Climbing The Spiral Staircase – Leanne Meyer

I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.

The day was not what I imagined at all. I had wanted this. The fairy tale. The romantic notion of being married in the traditionally Anglican stone church of my childhood, followed by a sumptuous sit-down dinner served in a golden-lit marquee (or tent) in my parents’ garden, with dancing and drinks around the pool. Instead, we had a home full of harried relatives too nervous to leave for the church in case any severe damage was caused by the approaching storm, an electrical circuit board that consistently could not meet the needs of an anxious caterer, and no real alternate plans to either feed or shelter the 250 invited guests.

In the midst of this general chaos, I experienced my first and only anxiety attack. So, there I was, all guipure lace and veil and makeup, rapidly breathing into a nondescript brown sandwich bag. This bag stayed with me on the drive to the church, right up until it was time to walk down the aisle.

And then my father took over: “Okay, now,” he said quietly to me. “One, two, three, breathe.” “Now, one, two, three, smile.” “Now, look to your left … and to your right.” “Good. Now, one, two, three, breathe!” I’m sure that he was relieved to hand me over to my unsuspecting almost-husband.

The rest of the service passed in a thankfully uneventful, beautiful fashion. But the drama waited until the guests exited the church and it was time for the celebrations to begin. The heavens opened up, destroying all photo opportunities, a good portion of the marquee, and all outdoor canapé appetizer plans and making it remarkably impossible to even consider wearing shoes.

Eventually, the evening, assisted by very able bar staff and responsive barefooted guests, found its measure.

Leanne Meyer has gifted ambitious women everywhere a wonderful road map to success. It’s a bracingly honest, refreshingly global, eyes- wide-open acknowledgment of the state of play in companies (and countries). No smart woman will want to be without its insights. —AVIVAH WITTENBERG-COX CEO, 20-first Leanne Meyer’s Climbing the Spiral Staircase is a relatable and empowering book that looks to the history of gender roles over generations to provide perspective on some of the unique challenges that women face today as they develop their careers. Women with aspirations to be leaders can sometimes feel like pioneers with few role models—an exciting but intimidating position to be in.

Meyer encourages a longer-term perspective on careers, observing that most careers follow a nonlinear path with ups and downs and various challenges and successes. Readers will find practical solutions to help them through these phases and ultimately be closer to achieving their goals. —LAUREN HOBART President and CEO, DICK’S Sporting Goods In a rapidly changing world, leaders face new contexts and different options than were evident even a few years ago. Women business leaders face unique challenges, some of which are common and some of which are driven by the culture in which we live and work.

Author Leanne Meyer brings her personal experience and global vantage point from teaching and consulting with hundreds of active business leaders. Climbing the Spiral Staircase provides fresh, data-based, and pragmatic advice to help women business leaders thrive. Whether you are a business executive, an executive coach, or an executive on the rise, you will find solutions-based, practical insights you can use immediately for yourself or to help coach those around you. —CAROLYN DOLEZAL CEO, Committee of 200 Leanne has provided me guidance in multiple stages of my career, and this book is a wonderful resource for women who are navigating the ebbs and flows of their own professional journeys.

Using both research and anecdotes, Leanne demonstrates how cultural and socioeconomic differences influence our career decisions and attitudes.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: c6e9b3ccd4471472
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,447,383 bytes (3.288 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781950863518
• Pages: 233
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 297.88 minutes
• Total Words: 59,575
• Total Characters: 353,090
• Average Words per Page: 255.69
• Average Characters per Page: 1515.41

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