A Woman Presidential Candidate! How Gender Is a Factor

by | Jul 6, 2016 | double bind, double bind, feminine strengths, gender bias, Gender difference, gendered definitions of leadership, images of women, unconcscious bias, women aggressive communication, women and confidence, women masculine style | 0 comments

Having a woman set to represent a major political party in the race for the U.S. presidency is historical. I wish this could be the only way gender is a factor. How much of her low favorability ratings do you think are driven by unconscious gender bias?

Call It What You Will; It Is an Obstacle for Women

by | Feb 17, 2016 | double bind, double bind, obstacles for women in business, obstacles to gender diversity, women masculine style | 0 comments

One major obstacle for women in the workplace goes by many names – the double bind, a tightrope, the Goldilocks thing. Call it what you will, it is a lose-lose proposition for women. They are criticized for being too feminine and too masculine. How do we bring down the “Goldilocks thing”?

Suggestion: Stop Trying to Achieve Gender Diversity by “Fixing” Women

by | Feb 10, 2016 | benefits of diversity, bottom line value of gender diversity, double bind, Gender diversity, gender diversity in leadership, unconscious bias | 0 comments

A recent conversation brought to mind how people are missing the mark in trying to achieve gender diversity in leadership. I heard more about (a) how people understand the business value of gender diversity, (b) they don’t know how to get it, and (c) they are still trying to “fix” women instead of eliminating the barriers to gender diversity. How can we shift the focus from “fixing women” to bringing awareness to unconscious gender biases?

Even His Daughter Didn’t “Fit the Picture”

by | Dec 9, 2015 | double bind, double bind, feminine leadership strengths, Gender Balance, Gender diversity, gender diversity in leadership, gendered definitions of leadership, images of leadership, unconscous mind-sets, women in leadership, women masculine style | 0 comments

Unconscious gender bias doesn’t’ appear exclusively in the corporate world. As illustrated by a true story a friend recently told me, it resides in small business, too. Our unconscious (and gendered) images of leadership are everywhere. In a family business, a woman who had worked for years was passed over when the founder retired — by a much less experienced, but male, relative. How can we broaden our “pictures” of leadership?

Unconscious Gender Bias in Workplace Feedback

by | Dec 2, 2015 | double bind, double bind, feedback, gender bias, gender communication, gender stereotypes, gendered definitions of leadership, judging difference, masculine communication style, unconscious bias, women aggressive communication, Women in management, women masculine style | 0 comments

She is “helpful” but “too assertive.” He “shows initiative” and “solves problems.” Research shows that the language used in performance reviews for men and women is very different. The language clearly reflects underlying gender bias. Can making managers more aware of their language actually uproot and change gender biases?