You know you have the talent and drive to lead your organization to success, yet you feel trapped in the “middle ground.” You wonder what it takes to break through the “glass ceiling” so you can move up the career ladder and take on that leadership role.

“Embedded leaders are among the most influential individuals because of the trust relationships they develop at multiple levels throughout an organization,” says Dr. Lisa Williams, author of Leading Beyond Excellence: Discover 7 Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Achieve Leadership, Significance and Your Personal Dreams, (Executive Publishers International). “At the middle level, you can develop powerful connections and essential communication avenues.”

A former Penn State professor and authority on leadership, Dr. Williams’ groundbreaking research has garnered interviews with the world’s top industry and military leaders and has been published in numerous journals and magazines. Here, she shares the three types of information you should collect if you want to institute organizational change and move to the top.

• Know where your organization’s “mine fields” are located. This is the kind of knowledge that encourages co-workers to seek your advice.
• Get a grip on internal politics and learn what triggers other leaders’ hot buttons.
• Release fears and connect with your true purpose to achieve personal and organizational goals.

   “This kind of information makes you immensely valuable in creating synergistic relationships and instituting organizational change,” Dr. Williams says.

Combine this knowledge with the ability to motivate others and a conscious effort to develop additional leadership skills, and you are sure to expand your sphere of influence as well as enjoy a more fulfilling personal and professional life. You are only seven steps from having an improved life and being a significant leader.