In honor of International Women's Day (Mar.8), I'm posting these articles about women in the workplace:
Dec. 12, 2016 "When did being ‘nice’ become a business liability?": I found this article I cut out by Amy Weaver in the Globe and Mail on Jul. 10, 2015. I like the article and the picture of an office. It's computer- generated picture of a black arm chair, small desk, clock, a couple of shelves of books and a pink orchid on the desk. If you click on the article, there is only a picture of a yellow sticky note that says "I'm sorry" with a frowny face:
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend of articles explaining why there aren’t more women in the highest ranks of business. Often presented as “advice,” with titles such as “Five ways women sabotage their careers” or “The seven most common ways women limit their success,” the subtext is that women are failing to conform to certain unwritten behavioural rules deemed necessary to succeed in the workplace.
I can’t stand this type of advice. It takes a one-size-fits-all, blame-the-victim stance, and makes women feel guilty about not following rules that they didn’t write and, frankly, that may not be helping businesses in any meaningful way.
Rather than telling women they are holding themselves back, isn’t it time to change the rules? Here are two pieces of advice in particular I’ve received – or even given out at times – that I’d like to change.
“Don’t be too nice”
I once worked with a bright, soft-spoken and unfailingly polite young woman. She was good at her job – which involved touchy situations and hard judgment calls – precisely because of these traits. After we had both left that company, she asked me to be a reference for a higher position.
When the chief operating officer of the company she had applied for called me for a reference, she said, “I only have one question. Is she too nice for this job?”
When the chief operating officer of the company she had applied for called me for a reference, she said, “I only have one question. Is she too nice for this job?”
I found the question exasperating. How has “niceness” come to represent weakness or ineffectiveness?
How can this attribute be viewed as bad for business?
And what in the world does it mean to be “too” nice?
Not only did I believe this candidate was successful in her job because of her polite, gentle nature, but I am convinced that had she tried to come across as more direct, more assertive or more bullying, she would have failed miserably.
How can this attribute be viewed as bad for business?
And what in the world does it mean to be “too” nice?
Not only did I believe this candidate was successful in her job because of her polite, gentle nature, but I am convinced that had she tried to come across as more direct, more assertive or more bullying, she would have failed miserably.
This is particularly critical in the legal profession, where the adversarial nature of law is commonly used as an excuse for boorish behaviour; where the term “pitbull” can be a compliment and “nice” can be hurled as an insult. But is this the best way to conduct business? I’m hard-pressed to think of a time where I believe a negotiation, case or other business interaction has actually benefited from rudeness.
So, what if we made niceness the “rule” and not a career-limiting liability? Leaders have the power to reward men and women who are blessed with the type of instincts this woman possessed.
"Niceness” is a strength to be cultivated, not a weakness or performance flaw. Let’s take the rule not to be “too nice” off the table.
"Niceness” is a strength to be cultivated, not a weakness or performance flaw. Let’s take the rule not to be “too nice” off the table.
“Don’t apologize”
There is a recent thought-provoking shampoo commercial featuring a series of women repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry.” “Sorry, but I have a question.” “Sorry to interrupt.” “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” Its point is that women often instinctively apologize unnecessarily and should stop because it shows weakness and undermines their message.
I loved the ad when I first saw it. Overapologizing can become instinctive and distracting.
Upon reflection, I want to ensure that we aren’t falling into the same trap here that we can with admonishments not to be too nice. The bigger problem isn’t women who apologize too much, but employees who fail to take responsibility for their actions.
Rather than telling women not to apologize because they’ll look weak, let’s focus on encouraging all employees to show their strength by apologizing and taking ownership for mistakes.
Upon reflection, I want to ensure that we aren’t falling into the same trap here that we can with admonishments not to be too nice. The bigger problem isn’t women who apologize too much, but employees who fail to take responsibility for their actions.
Rather than telling women not to apologize because they’ll look weak, let’s focus on encouraging all employees to show their strength by apologizing and taking ownership for mistakes.
The bottom line: Authenticity counts. The women and men I most admire and who have successfully climbed to the upper echelon of business are those who are genuine.
This doesn’t mean they can’t improve their approaches. They have individual strengths and weaknesses, but they use those to move forward. They succeed because they conduct their business in sync with their values, priorities and unique personal styles. I have never met someone who succeeded by playing a role when that didn’t feel genuine.
This doesn’t mean they can’t improve their approaches. They have individual strengths and weaknesses, but they use those to move forward. They succeed because they conduct their business in sync with their values, priorities and unique personal styles. I have never met someone who succeeded by playing a role when that didn’t feel genuine.
Whether it’s being too nice or too apologetic, let’s not ask women to conform to rules they didn’t write. These traits shouldn’t be viewed as problems, but as advantages – ways to make our workplaces more pleasant, more civil and ultimately more effective.
