization. We have to figure out a way to work
together.”
Karen Garrison, president of Pitney Bowes Management Services talks
about “glass walls" rather than glass ceiling. As she believes,
“It’s usually harder to get through the glass walls.”
The glass walls are your peer’s perception of you and what bias
they may carry.
Realizing your Ambitions
These powerful women interviewed began their careers in entry-level
positions—just like you. Through hard work, determination, a
winning attitude and a knack for playing the game, they made it to
the top.
So, how can you realize your ambitions? Here are a few tips to keep
in mind as you climb your way to the top.
- Understand the environment in which you work.
Adaptation and flexibility are facts of life. Think about it: Wherever
you go in life you adapt to the situations around you—that
is part of what allows you to be comfortable. Thus, in your work
environment, you must be aware of what behaviors, attitudes and
attire are acceptable. If you go outside the norm, chances are you
are going to have a harder time being recognized as a team player
and a professional who is serious about furthering your career.
- Maintain focus on your priorities.
Work on the most important business priorities. It is too easy to
get caught up in the everyday emergencies and other people’s
requests. Also, realize that you can’t do it all. Learn to
delegate and trust that your people will do their job. This was
one of the most difficult tasks for each of the women interviewed.
- Understand your skills and the requirements of the job.
You may be phenomenal at some specific skill, but that talent
will do you no good if it’s not a key element to the job you’re
performing. As Jean Hamilton, CEO of Prudential Institutional and
executive vice president of Prudential Insurance Co. of America,
notes: “It’s not just a matter of working harder, spending
more hours in the office or doing more reports. It is about finding
a match so that you can really achieve.”
- Be more than good at whatever job you accept—be exceptional.
Consistently excelling at whatever challenge you are given will
help you get noticed and stand out from the crowd. It will also
make you a valuable asset to the organization’s success.
- Learn to be effective with people.
Chairman and CEO of Exodus Communications® Ellen Hancock
states in Playing with the Big Boys, “Your employees
get you promoted; your peers allow you to be promoted.” Chances
are if your people skills aren’t up to par, you won’t
go far in any organization, no matter how talented you truly are.
There is no doubt that corporate America could do more to promote
women. But women also can do more to get themselves promoted. It’s
worth saying again: In order to achieve true success, you must focus
on those things within your control and play the game effectively.
It’s advice as true for a man in the corporate world as for
a woman.
And finally, if you find yourself stranded in a go-nowhere position
despite exceptional performance and a proven track record, get out!
That’s exactly what Shelley Broader, vice president perishables
merchandising for Hannaford Brothers, and Liz Fetter, president and
CEO of QRS Corporation, did. Early in their careers they both encountered
cultures that said, “You won’t go anywhere with this company
because you’re a woman.” Both left and found their places
in organizations that value their talents, dedication and skills.
The moral of the story: Find an organization with leaders who will
appreciate and reward your talents as well as allow you to grow and
be all you want to be. If you are the right leader, whether you’re
male or female is not going to matter; it’s going to be that
you deliver results, the right way.
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Success Tip
Expect success and it is yours.
When you feel in your innermost being that
you will achieve success,
it opens the way to attain it.
The dreams you choose to believe in will
come to be.
Available Now!
Playing with the Big Boys: Success Secrets of
the Most Powerful Women in Business may be ordered from
the Products
page or by calling toll free (888) SUN-3777 or 760 434-3343. Also,
the full candid audio and videos interviews with the MPW are available.
Debra has also developed a two-day program focused on what it takes
to be successful in your career. Contact her at 888 SUN -3777 for
more information on this dynamic program .
About
the Author
Debra Pestrak is a peak performance
expert, an award-winning motivational speaker, and author of Playing
with the Big Boys: Success Secrets of the Most Powerful Women in Business
and Playing with the Big Boys & Girls in Real Estate.
Debra is founder and CEO of Success Unleashed, Inc.®, a company
dedicated to developing powerful programs that impact the way people
think and work. Pestrak was a player in corporate America for 26 years,
working her way up the ranks from a telephone operator to managing
a $20 million budget. She also has instituted and led sales organizations,
and is the past president of the National Speakers Association –
San Diego. To discover more performance advice, contact the author
at 888 SUN-3777.
Republishing
If you
would like to republish any of these articles or success items on
your Web site, you may do so as long as you give credit to Debra
Pestrak and Success Unleashed, Inc.® and email notify Debra
of your intent.
Your
Web site should credit Debra Pestrak as the author, and give the
Success Unleashed, Inc.® telephone number (888-786-3777) and
provide a live link back to www.MostPowerfulWomen.com.
If you wish to reprint
any articles in hard copy in your personal or corporate newsletters
or magazines, etc., please send Debra Pestrak a copy of your publication
for review PRIOR to publication and include a copyright statement
such as: “Copyright Success Unleashed, Inc.® All
rights reserved. This article reproduced with prior permission of
Debra Pestrak or Success Unleashed, Inc®.”
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