by Caroline | Oct 20, 2015 | confidence, Diversity, double bind, gender roles, judging difference, women and confidence, women masculine style |
The young lawyer worked long hours, did great work, served on firm committees and got along with clients and colleagues. At her performance review, the senior partner noted all of these strengths. But he identified one “area of improvement”: “You are lacking in humility,” he said. I suspect the “double bind” is at play. The double bind is the tightrope women must walk. If they work and behave in more feminine ways, they are not seen as leaders. If they act in masculine ways (or too masculine or too often), they are disliked.
by Caroline | Oct 14, 2015 | comfort principal, double bind, double bind, Gender Balance, gender bias, Gender diversity, gender diversity in leadership, invisible mind-sets, Lean In, obstacles for women in business, unconscous mind-sets, Women in management, women masculine style |
The numbers and graphs in the report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2015, support some beliefs, and challenge some myths, about why women remain underrepresented at the executive level of American business. What about gender bias? The report concludes that women are more likely than men to perceive gender bias. Of course they do! One of the recommendations of the study is training to “interrupt gender bias,” including to assure men can see and understand the challenges women encounter.
by Caroline | Oct 1, 2015 | Diversity |
I look forward to studying the recently published report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, “Women in the Workplace 2015.” Sheryl Sandberg’s piece announcing the report in the Wall Street Journal, “When Women Get Stuck, Corporate America Gets Stuck,” got a lot of commentary very fast. In the first hours after it hit the internet, most of the comments are from men. And many of those can only be called defensive, hostile and closed-minded. What’s with the backlash?
by Caroline | Jul 15, 2015 | comfort principal, double bind, gender bias, gendered definitions of leadership, generational differences, generations at work, invisible mind-sets, obstacles for women in business, unconscious mind sets |
Are obstacles for women in the workplace likely to disappear when Millennials run the world? In our workshops, we address the unconscious “mind-sets” that still affect women’s ability to reach their potential. We are often asked if these issues are disappearing in the younger generations in today’s workforce. Do young people truly have a less “gendered” view of leadership qualities? Will their images of leadership and success be less predictably masculine? Will gender diverse leadership be the norm?
by Caroline | Jun 18, 2015 | bottom line value of gender diversity, Business Results, double bind, gender diversity bottom line, obstacles to gender diversity, unconcscious bias, unconscious mind sets, women in leadership |
I am out to expose and eradicate anything that gets in the way of women being able to reach their potential. One thing that gets in the way is “mind-sets” — often unconscious ways we think as a result of our early-life experiences. Images from the 1950’s capture ways people discounted the value of women. That thinking that may still influence the experiences of women – and give rise to obstacles like the double bind and gendered definitions of leadership.
