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I honestly did not read this book cover to cover. It just couldn't capture 100% of my attention. However, there were some really great points that have definitely stuck in my head. If you have the patience, this is a really great read for women stuck on the lower-end of the totem pole.
In this book the emphasis is very much on understanding what it takes to move into a leadership role. The book is written (as the title implies) primarily for women but most (if not all) the messages apply equally as well to men. It's not a glass ceiling; it's a sticky floor is a fantastic book for anyone interested in career development, especially where they aspire to a senior executive position. The author highlights seven topics which need to be mastered in order to win a leadership position and in her view it is these areas that hold you back when you don't address them correctly - the 'sticky floors' of the title. The central premise is that career development starts by really knowing what you want and what your strengths , weaknesses, values, desires and motivations are. Once you know what success looks like for you and what sort of person you are you can then start to act to develop your career. The areas are: managing you time to achieve some kind of work/life balance; having a career plan and willingly moving jobs to implement it; looking at the big picture; having a diverse network of contacts; understanding company politics; communicating clearly and with impact; negotiating for what you want. There are numerous exercises as you go through the book so there is lots of practical help on 'how to' address the seven topics and there are also plenty of real life examples contained within the pages including many from the authors personal experiences of life in corporate America and building her own business.
I got to hear Ms. Shambaugh speak recently at a Society of Women Engineers convention I attended. She waswonderful and I look forward to reading her book. Her advice was wonderful for all working women not just executives.
While giving some realistic suggestions to solving most of the "sticky floor"issues, the book is at its best identifying the traps and understanding them. In my opinion, while written from the perspective of women, this book is a must read for anyone tapping on the glass, stuck at a certain level, or those who are mentoring and helping others succeed in an organization.
It has helped me better understand both the behaviors that are keeping me at a certain level of an organization as well as those around me. I read this book because it was recommended by a management coach.
However, I work with professional and semi-professional (more staff or operational function, not executive leadership) women, manage some, report to others, and am married to one who has succeeded for over 20 years in a typically male dominated world. While written from the perspective of women, it also tackles the very difficult topics that many older professionals run into when no longer able to outwork the younger talent, as we are too busy balancing the stress of being responsible for running a company's business with the increased and different stress of running a family's activities.
So, I am not a woman. Not only will this book help you better understand some typical strengths and weaknesses of women, it also will help you identify some typical pitfalls and traps that all people can and do fall into.
Thus, obviously, again, written by and for women, as a male author would probably have included more ten step "solutions" and prescriptions - a male trait.
This is a "must read" for all women who are working towards a career in business. There are also many concepts and explanations about behaviors and traits that could benefit anyone.
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