Are you sure the glass ceiling isn’t you?

A long time ago in a hemisphere far far away, Corporate Anthropologist Michael Henderson told me that culture can be defined as the lowest level of behaviour the CEO is perceived to tolerate. Aligned with this, parents know that children don’t do as you say, they do as you do. Taken together:

A) leaders should lead by example and call out poor behaviour when they see it, and

B) when (not if) they themselves fall below the line, they should expect to be called out just like anyone else.

You instinctively know this is how it should be of course, but how often do you see it? And just to put you on the spot for a moment, how often do you see it in yourself?

The term ‘glass ceiling’ was coined to indicate an invisible career path limiter that is based on people’s characteristics rather than their ability. But actually there’s a glass ceiling to every aspect of culture.

It isn’t just about the strategy you’ve signed up to deliver, it’s about the values you’ve signed up to live by to get you all there – such as putting the team before self, going the extra mile, and mucking in.And every time you don’t live up to them, don’t expect anyone else to either. And like trust, which takes years to build but only moments to destroy, poor behaviours only have to be demonstrated or tolerated enough times to be considered a trend to sideswipe good behaviour.

Glass ceilings don’t just exist for discriminated individuals with ambition, they exist at a team and organisational level. And in every aspect of their working lives. Make no mistake, glass ceilings are the creation of leaders. And just as discrimination maybe be overt or subconscious, so too is leadership behaviour that drags the organisation below the line.

If you think your team is going nowhere fast, the first thing to do is to check if the glass ceiling that’s limiting their progress isn’t you. It's not about your intentions, or your ability, or your track record of delivery – all of which are no doubt great (otherwise you wouldn’t be where you are). It’s about the behaviour you’re perceived to tolerate. You may not always see who you are, but it’s all too visible to those who observe you every day.

Rich Alderton focuses on raising adaptability intelligence and delivering executive coaching and mentoring, so if you're looking to ensure you're not the glass ceiling, call us on 07873 823 800, email us or complete our enquiry form.

And Rich's free e-book is available for download here.