SESSION ABSTRACT: As women continue to make strides up the corporate ladders and into the board rooms of America, much media attention on and research into the obstacles that face women leaders has been focused on the glass ceiling created by organizational preferences, policies and practices. Lesser attention has been placed on identifying the ?sticky floor? phenomena that keep individual women from rising to their full potential. Insights into and strategies for overcoming these derailers are based on over eight years of research into organizational initiatives that support the advancement and retention of women leaders and over eight years of experience providing innovative leadership development programs and executive coaching to women leaders in a broad range of industries. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Use action-focused tools for positive action Avoid the three career derailers Develop a plan for balancing perfectionism with excellence, navigating strategic relationships and managing up