Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1454847
As a little girl I remember watching Cinderella, awestruck at how stunning she looked in her ball gown, dancing the night away with the handsome prince. I gasped as suddenly it all changed when the clock struck midnight. She had to run as fast as she could and, in her haste, lost a precious glass slipper. Reflecting on this now, I think it's silly that she put all her hopes and dreams into finding her perfect prince; but…it didn't stop him from searching the kingdom for her, did it? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had a prince looking for us so he could fit that glass slipper on our foot? How amazing would it feel the moment that shoe fit perfectly on your foot? Would you leap for joy? Or would you stagger with all the responsibility that wearing that perfect shoe required? In a quest to further our careers, we often chase a dream of rising to the top. Perhaps you have moved up in your company and your colleagues now seek you out for future promotions – much like the prince looking for Cinderella. Or do you have More than Words from Women in BICSI "From Glass Slipper to Glass Ceiling" By Denise Pappas, Executive Director, Keltron Corporation higher aspirations? Perhaps you want to run your company as President, CEO, or become the Chairperson of the Board. A term typically used when women reach the pinnacle of the corporate world – President, CEO, Chairperson of the Board – is the shattering of the "glass ceiling." No longer are we yearning for that mythical glass slipper, but working to break the glass ceiling. According to a recent Fortune 500 article by Emma Hinchliffe, "The female CEOs on this year's Fortune 500 just broke three all-time records. The number of women running businesses on the Fortune 500 hit an all-time record: 41. For the first time two Black women are running Fortune 500 businesses (Roz Brewer of No. 16 Walgreens Boots Alliance and Thasunda Brown Duckett of No. 79 TIAA). And another executive is making history at the helm of the highest-ranking business ever run by a female CEO (Karen Lynch of No. 4 CVS Health)." While these records are encouraging, female executives only represent 8.1% of the Fortune 500 heads of companies. Yes, it's progress. Are you doing a mental shift from waiting for your glass slipper to shattering glass ceilings? Then you need to understand the four basic ground rules for being a woman in a man's world as outlined by Gail Evans in her book, Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman. COMMUNIT Y CORNER Page 29