Standing at the Crossroads

Thoroughly researched and clearly written, Standing at the Crossroads speaks to the whole professional woman and her organization, providing a framework for guiding a woman's growth and development as a high- achieving leader. The authors debunk the common myth that women must give up life's other roles to be successful professionally, and offer research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership in conjunction with participants in The Women's Leadership Program to show that multiple roles in fact benefit and enhance women's managerial performance. The book provides individuals and their organizations with invaluable advice they can use to support women's development as managers and leaders.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

The Authors xix

Introduction: Standing at the Crossroads 1

Part One: Five Themes for High-Achieving Women

1. Acting Authentically 17

2. Making Connections 39

3. Controlling Your Destiny 72

4. Achieving Wholeness 111

5. Gaining Self-Clarity 136

Part Two: Next Steps for High-Achieving Women

6. Growing Through Life Experience 163

7. What Can Organizations Do? 189

Appendix: The Research Design 217

References 225

Index 231

About the Center for Creative Leadership 239

The Authors

Marian N. Ruderman is a research scientist at the Center for Creative Leader-ship in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she studies the career development of women and the impact of diversity on management development processes. She has written widely on these topics in reports, book chapters, scientific journals, and popular magazines.

Patricia J. Ohlott is a research associate at the Center for Creative Leadership. Her current research interests include the career development of women managers and issues relating to the management of diversity in organizations. She has published in professional journals, books, reports, and popular magazines. As women move into leadership and managerial positions in record numbers, there is an increasing need to understand how they will prioritize and integrate the many new roles and possibilities available to them. Standing at the Crossroads looks at the fundamental pressures that influence the career and personal decisions high-achieving women make and identifies strategies for adapting to the many demands that both challenge and enhance their lives. Based on extensive research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCLâ) in conjunction with participants in The Women's Leadership Program, the book provides a basis for understanding the many choices, tradeoffs, and decisions that face women daily. Showcasing many personal stories, it spotlights the five key themes that are essential to guiding executive women's development today-the need to act authentically, make connections, control one's destiny, achieve wholeness, and gain self-clarity.

While each theme can stand alone, the authors show how the five blend together to create a pattern that is unique and dynamic for each individual woman. Each chapter in the first part of the book explains why a particular theme matters, what it looks like, how to develop it, the obstacles to achieving it, and a short "thumbnail" that summarizes, in easy-to-use form, the major areas for the reader to develop. The second part of the book illuminates how both the individual reader and the organization can apply an understanding of the themes to enhance their mutual effectiveness. Finally, the book offers a reference list of valuable source texts and other literature related to these topics.

Standing at the Crossroads

A s women move into leadership and managerial positions in record numbers, there is an increasing need to understand how they will prioritize and integrate the many new roles and possibilities available to them. Standing at the Crossroads looks at the fundamental pressures that influence the career and personal decisions high-achieving women make, and it identifies strategies for adapting to the many demands that both challenge and enhance their lives. Based on extensive research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL^®) with participants in The Women's Leadership Program, the book provides a basis for understanding the many choices, tradeoffs, and decisions that face women daily. Showcasing many personal stories, it spotlights five key themes that are essential to guiding executive women's development today—the need to act authentically, make connections, control one's destiny, achieve wholeness, and gain self-clarity.

While each theme can stand alone, the authors show how the five blend together to create a pattern that is unique and dynamic for each individual woman. Each chapter in the first part of the book explains why a particular theme matters, what it looks like, how to develop it, and the obstacles to achieving it, and gives a short "thumbnail" that summarizes, in easy-to-use form, the major areas for the reader to develop. The second part of the book illuminates how both the individual reader and the organization can apply an understanding of the themes to enhance their mutual effectiveness. Throughout the book there are also practical exercises to guide development.

The Center for Creative Leadership is an inter-national, nonprofit educational institution whose mission is to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, it conducts research, produces publications and assessment tools, and offers a variety of educational programs. For the second consecutive time, CCL was ranked number one for Leadership in the Executive Education Special Report in BusinessWeek magazine. For more information, visit CCL's Web site at www.ccl.org "Finally, a book about women that goes beyond tired jargon and outdated platitudes. Standing at the Crossroads details how the issue of 'making it' shifts in subtle ways as women move up the ranks, creating new challenges and the need for new strategies. This book is a must-read for high-achieving women-and the people who lead them-who want to understand how things have changed in the forty years since the publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique."
--Joyce K. Fletcher, professor of management, Simmons Graduate School of Management in Boston, and author of Disappearing Acts: Gender, Power, and Relational Practice at Work

"This is an important book that provides a pathway for understanding and action. As high-achieving women continue to change organizational landscapes, this work provides well-researched, illustrative, and balanced perspectives on what women are thinking and feeling today. Organizations and individuals will benefit from this book's insights and recommendations for organizational remedies."
--Yolan Williams, corporate succession planner, Verizon Communications, Inc.

"A much-needed resource for high-achieving women and those who support their development, this book provides a rich framework for understanding the intertwined career and life challenges that women leaders face and insightful strategies for developing and growing from these challenges."
--Lorrina J. Eastman, vice president, leadership development, Bank of America