It's Not a Glass Ceiling, It's a Sticky Floor: Free Yourself From the Hidden Behaviors Sabotaging Your Career Success

by Rebecca Shambaugh

Turn the top 7 career breakers for women into career makers Statistically, more than one-third of Fortune 500 managers are women-and yet we represent barely five percent of the top earners among executives. Usually, we blame it on men-those “old boy” networks that don't typically welcome women into “the club.” But, according to leadership coach Rebecca Shambaugh, the real obstacle to women's advancement is not a “glass ceiling.” It's the self-imposed career blocks that prevent us from moving up. These are the 7 “sticky floors”: 1. Balancing Your Work and Life 2. Embracing “Good Enough” in Your Work 3. Making the Break 4. Making Your Words Count 5. Forming Your Own Board of Directors 6. Capitalizing on Your Political Savvy 7. Asking for What You Want Admit it: You've probably been “stuck” in at least one or more of these situations. Maybe you're a perfectionist who has trouble letting go of a task. Maybe you're so loyal to your company that you haven't explored other career options. Maybe you're afraid of speaking up in meetings. Or maybe you're so accommodating to others' needs that you never take care of your own. This book will show you how to get unstuck from these common traps. You'll discover how other successful women have managed to break out of middle management jobs to grab the top leadership positions. You'll hear hard-won advice from working mothers who also happen to be CEOs, including proven tricks of the trade when it comes to juggling career and family. You'll learn how to conquer your insecurities, transform your thinking, tailor your behavior, and demand the kind of professional recognition you deserve. There's even a section of fill-in charts and checklists at the end of the book to help you stay on track, in control, and on the rise. Once you've freed yourself from life's sticky floors, there's nowhere to go but up.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Business

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2007

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps provides some useful insights to women sorely lacking in self-esteem, but the overall message is that women hit the glass ceiling due to their own faults. Anyone who has spent time in the corporate world knows this is a ridiculous and harmful premise.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the most wonderful business book/career book I've ever read. Most of it was intuitive stuff that I already knew/figured out. It was ok but I'd have a hard time recommending it.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humble brag I have an autographed copy of this book. I am using it to set up mentor sessions with my intern as it is an absolutely fantastic resource for women mostly male workspaces having met the author I can attest that she is very in tune with what is going on in the workplace and the things that we face in a technical environment, where there are very few women. You will feel empowered and rejuvenated after reading this book. I’m definitely going to keep it handy for those days when I need to give myself a peptalk. Which will probably be Mondays around 8 AM because I’m always questioning my life choices first thing Monday mornings.😂

[NCHS Library]

From Follett: A comprehensive guide to help women break out of middle management jobs and strive for top leadership positions, with advice on maintaining both a career and a family. With her seven-step program, Shambaugh shows how to fight the instincts of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and other traps that keep women from being efficient managers, successful delegators, and executive candidates.

[KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth a skim. Some chapters are more applicable to me than others. For example, I have no issues with perfectionism. Failing at everything in Switzerland cured me of that. (And everything wound up great in the end!) But the book has some interesting stats about how women's professional networks differ from men's and how that can be a barrier to career growth.

[Paris Scobie (Prynkiewicz) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to better understand your weaknesses and strengths in a professional setting. You will learn how to prioritize your time, set boundaries and overcome imposter syndrome to better handle it when it resurfaces.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Some good food for thought, but it didn’t dig deep enough into practical solutions.

[Kathleen Wisemandle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great applicable book for women leaders at all levels.

[Charity Diesselhorst · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up skimming a lot of the concepts in the end to finish up for our work book club discussion.

[Kyrsten Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this had been the first women leadership book I’d read, I’d probably like it more. However, I am quite smitten with Sheryl Sandberg and her book, Lean In, which I identified with far more than Sticky Floor. Shambaugh spends a few chapters discussing women’s issues that I feel are slightly outdated, or perhaps not relevant to people like myself. For example, there was a chapter on breaking away from perfectionism and a chapter on learning how to be assertive, neither of which I felt I needed assistance in. Quite honestly, I bring down, what I call, the Hammer of Thor frequently when I need things to be done by a certain deadline. The book did have some good tips however, and bonus points for an abundance of interactive activities. If you’re just starting to get into career-mode, I would recommend picking this guy up.

[LP · Rating 2 out of 5]

The provocative title is perhaps worth more than the contents. Diluted by too much chatter on commonsense points and, occasionally, citations of dubious research, this is for completists only. By far the best book in this genre is still Frankel's Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office.

Shambaugh and other extroverts writing advice books on this subject would do well to avoid giving the impression that all career success hinges on overcoming introversion, as if it's some form of pathology or self-sabotage. Not only are there many paths to success, but the best leadership teams consist of a balance of both personality types.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My company brought in the author of this book as a motivational speaker. When I went to her seminar I thought to myself, "Ok, I'll listen to her talk, but I WON'T buy the book." Well, I bought the book. It all common sense concepts, but it helps you reassess where you are in your career and where you want to go (if anywhere). I highly recommend it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and catchy approach to the genre of female professional development.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this author gives an insightful look at the corporate world and for persons that have not experienced the politics of this arena, it is very informative.

[Kara]

more like a "how-to" book than a book about working moms. somewhere along the lines of "seven habits"

[Colleen Ripple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave me some insight into myself and fit right in with the topics that I have been discussing with my manager.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book! Practical application, plus assessments and examples of particular behaviors. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy for myself; as it's a good book to review throughout the year.