Just What is the Glass Ceiling, and is it Really Stopping You?

Woman vs. Man.

Seriously? No way.

It’s not Woman vs. Man. Oddly, the question of a glass ceiling is posed to me quite often, because I’m a woman in a male-dominated industry – the trades. I’m often asked if being a woman is the glass ceiling and how to climb the corporate ladder with men. As I write this, I smile because the glass ceiling is so silly.

The glass ceiling metaphor — an invisible barrier. Often this metaphor is used to describe scenarios involving women. It’s only about woman vs. man until you make it about something else.

I brought in the mail the other day, and the stack just felt heavier. I spread the mail out on the kitchen table, and boom. There it was, glaring at me, mocking me. Jury summons. I know. It’s my civic duty. I reminded myself to be grateful as I marked my calendar.

The year was 1972, and a woman living in certain states still couldn’t serve on a jury until the next year. Today, we find it unfathomable that there once was a time when women were unable to perform this civic duty – the civic duty was only for men. Today, we enjoy equal rights. Perhaps there was a glass ceiling, and clearly that glass ceiling was broken as parades of women marched through into freedom.

The glass ceiling is a self-fulfilling prophecy

A self–fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.

The self-fulfilling prophecy is the fear in one’s mind, the fear of that ubiquitous glass ceiling.

Three practical ways to live without a glass ceiling

The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg. If you are waiting for your big break, wait with patience and purpose by keeping preparation in mind.

1. Be prepared.
   • A runner never waits until race day to train. They train months in advance.
2. Focus less on success, and more on being purposeful.
   • Do you turn wrenches or build great businesses? Perspective.
3. Make your relationships bigger.
   • Did you know the average household today is losing 70 minutes per day of human interaction because of technology devices? If we are losing over an hour a day of human interaction in our homes, how much more are we losing DURING our prime working hours of the day? The hours when we’re supposed to be networking, relationship-building, and accomplishing the tasks we’re paid to do – our jobs?
   • Are your relationships big enough to get the job done? How are you keeping score with your relationships – how well are you doing with your customers, employees and partnerships?

Following these three practical steps will ensure you’re always moving forward. And how can a glass ceiling stop you if you’re always in a forward motion?

The Unicorn Creates Utopia 

Unicorns are the best and weird all at the same time. The horn on their head is called an alicorn – the myth was that an alicorn could neutralize poison. And isn’t the glass ceiling like a poison in our minds?

Is it me, or has anyone else noticed that the theme for toys and kid designs this year is unicorns? I’ve been thinking of them daily – odd, I know – who thinks about unicorns!? Well, I’ve been thinking about unicorns because they symbolize utopia, and utopia is that dream of a future where we are all thriving in unity, strength and excellence, without a glass ceiling.

The glass ceiling is beyond utopia; it’s your future reality. With the network of relationships, knowledge and education available, the only excuse that is consistent is limiting belief, and it’s a self-inflicted poison. 

In typical fashion, I read a book last week called “How I Got Millionaire Mentality.” Lo and behold, this simple and short read answered the age-old question that I know has held thousands of entrepreneurs back in their lives, and I’m still awe-struck by the simplicity of the answer. The question was this, “Why go after your dreams, because what happens if you fail?” The answer was this: it’s better to have 5% of something than 100% of nothing.

Written by Danielle Putnam.

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