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

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 book is written (as the title implies) primarily for women but most (if not all) the messages apply equally as well to men. 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. In this book the emphasis is very much on understanding what it takes to move into a leadership role. 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 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.

This book has helped me recognize several factors holding me back in my job position. It is an easy read, with heplful useful information that is practical. I feel I have been able to excel and optimize my skills at my job position by implementing the recommendations outlined in the book. If you are at all doubting your abilities as a manager, and you are a women, this book is a must.

This book, although marketed to women, has many things that men can also use as they climb the organizational ladder. Becky Shambaugh stresses the importance of first knowing yourself and then deciding what it is that you want. She peppers the book with many effective personal and professional anecdotes and stories to punctuate her points. This is more than a book. It is a manual for turning your professional life around. The "Sticky Floor" metaphor is a powerful reframe that changes the context of what it is that prevents us from moving up. Barriers are not imposed by anyone except us. Shambaugh does a masterful job of guiding us to put on a new pair of Teflon shoes - non-stick shoes that only we can create for ourselves.

For a change, practical insight with action steps to take to "un-stick" oneself. It's about time we take a hard look at what holds us back (usually ourselves). Shambaugh's style makes this a read a breeze. Shambaugh takes time to provide excellent examples from real life. If you don't read any other business book this year (or next)...You should read this one. Rare to find a book centered on leadership development that focuses on action women can take to make a big difference; not just restating the obvious.

It's Not a Glass Ceiling, It's a Sticky Floor: Free Yourself From the Hidden Behaviors Sabotaging Your Career Success Awesome toolbox, particularly for women who find themselves trying to figure out how to break into the "C-suite" and truly be corporate leaders. Easy to read and very accessible for many future references. Successful leaders will find a dog-eared version of "Sticky Floor" in their continuous reading pile!