Metaphors Gone Wild: Ceilings and Empowerment
Metaphors have been described, by Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset, as magical. He has referred to them as one of the most fertile, fruitful powers on earth. If you are not taking advantage of this power, you are missing verbal opportunities to project an image of power. Just consider this--one simple, two-word metaphor that first appeared in a "Wall Street Journal" headline in 1986 made it all the way to the White House. The phrase was a reference to the "glass ceiling" that seems to prevent some women from climbing the success ladder in various workplaces. In 1991, the White House Council on Women and Girls introduced the "Glass Ceiling Initiative" to help women and minorities advance in corporations. CHRYSLER'S EMPOWERMENT PUSH Asked how his company had increased earnings by 246% in 1995, CEO Robert Eaton gave a one-word answer: "Empowerment." A simple word. Are there specific methods where you work for encouraging employees to f