Breaking
Through
the
Glass Ceiling
and
Other Life Challenges
Ellen S. Kitzis, Ph. D.
Compaq Services, Vice President
Strategy and Business Development
www.compaq.com
Women’s Bill of Rights
Women have the right to life,
liberty and the pursuit of
happiness long assumed to be the
right of men. Women, however,
can only exercise this right if we
understand that it requires
vigilance, personal honesty,
and old fashion hard work.
The right to succeed is given, the
actualization of success is earned.
www.compaq.com
Background
A Little About Me

Raised on Long Island in 1950s track
housing

Grew up with Donna Reed and Father
Knows Best

Middle child among three girls

Shy child, afraid to speak out in class

Had very special childhood friend,
parents, spouse and mentors who
believed that girls/women were
smart people

Upward mobility was a right

The world was rosy, but I was the first
kid on the block with divorced parents



My dad drew the short
straw and needed to create
his legacy the hard way
Learned early: Winners
know how to get their
ideas heard
People who believed in me
made me believe in myself
www.compaq.com
How the World Evolved
Corporate
Day care
Media hype
New consumers
Quota based
Prosperity
Cosmo
Stereotypes
Light weight
luggage
• Venture capital
• CEOs
• Board of
Directors
• Mobile
technology
• Faster
• More paths
• Wheelies
• No more quotas
• Competency
based
• More models
1980s
1990s
Economic
Political
• Liberation
movement
• Women’s orgs.
• Education opens
• Middle class
• Early heroines
1970s
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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How Men, Women and Institutional
Patterns Create Glass Ceilings
Men...
Feel loyalty to the brethren
 Men over fifty are not used to
women working side-by-side
 Not part of their educational
experience

Women...
Don’t take sustained career paths
and often opt for the “mommy track”
 Assume they are not contenders and take back
stage roles and jobs (supporting characters)
 Directed efforts at sexual differences, risks, rather
than positive attributes that would impact
corporate success
 Early examples were often hard to take

www.compaq.com
How Men, Women and Institutional
Patterns Create Glass Ceilings (continued)
Institutional Patterns...



Tried to break them through
legislative initiatives;
moderately successful
Put women in “soft roles” to
demonstrate commitment
Have job descriptions and
attributes that have historically been associated
with “male attributes” and continue to assume
these attributes ensure corporate success
www.compaq.com
Personal Drivers
Independence
Prove something
Lead
rather than
follow
CREATE
my own future
Make
something
Create new rules
www.compaq.com
“Learning to Compete”


You don’t always win
It hurts to fail, but not bad
enough to quit

Baseball players don’t cry

Winning feels good
www.compaq.com
Leadership and Innovation

Don’t avoid center stage; it’s where the light is

Get your ideas heard not complaints

Find opportunities to be of the
new initiatives, businesses
or experiments

Find opportunities to support
other women’s success
www.compaq.com
Education
Can Accelerate Opportunities

Competitive marketplace

Education is a differentiator;
it demonstrates commitment
and persistence

My Ph.D. still separates me
from the pack and adds to the
cache (colleagues like to call me Dr. Kitzis)

It opens up new connections, job placement,
career centers, alumni associations, new networks
www.compaq.com
Committing to a Career

More than eight hour days

Seizing opportunities and taking risks

Mentors and the right managers; switch to you get the right one

Personal power

Share success; people want to be recognized

Engage the external marketplace:
conferences, associations, industry events

Understand new business models;
learn the language of business
P&Ls, cost centers, operating
expenses, margins
www.compaq.com
Supporting Characters


Kids can sleep in their clothes
Ben’s Image of Mom
My mom is in Japan isn’t
an excuse for “acting out”

Limousines and room services
are part of life’s education

They love to be part of your
success …
“Mom is in Fortune Magazine”
is good for show and tell
www.compaq.com
Supporting Characters

Husbands who help are not helpful

Pick someone who believes
your success is as important
as his success

Child care is good for building character

Corporate spouses swing both ways;
my husband loved “Winners Circle”
in Vale, Colorado
www.compaq.com
Final Thoughts

Go for it because you want it, not
because others are doing it

Find your right mix, not everyone
wants the executive life

Find the right balance between
your ying and your yang
www.compaq.com