Kathy Noecker Gives Advice on Breaking Glass Ceiling, Releasing Sticky Floor

Kathy Noecker of Faegre Baker Daniels shared advice in The Glass Hammer on overcoming women's self-imposed career blocks and middle-management bottlenecks known as the "sticky floor."

Noecker described the sticky floor as a "both-and" situation. The sticky floor is often intertwined with the glass ceiling because "often, organizations favor, and women only see, a 'male' model of success."

Noecker recommended that companies proactively address both the glass ceiling and the sticky floor. Since research has documented that organizations with three or more women on the board or senior executive team increases innovation and improves business results, company leadership should prioritize increasing female board representation. Women now comprise 33 percent of Faegre Baker Daniels' management board, 31 percent of practice group leaders and 60 percent of the senior operations team, The Glass Hammer reported.

"We considered systemic barriers and made changes, such as our nominating committee process, that address both the sticky floor and the glass ceiling," Noecker said. "Women are participating fully in firm leadership, and their voices are heard when significant decisions are made. Once your organization has women in large numbers breaking through the glass ceiling, it becomes much easier for others to release themselves from the sticky floor" because the representation of women in leadership gives women role models they identify with and encourages them to reach for opportunities they may not have sought before.