In the 1980’s I became the first woman CEO of a steel business in Canada. The greatest challenge I faced was not a glass ceiling, but a cement ceiling. Being young, looking younger, being blond and cute all made me a very visibly minority in a business climate that was not exactly open to women. And, those in my sphere of influence told me that a woman had no greater chance of running a steel business than a monkey of running the White House. In fact three lawyers told me to jump ship as fast as possible because there was no way my staff, suppliers or client base would accept me. I was toast.
Well I did not get toasted. I took the business to 90% market saturation, helped to set up the first mentorship program for women in Canada, became the first woman Rotarian in Canada, worked in the USA, Europe and broke through that cement ceiling!
The cement ceiling I faced as a woman, a visible minority, has been replaced by a glass ceiling that we all face. Will we turn a blind eye to our true passion, purpose and potential to really starting living and leading from goodness to greatness? Will be start to nurture and build the vision, the values, the passion, the purpose and potential that calls to so many of us as human beings, not human doings? Will be embrace personal leadership and use it to create a new geography of thought, emotion and action that positively impacts our lives, our work, our relationships, and our leadership…our world? Will we step up to the plate on an individual and collective basis and start making our relationships, our workplace our lives and our world better? Will be take the road less travelled, or wait for the foundation of the relationships, the values, the life, the world we cherish to teeter, topple and tumble a bit more?
The glass ceiling is above us all. What I learned about the cement ceiling was the power of my dreams, the power of my potential to not only overcome obstacles, but to transform the obstacles I faced into a positive catalyst for reaching my highest, truest goals and objectives. I learned about the power of paying due diligence to the values, the faith, the resiliency and the courage within that remains the power of human being, not human doing. The power to survive and thrive, the power to transform what is into what can be.
We all face cement ceilings, glass ceilings in our lives and our work. Changing our perspective, looking at the cement and glass in our lives from a whole different angle can be purposeful, powerful and life changing.