Why could you need a glass breaker?

Everybody at some point suffers from a glass ceiling and that could be why you need a glass breaker.  For those new to the term, a glass ceiling is an artificial barrier that is holding back a person or business from going to the next level.  Effectively they have achieved their maximum level of growth unless the glass ceiling can be broken.

 When I am introduced at events the person making the introduction tends to highlight the fact that my business card says that I am a glass beaker, and I think it must resonate, as there are three other skills they could choose, yet inevitably it is the fact that I am a glass breaker that tends to be chosen.

 But why is one needed? 

As an example, I worked with a business that had reached a point where a good year was 11 million and a bad year was 10 million.  They had been oscillating between the two numbers for many years.  After spending time with them and helping them break through their artificial ceiling, they increased their turnover by 50% in one year.  They needed to know how to challenge their thinking and that was the key to breaking their glass barrier.

 Here are some of the reasons why a glass ceiling can form:

1.  Reached a point where everything feels OK (this is a danger sign)

2. Scared of the next step of growth

3. Not sure how to take the next step

4. Didn’t realise it had happened (a very common one)

5. When this years sales are going to grow at a lower rate then the previous year

6. When we become comfortable with organic growth

7. On a personal level we let our fears (glass ceilings) stop up from trying new things

The tools of a glass breaker 

The first cure for a glass ceiling is to acknowledge that their is one.  You may have heard the phrase “to thine own self be true” (Shakespeare’s Hamlet), well many people are not ready to acknowledge where they are at, and this is certainly true of many companies.

 Once the truth of the situation is accepted it is possible to look at it with fresh eyes.  Here are some thoughts that help this process:

 If it is a company:

1.  What did they do that successfully built their turnover to its current level?

2. Have they stopped aggressively seeking growth as they must have done in the beginning?

3. Is everybody feeling too comfortable?

4. Is there a resistance to change (“we’ve always done it that way”)?

5. Have they reduced their marketing and advertising spend?

6. Are they making redundancies to improve profits rather then building sales that can use their existing staff?

7. Is their mission and visions out of date (do they even have one)?

 If it is a person:

1.  When facing their fears are they looking at what they have achieved rather then what they feel they can’t achieve?

2. Have they actually tried what they are worried about trying?

3. Have they set themselves a strong enough vision to achieve it?

4. Do they “want” to achieve it, or do they think it is just be a “nice to do”?

 These are just some of the discussion points that can be stimulated by asking this type of question and the resultant changes can give the break through they are “now” seeking and when the glass ceiling breaks there is no better feeling.  So give them a try or contact me for more help.