How to Avoid Hitting the Glass Ceiling

At the start of our career the vast majority of our focus is on going the skills and increasing our knowledge.  For example, we take trainings to learn how to use Microsoft Excel or take business qualifications.  The skills and knowledge are essential foundations in your career.  Yet in truth, what determines whether you keep climbing the career ladder or hit a glass ceiling (a point where you cannot move any further) is not your technical ability but your personal competencies or softer skills.

Success in your career depends on a range of factors including:

Self Awareness

The starting point is to know your self.  Those that have successful careers have high degrees of self awareness.  They know where there strengths are and they also know their limitations.  They are aware of their behaviours and their impact on others.

Self Confidence

You need to believe in yourself and have a strong sense of self worth.  It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that those that have self confidence are arrogant, big headed and have no fear.  Self confidence is about believing in yourself and recognising the contribution that you can make.

Self Control

We all get rattled from time to time.  We are human.  Those with strong personal competency learn how to manage those emotions and keep them in check.  This is not to say they get it right all of the time but that they think before they act.

Integrity

Standards of behaviour in the business world have never been under as much scrutiny as they are now.  High profile cases like Enron and the recent incident at a major French bank demonstrate just how damaging inappropriate behaviour.  Having integrity is essential if you are to gain a reputation as someone who can be trusted.

Conscientiousness

Most people work hard.  Employers expect nothing less these days.  Conscientiousness is more than working hard it is about taking responsibility for your own personal performance.

Adaptability

Change in business and in life is inevitable and if you want to achieve success, you need to be adaptable and flexible to change when it arises.  In many ways you need to be the person who asks how can we make it happen rather than focussing on the fairness or otherwise of the situation.

Achievement driven

A drive for achievement is about being on the look out for better ways of doing things that bring real benefits.  It is not just about getting through a big list of tasks.

Initiative

Some of us wait for things to happen while others act on opportunities.  Look for ways of taking initiative and demonstrating results if you want to get ahead in your career.

While skills and knowledge are essential foundations in your career, these alone will not be what determines whether you hit a glass ceiling or continue to prosper.  So start looking for ways to develop your personal competencies so that you can make the choice on how far you progress in your career.