PREFACE

This book is for you, Wander Woman. You represent the new face of high-achieving women who started moving into management positions about twenty-five years ago. You are different from the women who came before you. You are more confident, assertive, and active. Instead of hiding behind your desk, you put yourself on the front lines by constantly convincing, persuading, calculating, demonstrating, creating, and braving your way through corporate hallways. Your manager may label you rebellious and competitive. You see yourself as passionate. In your mind, you weren’t hired to be efficient; you were hired to change the world. If your style becomes more of a problem than an asset, the difficulty doesn’t last for long. As soon as you feel you can no longer make a significant impact in your domain, you move to another department or company. Or, you decide you can more easily change the world by being your own boss.

On the surface, this lifestyle sounds exciting. You start each new job with grand visions for what you can accomplish. Then reality hits and the job disappoints. Too often, you are pigeonholed, underutilized, micromanaged, and told to slow down. You spend more time planning exit strategies than you do envisioning your career. Somewhere along the way, the excitement turns into cynicism. The more you wander, the more likely you are to lose your sense of purpose and possibly your sense of self.

“I’m running out of options,” Kali, age thirty-nine, told me. “I start a job with great anticipation, move up quickly, and then somewhere along the line, I wake up with this gnawing sense that it’s over. The work isn’t meaningful anymore. My boss avoids me because he can’t give me what I want. So I start making plans to leave.” I asked Kali if she had ever tried to change the organization instead of rearranging her life. She answered, “That’s a battle I don’t want to fight.”

I have observed this shift in the demeanor of high-achieving women firsthand through my years of coaching female top talent and in the women attending my leadership classes worldwide. Year after year, the women I work with are more hopeful and bold than ever before. They are also more stressed and perplexed about their futures. When I tried to find resources I could share with my clients to help them better understand themselves and their choices, I found none. Management training and, sadly, many women’s development programs have yet to fully recognize the shift. Classes and business books for women still focus on helping them find their voice, balance their life, or strategize their way to the top of their organization. My clients don’t need to find their voice; they know how to roar. They don’t expect to balance their life; they long to find peace in the chaos. They aren’t focused on organizational politics; they want significant projects they can run with or businesses they can run on their own. More than anything, they seek to know what they can accomplish in this lifetime without feeling exhausted and lonely in the end.

The shift is so profound you might call it a revolution, but no one has ventured to name what is happening. You might not have realized that thousands of women have the same burning issues and desires that you have and seek contentment and direction as you do. My clients are also surprised to hear how many other women face the same challenges as theirs. They are glad to know you exist, too. Together, you can bring the revolution to light.

To help increase this awareness and fill in the gaps of understanding, I chose to do my doctoral research on what today’s high-achieving women are doing in the workplace that keeps them from achieving executive positions. My research included multiple surveys with one hundred women between the ages of twenty-nine and fifty-two in the United States who fit my profile for “high achiever,” plus ten intensive interviews with a random sample. The details of the study are described in the back of this book. More than half of the women were married and most of these women had children, so there was a balance between single women and those with families.

What I discovered through my surveys and interviews was that today’s high-achieving women care less about the boardroom than they do about their strong desire to contribute. They have a longing for motion and meaning that often doesn’t synchronize with the vertical ascent up the corporate ladder that so many people expected of them— and that they had expected of themselves when they started their careers. Therefore they often intentionally take themselves out of the running for leadership positions as they wander around looking for the elusive “something more” they need to do in this lifetime.

The paradox is that although the women feel confident about their choices, they are plagued by their restlessness. This “soulful agitation” leads them to accomplish great things but it leaves them aching for what’s missing. They constantly question the value of their jobs, the definition of their purpose, the certainty of their identity, and their roles as wives, mothers, and sisters. Yet they still feel justified in keeping their lives in motion. It wasn’t until I began writing this book that I found myself calling this group of women “Wander Women.” The urge to move, mentally if not physically, is lodged in their souls. If they don’t geographically move, they seek to change the landscape with new projects at work or at home, including a wide variety of volunteer commitments. Yet in spite of their constant drive for fulfillment, they long for contentment and peace of mind. The first question I wanted to answer after I completed my research was, “What tools for both success and happiness can I provide these women beyond writing a new resume?”

