结果，他发现所有的同级别副总裁都是40多岁，而“高级管理层都是由50多岁的人构成，”奥登说。“X一代副总裁有805 名——都在排队等待155个高级职位，而这些职位至少未来10年都不会出现空缺。”听起来挺耳熟吧？

    奥登的解决方案是离职并创办自己的公司，从过去管理工作中积累的联系人中寻找最初的客户。当然，这是一种方式，但并非适合所有怀才不遇的X一代。以下是其他5种打破职业困境的途径：

    1. 进入高成长行业。“灰色天花板”在增长缓慢的行业中很难逾越。要争取更高的职位，不妨考虑跳到那些创造了大量高级职位的行业中去。

    2. 带上护照走出去。如今，在很多公司，海外工作经验对于升迁而言都是必备条件，因此获得一些海外工作经验有助于你更上一层楼。

    3. 考虑一下小公司。初创公司和其他小企业不像大公司有很僵化的等级制度，也不怎么注重（甚至根本不考虑）论资排辈。

    4. 找个导师。无论是留在现在的公司，还是跳槽到其他地方，你需要一个更高职位的人能在机构政治的细微之处给予你指导，甚至在有权擢升你的人面前夸夸你的成就。

    5. 找一个你可以搞定的烂摊子。愿意解决棘手的问题——最好是那些让你老板寝食难安、又没人愿意碰的问题。事实证明，这是能让你受到关注和获得提升的一个有效办法。

    祝你好运！

    反馈：你是否觉得自己身处中层管理困境？你是否有策略绕过障碍实现升职？欢迎留言与我们分享。

    译者：老榆木

    What he realized was that all his fellow vice presidents were in their 40s, and "senior management was made up of people in their 50s," Odom says. "There were 805 Gen X v.p.'s -- all waiting in line for 155 senior-level jobs that were probably not going to open up for at least 10 years." Sound familiar?

    Odom's solution was to leave and start his own company, drawing his first clients from among the contacts he had made in previous management jobs. That's one way to go, of course, but it clearly isn't a practical option for every frustrated Gen X'er. Here are five alternative paths to getting your career unstuck:

    1. Go where the growth is. The gray ceiling is hard to bypass in slow-growth industries. To get a bigger job, think about jumping to an industry that's creating lots of them.

    2. Pack your passport. Overseas experience is a must for advancement in many companies now, so getting some could qualify you for a higher rank than you hold now.

    3. Think small. Startups and other small enterprises tend to have less rigid hierarchies than big companies do, and they care far less (if at all) about seniority.

    4. Get a mentor. Whether you stay in your current company or go elsewhere, you need someone higher up who will coach you on the political subtleties of the organization, and maybe even talk up your achievements to the people who have the power to promote you.

    5. Find a mess you can fix. Being willing to solve a thorny problem -- preferably one that is keeping your boss awake at night, and that no one else wants to tackle -- is a proven way to become visible, and promote-able.

    Good luck.

    Talkback: Do you feel stuck in middle management? Do you have a strategy for making an end run around the roadblocks to advancement? Leave a comment below.