Let’s refocus that energy to drive innovation, business success and to mentor and encourage others.
Let’s refocus that energy to drive innovation, business success and to mentor and encourage others.
Now is the time to change the rules.
Dec. 13, 2016 "Five questions to help women climb higher": I cut out this article by Harvey Schachter in the Globe and Mail on Mar. 9, 2015. I found this article that I had put in my box of news articles:
We’ve all seen the depressing statistics and heard the even more depressing stories about the lack of women in leadership roles, despite studies showing how much organizations gain from having a more balanced team at the top. We seem stuck, like a car in a snow drift, spinning our wheels, repeating the same despairing complaints, helpless about responding effectively.
Lareina Yee is a practical person, a principal at McKinsey & Co.’s San Francisco office, who has immersed herself deeply in the research about women and leadership, as well as trying to improve the situation with her clients. She has developed five questions, shared in The McKinsey Quarterly, which, she believes, if asked and answered systematically, can lead to significant improvement.
1. Where are women in the talent pipeline?
She begins with the data, viewing the organization as a funnel or ladder, with people streaming through various stages, and determining the percentage of women at each. Given that more women than men are graduating from university, often the number of women at the lowest levels is impressive. But at what stage do they fall by the wayside in your organization?
“There is lots of discussion about the lack of women at the top. But you need to know what is happening at every stage up. You’ll find you have leaks. So it’s not just a matter of recruiting women for the top. You are spending a lot on human capital but losing women,” she said in an interview.
This narrows the problem, allowing you to see areas where things seem to be working and others where you are fumbling. You can then figure out an improvement plan.
2. What skills are we helping women to build?
Often companies seek to improve women’s ability to build networks, which she agrees is vitally important. But in talking to successful women, what came across to her is the importance of resilience, grit and confidence. “They talked of bouncing back from reversals and pushing through walls to make things happen,” she said.
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties.
Grit is resolve, courage and strength of character.
Confidence is self-assurance, based on an accurate appreciation of your abilities.
Usually these are, she said, like “a less-developed muscle” that needs to be and can be strengthened. “Women don’t lack the capacity. Once they start applying the muscle, they can improve,” she said. Help them.
Grit is resolve, courage and strength of character.
Confidence is self-assurance, based on an accurate appreciation of your abilities.
Usually these are, she said, like “a less-developed muscle” that needs to be and can be strengthened. “Women don’t lack the capacity. Once they start applying the muscle, they can improve,” she said. Help them.
3. Do we provide sponsors along with role models?
Most companies try to provide women with mentors. But she believes they have to focus on offering sponsors – individuals who do more than mentor, actively seeking to provide opportunities – as well as role models, so women can see paths and styles to follow.
“Men get sponsored more than women,” she said. In her survey of female leaders, 60 per cent said that if they could relive their careers, they would secure more sponsors. But beyond that, they must also have role models. When women are thinking of opting out, they often will say they can’t see anybody at the top they can relate to, with so few female executives.
Ask on your annual employee survey whether individuals have “one or more sponsors” and then compare the results for women and men. Ask men in senior roles how many sponsor at least one woman. Ask the women in leadership positions what they are doing to be more visible role models.
4. Are we rooting out unconscious biases?
When an executive suggests, kindly, that a woman wouldn’t want a post because it’s travel-intensive, basing that idea not on what the individual has actually said but on beliefs about women and family, that’s an unconscious bias holding the woman back.
And organizations, at all levels, are replete with such notions that are thwarting the progress of women. “Smart companies work hard to make unconscious biases more conscious, and then to root them out so that they don’t affect the culture in wide-ranging and unhelpful ways,” she wrote.
And organizations, at all levels, are replete with such notions that are thwarting the progress of women. “Smart companies work hard to make unconscious biases more conscious, and then to root them out so that they don’t affect the culture in wide-ranging and unhelpful ways,” she wrote.
5. How much are our policies helping?
Organizations feel they have done their bit by bringing in policies on maternity leave and flexible working hours. But are those programs working in your company? Get the facts.
Often, for example, she feels the length of maternity leaves and related financial support are inadequate. “The policies are usually not as forward-looking as they could be,” she said.
Often, for example, she feels the length of maternity leaves and related financial support are inadequate. “The policies are usually not as forward-looking as they could be,” she said.
She feels the toughest question has to do with the unconscious biases. She doesn’t call for quotas but, as with any business effort, you need targets and time lines for improvement.
“Companies can improve in developing leaders with some practical things they can
implement on Monday morning. There are a lot of tangible actions companies can take,” she concludes.
“Companies can improve in developing leaders with some practical things they can
implement on Monday morning. There are a lot of tangible actions companies can take,” she concludes.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment