The Glass Ceiling

Hitting the glass ceiling is uncomfortable once you’ve recognized when it occurs. All the sleepless nights, tears, and blood shed along the way almost feel like you’ve wasted your time. Wasn’t the world we lived in based on meritocracy? If you worked hard enough, you could also reap the benefits of that effort. However, if we lived in a world of meritocracy, then the concept of the glass ceiling wouldn’t exist.

It was surprising to me that the glass ceiling actually felt like a physical barrier I couldn’t cross. No matter how hard I tried to do outside work to become more knowledgeable, provide feedback and recommendations, or improve at my job, I couldn’t progress. Progress needs disruptions, like lifting weights, which require tearing your muscle fibers to become stronger; corporations, too, require disruptions to transform into something better.

However, corporations are also allergic to disruptions because disruptions could mean instability, which could mean a lower profit margin for shareholders, which is the last thing a corporation wants. So, how does one create enough disruptions to progress the corporation forward without creating waves big enough that hurt profitability?

Honestly, I don’t know because I haven’t figured it out yet. And maybe I won’t ever figure it out, but the current climate of not wanting disruptions because they would hurt profitability creates an environment that demotivates the worker. So, you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t because if you want to grow profitability, then it requires progress which is stemmed from disruptions, but not enough disruptions to impact profitability.

The messenger of growth also needs to be addressed. Not only does one need to identify growth areas, but the person also needs to have the right image and message to deliver change. Again, I haven’t figured this out yet.

Weirdly, the glass ceiling reminds me of the current state of American society. Most companies tell their employees they’re the most valuable asset, the same way politicians tell their bases that the working class is the engine that drives the American economy or the American Dream.

We’re at a crossroads in current society. America's most valuable asset, the working class, has hit its glass ceiling. No matter how hard they try or what they do, they can’t progress, and this, too, is uncomfortable and demotivating. The current fibers of society are being torn, as more disruptions erupt as people try to propel society forward, while those at the top are stifling any disruptions because profitability, or in this case, GDP, cannot be interfered with.

What’s different between my work experiences and what we’re currently experiencing is that the top hasn’t fumbled the bag at my job. Profitability is still intact.

However, those at the top of society have fumbled the bag for their billionaire backers with the implementation of blanket tariffs leading to the worst stock market plunge since COVID-19.

While the stock market doesn’t equate to the economy, it’s an indicator of investors' confidence in the US. We’ve built a structure focused on consistent performance or consistent output. When that trust is broken, it exposes the only value we provide as a society to the world: consuming and performing.

I wasn’t expecting the top to fumble the bag, which makes me optimistic or naïvely believe that drastic change can occur for the better. Whether these changes could be to the benefit or detriment of the working class is unknown, but these disruptions or instabilities create the opportunity for growth. All we need is a messenger and the right message.