The real glass ceiling: it's not what you think. (Your Career).

The concept of a glass ceiling isn't new. An invisible barrier that prevents capable employees from being promoted to top positions, the glass ceiling is often thought to affect only women or be caused by prejudice. A far more powerful and common glass ceiling affects men just as much as women.

Most corporations can be described as meritocracies: places where promotions are earned based on merit. Achievement and performance are emphasized; advancement is gained through hard work. However, between upper middle-management and the executive level, corporate culture nearly always shifts to a culture based on power.

The change is invisible and rarely, if ever, acknowledged openly. To advance further, a worker must play by the new rules even though they've never been explained. In fact, the new rules are so important to the way top teams function that even highly talented people

How Women (and Men) Can Have "It" All

U.S. women fill only 5 percent of executive positions, although they take half of …