The questions were designed to elicit stories instead of concrete answers. As a result, the women provided a very real depiction of their perceived roles and behaviors, with reasons, arguments and justifications for each.
The Questionnaire
Since the research was based on the views of only ten women, a follow-up survey was sent on-line to 65 women who matched the profile assessment and the age and work requirements to confirm or disconfirm the themes that emerged from the interviews.
Interview Participants
Because the focus is on the women and not the organizations they work in, nine women were randomly chosen to be interviewed from the pool of 75 who matched the profiling described in this section. Since the researcher fit the parameters, she counted as the tenth participant. This allowed her to interpret the data from her own perspective as a former high-achieving leader and currently, an executive coach who works with high-achieving women in corporations.
It is often very difficult for people to conjure up the details of past experiences and the emotions felt in those moments (Gilbert, 2007) What happened in the past is always distorted by the emotions felt in the present. Current events always get the “emotional right of way” making it almost impossible for someone to perfectly recall the “what and why” of any event, and how the “what and why” makes you feel. (p. 135-136)