I wrote this book to offer the guidance and support you and your fellow strong, smart, and passionate sisters have been missing using methods I’ve been able to test with high-achieving women worldwide. In addition to my extensive research, I have decades of experience coaching women one-on-one and as a part of leadership development classes I teach for multinational companies. I also speak at conferences for women and I interact with women through blogging and teleseminars. My research and experience helped me to refine the techniques I offer and to provide case studies to assist you in adapting the techniques in this book.

The exercises and strategies in this book are enhanced by my own experiences as a leader, an employee, a high-achieving woman, a family member, and, finally, as a wayward teenager who rebelled against the standards and expectations others were setting for me. The lessons I learned during this very dark period gave me special insights on what it takes to re-create a life. I share my own stories in this book because all the research I have done and the intellectual wisdom I have gathered mean very little without facing my self-deception. Because I am asking you to make the same hard examination for yourself, I feel it is important to share my own journey. Be prepared to go on a more intense journey of transformation than you would when reading a typical “how to” book touting easy steps for success. I guarantee the results to be more lasting and fulfilling.

After the “dark days” of my twenties, I accumulated degrees, experience, and certifications that helped me formulate the content of this book, with coaching being most significant. My corporate positions were in training and organizational development departments. I experienced the typical frustration of watching people participate with gusto in a training class but then, when back on the job, apply very little of what they had learned. In my search for new techniques, I enrolled in a coaching school in 1995. I quickly saw the power of coaching to make the mental shifts required before behavioral change can occur. My passion for coaching led me to help establish the International Coach Federation (ICF), hold the position of president of the ICF in 2000, and become one of the first hundred people in the world to hold the certification of Master Certified Coach. I have woven in powerful coaching questions and techniques throughout this book to both motivate and maintain the commitment to change.

In the late 1990s, Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence led me to dig deeper into the brain research being done that was redefining how we mentally process new information. I felt I had discovered one more important step in helping people make behavioral changes. To satisfy my hunger for knowing more, I chose to get my doctorate in organizational psychology. Every paper I wrote gave me deeper insights into my life choices as well as into the struggles many of my female coaching clients were experiencing. My doctoral work helped me to define “the burden of greatness” that high achievers now experience and the steps for Appreciative Dialogue (see chapter 5) to help them carry forward what is good in their lives to resolve their urgent issues. These are crucial concepts to the flow of this book. My dissertation research helped me to further define the needs of high-achieving women. Throughout the book, I share the most illuminating stories, quotes, and themes that were revealed in my research.

Finally, I decided to go beyond just sharing my research with my clients and write this book after rereading the epilogue to Margaret Wheatley’s book Leadership and the New Science. Wheatley describes the need for community when she says, “We can turn to one another as our best hope for inventing and discovering the worlds we are seeking.” Most of my coaching clients are lone rangers who rarely reach out to other women in their organizations unless they are required to in a formal program. Wheatley advocated connecting, not just networking, to test out and share new ideas, listen to one another’s stories, and encourage one another when disappointments loom. “We need each other differently now. We cannot hide behind our boundaries or hold onto the belief that we can survive alone.” Wheatley’s words inspired me to provide a forum for high-achieving women to learn and grow together. My hope is that many women will work through this book in groups, whether online or in live gatherings. My wish is to rally the strength and wisdom of my high-achieving sisters so that none of us ever loses our way again.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS BOOK

This book is intended to help you answer the questions you ask while you wander. I am not trying to convince you to act differently. Instead, I hope to shift your awareness and awaken you to a world of possibilities beyond your daily perspective. This means you can’t just read through the book, talk about the concepts, and determine if you agree or not. You have to spend time reflecting on the pages, completing the exercises, dialoguing with a friend or coach about what you’ve learned, and having the courage to try out behaviors in opposition to your habits. Then you can determine if you agree with what I present or not. If you are ready, your questions will be answered. “Will I ever find peace of mind in the moment? Will I ever feel that the work I’ve done is good enough? How can I know if I am doing what I am meant to do as my purpose on this planet?” Once you have this awareness, it is irreversible. The objective of Wander Woman is not to teach you; the goal is to transform you.

