The glass ceiling

Middle managers harbour visions of occupying the seat in the proverbial corner office – but many a dreams are shattered by the dreaded glass ceiling (yes, the dreams get shattered, not the glass ceiling).

The glass ceiling is usually associated with gender and demographic discrimination, and the limited number of women (or minorities) at the top. But it is not just about gender or race or colour of one’s skin.

There are several reasons for this, including being situated in the wrong location (or in other words, not being in the home country or one of the strategic locations), the inability to converse in company-critical language(s), or simply, not being earmarked to be the head honcho of the team or company.

Can the glass ceiling be shattered? Nothing beats perseverance. If you want something bad enough, you should try. If you don’t, you only have yourself to blame. For example, engineer a move to a strategic location if that could help your cause. However, you must know what routes are possible – and what should simply be forgotten. If the role requires knowledge of a certain language, or a specialized degree, or technical information, and you don’t have it – then no amount of moving will land you the role.

What if it can’t be shattered? This is a reality that many middle managers must come to terms with. Firstly, they should not be afraid to ask this question – especially if the notion starts to creep up on them. If they’re sensing this, then it’s probably true that such a ceiling looms overhead. It’s probably best to have an open conversation with your manager about where you stand in the team, and if there’s an opportunity to progress. Good to get this out of the way, and plan for next steps.

Assuming the glass ceiling is in place and intact, what’s next? There are several tactics middle managers can adopt to stand out in the company and carve out a name for themselves.

1) Get people to take notice by making your role more visible.

Do a google search and you’ll be surprised at the amount of literature existing on this topic. Share your activities and results, and point at what it’s doing for the business. Use your communications channels wisely. Show gratitude to the people or teams who have contributed to the activity. Help yourself to the podium and the mic, but make sure you give credit where it’s due, and don’t make enemies by stepping on people along the way. This MindTools post gives you 10 ways to improve your visibility (without bragging or stepping on other people’s toes).

2) Find your niche – and own it!

There’s probably one thing (or more) that you do or know better than most. That’s your niche. Launch internal education or training programs to stamp your mark on it. There’s a chance the dreaded Imposter Syndrome is going to rear its ugly head, but it’s up to you to suppress it, and have confidence (and pride) in your expertise and knowledge.

3) Find a role in another team that gives you the opportunity to grow and climb

If you work in a large organisation with several departments, look around and see if opportunities abound elsewhere. If you’re in Marketing, you could try expanding your knowledge by moving to the Communications department (or vice versa). Or if you’re in sales, you could try your hand at product management or product marketing.

4) Find a role in another company

This, obviously, is the last resort, but if there aren’t any avenues for progression, then it’s probably better to look at opportunities in the market rather than being cocooned in a role that’s not going to allow you to spread your wings. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, especially if you’ve given your current employer your blood and sweat, and you’ve got share options and other perks (with accompanying letters of how much the company values you). However, you’ve got to look out for No. 1 – and that is you. If there’s an opportunity for a jump with a different organisation, then grab it with both hands while being grateful for everything you’ve learnt and done at your current workplace.

Glass ceilings don’t have to be the death knells of your trajectory. Sometimes, they can be a blessing in disguise and give you the opportunity to think different – especially if your long term career goals lie elsewhere. If and when presented with this ‘opportunity’, take some time to think about how to grab it with both hands.