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?

Deaf, Blind, Biased – or Stumped? Why Leaders Don’t Respond to the Business Case for Gender Diversity

by | May 3, 2016 | benefits of diversity, bottom line value of gender diversity, Business Results, diversity and inclusion, double bind, gender bias, gender bias, gender diversity in leadership, gender stereotypes, images of leadership, images of women, obstacles to gender diversity, unconscious bias, unconscious images, upside of gender diversity, women in business | 0 comments

Why might the message about the value of diversity not be heard? Why might leaders hear it but not buy it? Why do men who do buy it not take effective action? These are not rhetorical questions. I have some ideas but I want your thoughts.

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”?

Gender Parity: A Realistic Goal?

by | Feb 3, 2016 | comfort principal, double bind, gender balance, gender bias, gender equality, gender parity, images of leadership, obstacles for women in business, obstacles to gender diversity, unconscious bias, unconscious mind sets, work and family | 0 comments

McKinsey has concluded that it will take 25 years to reach “gender parity” at the senior VP level and more than 100 years to reach parity in the C-suite. Is “parity” realistic and attainable even in a century? I don’t think so. Even if we could magically eliminate all unconscious gender bias, other factors would make parity unlikely. There are key reasons other than bias – like free choice. I will continue to help eliminate bias so choice is truly free.

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?