In part I of the book, chapter 1 starts by exploring what differentiates you from the women who came before you to clarify your own needs and desires. The second half of chapter 1 presents real-life quotes and stories to enhance the descriptions of both the light and dark sides of your typical behaviors. There are checklists you can use to determine how much of the Wander Woman archetype is actually in your blood. Chapter 2 defines the “burden of greatness.” On the dark side of this restless pursuit of new challenges is the feeling that there is always something more to do. You meet a goal beyond expectations and then immediately say, “What’s next?” I explore my personal experience with this phenomenon and how it played into the darkest period of my life. Then I share questions you can ask yourself to keep from carrying this burden in the future. You can live in harmony with your urge to wander and even use it to define your future if you better understand the source of your impulses.

Part II moves into the present with exercises and coaching questions to help you make an intentional transformation. Chapter 3 will help you discover your “circle of selves” that form who you are today and how you can expand who you can be tomorrow. Chapter 4 looks deeper inside your mind, where three assumptions form the mindset that keeps your perfectionist pattern locked in place. You have to acknowledge both the value and the harm of these three assumptions if you want any changes you attempt to last. You will also learn visioning techniques to help you reset your mental programming on a daily basis. Chapter 5 teaches you how to take advantage of the “window of opportunity” after any emotionally charged experience where you can step out of your frame and use Appreciative Dialogue and journaling to facilitate the renewal process. What you learn from these moments enriches your daily visioning routine. Finally, chapter 6 will help you discover what gives you a sense of purpose distinct from your need for recognition. When you passionately live with a strong sense of purpose, you can remember what is most important to you no matter how people judge you or what difficulties you face. When you practice the exercises, answer the questions, and implement the routines laid out for you in Part II, you will find the contentment and direction you seek.

Part III expands the process by helping you apply what you have learned to a broader life strategy. In essence, wandering can become your strategy instead of a series of unplanned upheavals. First, you need to actively sustain the transformation you began in Part II. Chapter 7 will give you four tools to help you overcome your tendency to find other things to do than the work of transformation. Chapter 8 then provides three scenarios where women used the techniques in this book to successfully climb the corporate ladder, navigate below the glass ceiling while still getting great assignments and recognition, and do a total life makeover. I share their stories in the hope that whatever strategy you choose, you move forward with clear intentions for what you want for your future. Chapter 9 gives you ideas and resources you can use if you choose to influence leaders in your workplace to support and engage top-talent women. Organizations will be more competitive if they understand how to cultivate and retain this amazing creative force.

I was working on my manuscript on a plane to Dallas, Texas, while sitting next to a thirty-something woman who was traveling with her four young children dispersed in the three rows around me. In a rare moment when she wasn’t watching her children, she looked over my shoulder and asked me what I was writing. I reluctantly told her, assuming she was not my target audience. Shame on me for making this assumption. She launched into a diatribe about the struggles she is having with the business she owns with her current husband and how no adult seems to understand her even though she knows the risks she takes are right. Her children understand her best; they know that they need to stand back and drop in line when she decides to forge a new path. She said, “Oh, I’m a Wander Woman all right. And so is my sister. Do you really think this is a sort of tribe, or is it a sign of the future for women where we finally get to express who we are?” Bless this woman for giving me the questions I will address at the end of this book.

Based on this interaction, in chapter 10 you will reflect on the questions the woman on the plane asked me. After you experience the book, including the research, the questions, the exercises, and your reflections, I will ask you if you think Wander Woman represents a personality style or, instead, if you think she symbolizes something that is in all women, bubbling up to the surface as we progress. The answer is important not only to how you see yourself, but also to how you explain yourself, your desires, your vision, and your passion in the world. If you are a part of something bigger than yourself, you may be called to serve a higher mission of helping your wandering sisters succeed as well. Power is in the collective. We can make a substantial difference that benefits us all if we choose to rise up together.

This book is for you, Wander Woman. You can finally come home to rest your feet before the wind blows and takes you off on your next adventure. I hope you savor the ideas, the exercises, and the questions I offer. Take your time, keep your mind open, find other women to go through the process with you, and celebrate your successes. I wish you joy as well as clarity in the process.

Marcia Reynolds
Phoenix, December 2009