Elizabeth is a real go-getter, a manager’s dream. You know the type: The Wonder-Woman who is driven to succeed, held in awe (and sometimes fear) by her subordinates, and can always be counted on to get the job done. Her director barely has to manage her; he simply tells her the outcome he wants and lets her go. Do you need the impossible done? Just give it to Elizabeth! So imagine her director’s dismay when Elizabeth announces that she’s leaving the company. “But, how will we manage without you?” he wails, “You’re the only one who gets anything done around here!” Elizabeth just smiles as she walks out the door, but inside she’s seething. “Why didn’t he ever acknowledge me when he had the chance?” she thinks, stung. “The only feedback I ever got from him was when I screwed up!”

Elizabeth is a High-Achieving Woman. She grew up with expectations of greatness: “You’re the best!”, “You can do anything!” She excelled in high school and college, is well-educated and appears very self-confident and capable. She works hard and produces stellar results; in fact, she is known as a high-producer and is in demand when the job absolutely has to get done. You’d expect this High-Achieving Woman to have it all: her pick of positions, fast-track to an executive office, awards and kudos coming from everywhere. But, look closer.

Like most High-Achieving Women, Elizabeth is not satisfied with her career, which may cause an imbalance in her life that she can’t quite put into words. She changes jobs frequently, always searching for an elusive “just right” feeling, a meaning she can’t define. Her need for continual and intense challenge delights her managers, and also dismays them, as they scramble to find some way to keep her content. What her managers don’t seem to be able to do to her satisfaction is acknowledge her accomplishments, and reward her appropriately for her hard work and excellent results. Her drive to get it done right, get it done now, and get it done better than anyone else can do it amazes and often intimidates her subordinates and peers. Her need to constantly achieve at work and at home results in an unbalanced life, as she tries to juggle her responsibilities and her desire for contentment and meaning.

Does any of this sound familiar? If you’re a High-Achieving Woman, it will. Elizabeth is a composite of the High-Achieving Women I’ve worked with, who share very similar traits. Each one has experienced most of the challenges described in this article. Several of them are working out ways to overcome these challenges; others are still trying to determine the best course of action.

Far from the career-women pioneers in the 1970’s, who had to emulate men to make it in the workforce, today you are able to use your powerful feminine qualities like collaboration, coaching and conflict management to get stellar results. However, you have a more subtle fight than your elder sisters. There are few overt or even conscious efforts to exclude women from high positions in companies, but a barrier still exists. It has more to do with the tendency many managers have to promote those who are like them. Men are still more comfortable around other men; they understand their way of thinking, and they have similar drives and approaches. Women are different; they think differently, have different needs. Some managers still harbor the viewpoint that women should be home taking care of the babies, and not competing with men at work. As yet, not enough women have figured out how to break through this barrier to succeed into upper management. Surprisingly, many High Achieving Women don’t particularly want to break into upper management. However, all of you want to do meaningful work, be challenged, and make a difference.

You’ve probably discovered that the companies you’ve worked for are woefully inadequate in retaining you and other High-Achieving Women. They don’t understand why you aren’t satisfied, why you leave, and how to keep you happy. Unfortunately, you seldom have the answers yourself. As a result, many of you leave the corporate world altogether and become entrepreneurs, where you are faced with unending and delightfully novel challenges, and have no one to blame but yourself if you feel unrecognized. This is good for you, but can be devastating to the companies you leave.

So, what can you do as a High-Achieving Woman to overcome your particular challenges? There are several approaches you can use to find your direction and bring more meaning into your life.

• Develop your communication skills, to ensure management recognizes your worth, to coach your staff into high productivity, and to develop a network of peers that support your progress.
• Learn how to attain the recognition and rewards you require to feel acknowledged for your hard work.
• Understand your need for challenge. Find the challenge you want in your job, company or career; or make the changes that will ensure you have all the challenge you need.
• Take steps to adjust your life balance and learn techniques to maintain it.
• Take the time to discover your life purpose, what motivates you and what you really want out of life.

Developing these skills takes work, insight and time. High-Achieving Women have no fear of the work, and with guidance can build the insight. The question is: will you take the time?