I have many clients, who have reached Director/VP-level positions in relatively short order, but now they see themselves up against the proverbial glass ceiling. Although each client has a unique set of parameters that they are dealing with to overcome this mythical barrier, I have come to realize some common elements that become showstoppers, when being considered for their next level of promotion—into the inner circle. This article presents these commonly encountered barriers, collectively labeled as the Glass Ceiling, and provides some experiential guidance on how to deal with them:
- Breadth Vs. Depth: Most professionals focus on their own area of expertise to be recognized as the authority in their specific area of activity. This is a good strategy to get promoted up to a point, but then what matters more than just expertise in one area is the person’s ability to have a broad perspective to formulate more impactful solutions and to have an appreciation for different facets of their company’s business. This comes often from taking a detour, learning new skills, and showing that in a completely uncharted area you can also be an effective leader. If you want to pursue senior executive roles in your company and if you are not tapped for such roles to expand your perspective, find avenues to get yourself that experience. For example, if you are in Product Management, get some experience in Customer Support. If you are in Product Development get some experience in Field Ops.
- Telling Vs. Asking: When you are operating at a director-level role, you are expected to provide expert answers to the problems that face your functional area. This is how you move your agenda forward and help your group stay in the forefront of your company’s business activity. The problem that this style of leadership creates is that your people are looking at you for answers and are not contributing to the company’s growth through their own independent thought leadership. One important change that is worth learning at this stage of your leadership evolution is to shift from giving answers to asking the right questions.
Of all the behavioral changes one must make in transitioning into senior executive roles, this single change is pivotal and the most difficult.The reason for this difficulty in behavior change is that your knowing the right answer to any challenge facing a group or a team is what made you unique in your current role; in fact, this what got you there! So, to shift from giving the needed answers so that the team in trouble can move forward with the right solution, to guiding that same team to find its own answers takes a conscious effort. Many people instinctively feel that by enabling others navigate through their own problems and helping them reach a good solution is wasteful, especially when you have a ready answer. Avoiding this temptation and guiding others to achieve the desired outcomes through good mentorship is the right path to your own leadership growth, and to those around you. Great leaders want people around them to discover the power that lies within each one to make a difference, and not want to have a monopoly on answers to every problem within their own area.
- Respect Vs. Affection: Many operate under the myth that leaders ought to be cool, detached, and analytical. They also believe in “macho” leadership, where you have to be tough—even brutal—to achieve objectives. Love, affection, friendship, thoughtfulness have no place in running a business is also part of that legend. Another refrain you hear from leaders is, I don’t care if people like me, I just want them to respect me! Contrary to these deeply ingrained notions about the relationship a leader holds in the eyes of others, who work with them, the real leader genuinely cares about those who work with them. In a study done over a decade ago the single factor that differentiated the top leaders from the bottom was expressed affection, contrary to the myth of the cold-hearted boss that does not care about their people’s feelings. The highest performing managers consistently showed warmth and fondness towards others around them.
- Management Vs. Business: When you get promoted from being an individual contributor to a manager, there is a step-wise change in your responsibilities. You must shift from knowing how to manage your own time, to managing those who now report to you. You must learn how to get others to do the work that you did yourself, but without redoing what others are doing! As a head of a functional area (Director or VP) your focus is on optimizing resources through application of good management and leadership practices.When you are looking for a senior executive role you must make a similar transition from focusing on management (people, technology, resources) to focusing on learning about the business (markets, competition, globalization). This, again, is a scope and perspective change that you must do seamlessly and show that you can, when promoted.
- Credit–Giving Vs. Taking: This is yet another key factor in one’s ability to break through the glass ceiling. Upwardly mobile leaders feel secure enough to openly credit others for their achievements and communicate the roles others played in their success. This attitude creates its own energy and spirit of cooperation (not competition), and helps their company with new levels of achievements.
- Failure–Admitting Vs. Concealing: When one is on the move, they are likely to encounter defeats and even an occasional failure. Truly inspired leaders quickly acknowledge their failure without blaming others, and publicly admit to their shortcomings. They also openly discuss their lessons from these failures for others to learn.
This list is by no means complete. But with the experience I’ve had with hundreds of senior-level clients who wanted to get to the next level dealing with these barriers and overcoming them helped them more than even they realized. Many factors go into being invited into the inner sanctum of a company’s management. Although the list of items mentioned here is not sufficient to overcome the glass-ceiling challenge, it is a good start!
Good luck!