The Glass Ceiling Barrier? Fable. Fantasy. Fiction.

When I finished writing my book, I read it and had an epiphany. It occurred to me that in general, men are not good at the first four chapters, basically, “getting it” – people matter most and employees must be the No. 1 priority in the workplace. And in general, women are not good at the last four chapters, basically, having self-confidence and stepping into their power. Now, I love men, but virtually every man who I speak with agrees: Men are more confident than competent; and women are more competent than confident.

Tell me if this sounds familiar. A woman walks into her house at Noon on a Saturday. Her spouse or significant other is eating a bowl of cereal in front of the TV. He says, “Hi, Honey, where have you been?” She says, “I went to the bank, the post office, the dry cleaners, I food shopped, I bought birthday gifts for Susie, I got the car washed and an express oil change, did 60 minutes of cardio at the gym, walked two dogs at the shelter, had three suits tailored, got my nails done, and dropped off a welcome wagon packages to five new neighbors.” Sound familiar? Women are rock stars, but they don’t believe it.

I know this may be a polarizing statement, but there is no glass ceiling. Women create a “glass-ceiling effect” by playing small and not stepping into their power in the workplace. We sit in a side-chair and not at the table in a meeting, we don’t speak up, we don’t ask for a raise, we don’t submit for a job opening unless we have 100 percent of the requirements, we apologize, we start sentences with “this may be a dumb question”, we volunteer to take meeting minutes. For the most part, men don’t do these things because their confidence is off the charts.

Imagine how your life would change, women, if you had more self-confidence and less guilt. What you focus on expands, so let your belief in you be stronger than your fear. Let your inner voice be stronger than any voice you’ve ever heard. There is a mysterious force that will flow through you when you risk on behalf of your dreams. And men, you all have a woman in your life. Encourage her, lift her up, and continue being a role model for self-confidence. We love and admire that you have it mastered.