Breakthrough , livre ebook

Praise for This Book
“This is not just a book for women. It s also for the men in our lives who care, value, and respect our contributions. Use this book as a conversation starter for those whose opinions you value and whose support you need. It s meant for dialogue. Conversations must happen between women at work, conversations with women friends in different fields, conversations with male coworkers, and conversations with friends. Finally, this book is meant to start a conversation with yourself. Don t push this book aside.”
-Dr. Beverly Kaye, BevK Co., coauthor, Love Em or Lose Em, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go, Up Is Not the Only Way
“For women, being well educated and competent is often not enough to achieve career success.
In her book Breakthrough , Saundra Stroope presents contemporary mythology versus reality, giving thoughtful insights into what gets us stuck. From our work in leadership and executive development, I m convinced that knowing what to expect of ourselves and others can increase career success and satisfaction. This book is an excellent development tool for working women and the people who sustain them.
It takes a lot longer to learn from experience than to tap into the wisdom Saundra Stroope condenses in her book. If you are embarking on a new career, getting promoted, changing careers, or staying put, reading this book will make life easier.”
-Bonnie Hagemann, CEO, Executive Development Associates

Breakthrough: Career Strategies for Women s Success
Copyright Business Expert Press, LLC, 2019.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 250 words, without the prior permission of the publisher.
First published in 2019 by
Business Expert Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.businessexpertpress.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-94897-628-2 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-94897-629-9 (e-book)
Business Expert Press Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior Collection
Collection ISSN: 1946-5637 (print)
Collection ISSN: 1946-5645 (electronic)
Cover design by Charlene Kronstedt Interior design by S4Carlisle Publishing Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India
First edition: 2019
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
Dedication
To all the women and men who continuously support the advancement of women in the workplace
Abstract
It is an important time to celebrate the advancement of women. The number of women entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders in corporate leadership roles is growing. However, there are still many challenges women face that are different from those of their male counterparts. Women sometimes have beliefs or career myths that may interfere with their personal career satisfaction and success.
The book is based on the input and advice gathered from of over 200 women across the globe. A survey of more than 180 women, interviews with over a dozen influential women in leadership and professional roles, and group meetings were conducted from January to March 2018. The women validated career myths that have an impact on their satisfaction at work and career success. The women also provided helpful tips, advice, and recommendations for helping women overcome challenges and achieve career success. This book explores the true barriers that women may encounter at work and offers you an opportunity to reflect on your strengths and development areas and create a plan for moving toward greater satisfaction and success in your career.
Key Words
women; career; career development; leadership; coaching; success; business; entrepreneurs; work satisfaction; professional development; gender differences
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Career Myths Impact Women s Success
Chapter 2 Myth: Women s Skills and Experience Matter More Than Communication Style and Appearance
Chapter 3 Myth: If Women Are Assertive and Drive for Results, It Will Always Benefit Their Careers
Chapter 4 Myth: Advancement for Women Is Only Dependent on Performing Well
Chapter 5 Myth: Women Can Expect to Be Compensated Fairly and Rewarded for Their Contributions in the Workplace
Chapter 6 Myth: Men and Women Believe in Equality for Women
Chapter 7 Myth: Women Can Have It All-Work and Life Balance
Chapter 8 Myth: Women Are Supportive of Each Other, Men Compete
Chapter 9 Myth: Both Men and Women Are Perceived as Equally Effective Leaders
Chapter 10 Myth: When Women Report Inappropriate Behavior Such as Harassment or Bullying, the Behavior Will Stop
Chapter 11 Putting It All Together in a Development Plan
Chapter 12 Moving Beyond the Myth
Chapter 13 Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Acknowledgments
We can overcome our self-limiting beliefs, unintentional bias, and intentional discrimination only with ongoing encouragement, coaching, and guidance. Over 200 women across the globe participated in the creation of this book by offering their experiences, stories, and advice. Some women responded to an online survey, other women participated in interviews, and many shared stories during facilitated focus groups, educational sessions, and discussions with other women.
Thank you to all the women who participated in the survey, interviews, focus groups, and learning events. Special acknowledgment goes to Lynn Schmidt for collaborating and sharing her experience as an author. Her talent helped to create structure amid a multitude of stories and ideas. Kay Van Patter deserves praise for offering unfiltered opinions and edits during the book review process. Pamela Manson stepped in when needed to provide her editing and writing talent toward the completion of the book. The world would be a better place if all women and men behaved as these women and supported the career aspirations of women.
CHAPTER 1
Career Myths Impact Women s Success
The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.
-Gloria Steinem
It is an important time to celebrate the advancement of women. We have made visible progress in the last few decades. The number of women entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders in corporate leadership roles is growing. However, there are still many challenges women face that are different than that from their male counterparts. Women sometimes have beliefs or career myths that may interfere with their personal career satisfaction and success.
A myth is defined in Dictionary.com as a traditional story, one concerning the early history of a people or social phenomenon. It s a widely held, but false, belief or idea. A myth is a misrepresentation of the truth. It might also be described as a folktale, legend, tall tale, or a cock-and-bull story. Women might choose to believe them for a variety of reasons. We want to believe that if we are committed, work hard, and assert ourselves, we will be recognized and rewarded. Managing our career and finding joy at work would be much simpler if our beliefs about work held true.
When we encounter a challenging situation at work that we aren t prepared to handle, it may be that the situation defies our preconceived beliefs about the way things should be in the work environment. It s important to reflect upon the ideas we have about work and identify those that are true and those that are myths. When the reality you are faced with at work doesn t align with your beliefs, you can overcome barriers by creating a clear plan to address the issues.
Over 200 women contributed their input about self-limiting false beliefs or career myths that had an impact on their satisfaction at work and career success. The women also provided helpful tips, advice, and recommendations for helping women overcome the challenges and achieve career success.
This book explores career myths and the true barriers that women may encounter at work. It offers you an opportunity to reflect on your strengths and development areas and create a plan for moving toward greater satisfaction and success in your career. Your commitment to your own development and to helping women advance is appreciated.
The Top Five Career Myths
While every woman s story is unique, not every woman will experience every myth in her career. These five career myths were the most commonly selected on the global survey and in group meetings as having a detrimental impact on women s career success. Women from the ages of 18 to 53 responded to the survey. Approximately 80 percent of the respondents were from the United States. Women from Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South America, and Africa participated in the survey. Women can expect to be compensated fairly and rewarded for their contributions in the workplace. While negotiation skills can be learned, this issue is much more complex than mastering the art of the ask alone. This means understanding the unique value that your talent brings to an organization, and how your work contributes to achieving business goals. Women s skills and experience matter more than their communication style and appearance. Women are often judged as less competent based upon their physical appearance alone. Focusing your development plan on the skills and knowledge that is needed to advance in your current role or obtain your next position may not be enough to overcome this bias. If women are assertive and drive for results, it will always benefit their career. Women who demonstrate strength and assertiveness may be judged negatively. Women must carefully strike a balance between the focus on results a