According to Dictionary.com, the meaning of “Glass Ceiling” is as follows:
“An upper limit to professional advancement that is imposed upon women, minorities, and other nondominant groups and is not readily perceived or openly acknowledged”.
According to Wikipedia, the definition provided is as follows:
A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that keeps a given demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy
Interesting insight as to how words like; “imposed upon”; “not readily perceived by”; invisible barrier” all suggest an outside force setting this glass ceiling.
Huge strides have been made toward changing the above belief of equality in the workplace yet, even today, many women in South Africa and abroad find themselves blocked from moving ahead in their careers.
For me personally, I belief that the problem is much more than just the “demographics” and “minorities” and perceptions of the outside forces against women advancement. I believe that the problem lies within our own personal mindsets and stuck states. Therefore, before considering how to move beyond the “Glass ceiling, we need to first look at what Is keeping us “stuck to the Floor” another syndrome we don’t fully understand or acknowledge; is the “sticky floor syndrome”
So, let’s tackle this Stuck state first:
Stuck State is an unresourceful state that you feel like you can’t get out of something. As gender balance in workplaces is beginning to gain momentum, I agree that we must work with organisations to remove barriers for women’s advancement.
However, we must equally work within ourselves as women leaders to become aware of and remove the glass ceilings and Sticky Floors syndromes IN OUR OWN HEADS FIRST. These habits and mindsets lead to self-sabotage, and make it exhausting for so many of us women to move our careers forward. Each Women have their own Beliefs and Self-Sabotages which either determines their limits (Glass Celling) or Stuck states (Sticky floor) Syndromes.
What are your Stuck States or Sticky Floors? Is It?
I am not good enough? OR
I am too young and don’t have the experience? OR
I am not confident enough? Or
The men will always be better at negotiation?
The link of Stuck States to our Emotional Reactions
Our Beliefs or Stuck States are always associated with an emotional reaction. The most common consequences of beliefs can be assigned to feelings in the following categories which many of you will recognise:
- Hopelessness: – A belief that the desired outcome is unattainable, regardless of your existing capabilities and resources.
- Helplessness – A belief that the desired goal is basically achievable, but not for you (for example, others can, but it will not work for me).
Worthlessness: A belief that you did not deserve the desired goal because you did or did not do something, or because, in a certain way, “you simply are”. e.g., It is not my place to have an easy life. - Meaninglessness: – A belief that the desired results for you, as for other people, have no meaning
- Senselessness: – A belief that life is meaningless, and the achievement of a desired outcome is not at all desired.
Overcoming our beliefs is the first Stage to progressing beyond the Glass Ceiling within ourselves
As a Life and Business Executive Coach there are few steps, I use to guide my clients to overcoming these Beliefs and breaking through the Glass Ceiling. These however will also include some proven techniques on a one-on-one or group basis.
Step 1
Whatever your stuck state is, identify what your Negative beliefs are that are keeping you stuck to that floor.
Step 2
Investigate the possibilities of how you able to reframe the Negative belief to a Positive belief, one that will serve you better. See some examples below:
Examples of the areas preventing us from breaking those Glass Ceilings | Negative Belief | Reframe to a Positive Belief |
Money | I need allot of Money to be happy | I attract money effortlessly |
Rich people all achieve their riches through lies and Deceit | A too am rich and Successful | |
Without much money, I am worth nothing | I love money and feel good about having a lot of money | |
Self-Esteem | I’m a failure and I’m not good for anything | I accept myself as I am |
I just can’t do that, I will fail | As I am, I am valuable, complete, happy and my opinion is valued | |
Love | I do not deserve love and affection | I am worth being loved |
Health | My illness is incurable, I can’t be helped anymore | Being healthy is the normal state of my body |
Limitations | My limitation prevents me from achieving my goals | I love and accept myself the way I am |
Other | I am too young. | Boris Becker won Wimbledon for the first time at the age of 17 |
I am too old. | Hulda Crooks at the age of 70 discovered mountaineering as a new hobby. At 90, she was the oldest woman who had ever climbed Mt. Fujiyama. | |
I don’t have enough education | About 80% of the most successful entrepreneurs had neither a high school diploma nor completed a degree | |
I don’t have enough money | Andrew Carnegie started in a coiler factory with 8-dollar weekly wage. In the last 18 years of his life he donated more than half a billion dollars | |
I don’t have the ability… | Robert W. Woodruff who led the Coca Cola Company in 1985, could not even read properly because of dyslexia. Even when he was a big businessman, he had to pronounce each word individually. |
Step 3 – Ask yourself the Following Questions to loosen your world of your beliefs:
- Which assumption optimally supports me in achieving my plans and goals?
- How must I perceive the world so that I can get what I want?
- What beliefs does the person that you want to become have?
- What experiences or reference experiences are needed to realize your dream and become the person you want to be?
- Use the experiences of other people (mentors) and study the biographies of successful people. Who could be your mentors?
- Which biography do you want to start with?
- Which environment would best support you in achieving your goals?
- Which self-suggestions fit the new you?
Finally Step 4 – Consult with a coach to unravel and loosen your beliefs and seamlessly progress beyond the Glass Ceiling
As an NLP Practitioner, Life Coach, Timeline Therapist, Hypnotherapist, Business Executive Coach and Trainer, I would use the following techniques to guide my clients in unravelling their Sticky floors allowing them more room to progress pass the Glass Ceiling:
- Generating a New Belief
- Installing a belief on the timeline through Timeline Therapy
- Changing historical imprints (re-imprinting)
- Installing belief systems through sub-modalities
- Dickens Pattern – The no Fear Zone
Determining how your limiting beliefs and sticky floor holds you back from achieving and rising Beyond the Glass Ceiling, Training Excellence can assist you in solving these critical factors contact Hawa Charfaray, CEO: Training Excellence South Africa and CEO Orbrix in (UAE) hawa@trainexcellence.co.za or hawa@orbrix.net
Contact No: +27 11 568 5057/ +27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
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More about Hawa Charfaray:
Hawa Charfaray is the CEO & Founder of Training Excellence Africa & The Middle East and CEO Orbrix Dubai. She is a renowned International Corporate Trainer, Motivational Global Speaker and Business Executive Coach.
Hawa has invested in changing lives through her many years of experience as a corporate wellness practitioner, an NLP practitioner, Life Coach, Language and Behavior (LAB) Profile Practitioner, Inventory, Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM) practitioner, Ecometric practitioner, Hypnotherapy Practitioner and Timeline Practitioner. She is both honored and inspired to be nominated by the recognized bodies In her profile. She says “We cannot become ourselves by ourselves. We need to go out of our way to support each other. We need to be mirrored, emulated and celebrated, as who you are truly does make a difference – Become Consciously Purposeful in Your Life as a leader!”
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