The recent news about one of America's
most powerful woman ceo's being removed from office has raised the discussion about
gender bias, again. It disappoints me that in 2005, I still hear women clients
talking about "the old boys' network". They say "glass
ceilings" are holding them back in terms of advancement, pay equity,
recognition and career satisfaction. While I have no doubt their assessments
are valid it's important that we don't
generalize too much. There are other
reasons as well.
First, discretion is no longer the best part of valor. While Shakespearean wenches were prized for
their discretion, professional women in today's competitive
workplace are often held back by the very quality that is too often expected of
women. So let me be clear on this: Women - working quietly and selflessly will
not get you to that corner office!
In my line of work, I still hear business professionals
blaming the 'glass ceiling' for women's scarce presence in the executive suite.
Research (and my own experience) shows that while the glass ceiling isn't
completely cracked, it is not the main obstacle for women's advancement to the
upper echelons of corporate America.
The good old boy network (active as it is) is no longer what provides men the
biggest advantage in the workplace.
Men's advantage comes from their willingness to speak about
their accomplishments, having learned from an early age how rewarding it is to
talk about winning and being first--in a ball game, in a race, in the class
rankings. As boys become men and enter the workplace, they have found that in
most cases it is still worthwhile and good business to push their cause--to
their boss and their co-workers and their clients, too.
Contrast that attitude and behavior to that of women, whose
early years are marked by societal encouragement and positive reinforcement for
being amenable and social and not aggressive or assertive. Today's companies
are filled with many women who grew up getting positive strokes for being
discreet, sociable, attractive, quiet, and not competing with boys in boys'
games. These women entered the workforce with no developed skills for self-promotion - and
perhaps even a conditioned aversion to such indiscreet (and unseeming)
activity.
Over the 25 years I was a senior executive working in
boardrooms across the US
and Canada I
repeatedly saw bright and talented women exhibit this conditioned aversion to
applauding one's accomplishments and embracing self-promotion. That type of
behavior holds women back from advancement, pay equity, recognition from the
boss, and career satisfaction. And while I would like to be the only person with this opinion - I am not. There is
recent research backing up this observation.
I recently reviewed an article written by William Ryberg for
the Des Moines Register. Ryberg's article focused on the results of a study
conducted by the Nexus Executive Women's Alliance
of 1200 businesswomen in Australia
in 2002. In it, women were asked for their views and opinions about the
principal barriers to their own advancement and
success in the workplace. While it still showed up on the results, the
traditional 'boys club' was not considered their biggest impediment to upward
mobility. The survey results showed that women now recognize that they are
their own worst enemy. These professionals identified the barriers affecting them to be:
37.9% - a lack of self-promotion,
19.4% - having children,
18.8% - outside work commitments,
18.6% - gender discrimination,
5.4% - other women.
Based on the feedback I get directly when asking similar
questions to clients, I believe this study is applicable on this side of the Pacific.
Let's Consider the #1 Reason - Over many years as a senior
executive in the United States
and Canada, it
became clear to me that women often wait to be noticed. It seems they get so
caught up in the day-to-day challenges of their work that 'promoting'
themselves and what they accomplish is left at the bottom of the pile. Men
understand the importance of self promotion in general. And they use it better.
While women often engage solely on the work at hand, and believe that a good
result will speak for itself some of their men colleagues will take advantage
of whatever opportunity arises to make their case and get some 'face time' with
the boss.
I've seen talented and accomplished women passed over for
advancement because of this lack of awareness and action.
Think things aren't really like this? Consider the following
two examples and reflect on how immediately they are familiar:
Situation A - Emily and Brian are two executives working in
commercial real estate each one just had a good month, closing deals worth $2
million. At the regular month-end meeting, the boss cites each of them for
great results. Emily is pleased & credits her success to great
teamwork. Brian accepts the praise from
his boss and states his plans to close another
great deal this month.
What's the boss' likely impression? "Emily is a great team player - but Brian is a real
go-getter."
Situation B - Quarterly earnings are down 50%. The boss
calls a meeting to consider new ideas to push the results ahead. Rose, who has
a quiet voice, suggests almost tentatively an idea that could be a winner. The
management group discusses it around the table and one of them, Josh, really
supports the idea. He's assertive in his dialog and passionately defends it. Rose's
idea is adopted, but Josh gets credit for the idea. The boss even refers to it
as "Josh's project." While Rose's contribution will be remembered by
those who care for her, Josh leaves this meeting viewed as a great idea man.
So, in summary: You
cannot afford to sit back and hope someone will notice your contributions in
today's environment. And secondly,
develop the skill & learn to talk about your achievements in the workplace.
Talk about your work to the right people.
This does not mean lowering your standards. It's just
recognizing the reality of the environment you've chosen.
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John McKee is the visionary behind
BusinessSuccessCoach.net, the premier online coaching service for business
people and professionals at all levels.
During his over 25 years as a senior executive, he personally hired,
promoted, and fired literally thousands of people. Now, as a business coach,
McKee uses the phone to coach others to become more successful using field
tested approaches.
His new
E-Book is " 21 Ways Women in Management Shoot Themselves
in the Foot - How to Use Gender Bias to Further Your Career"
is a must read for any woman. Get the perspective of a
male coach on your side. It can be downloaded at http://www.WomanBusinessWeb.com
Want to learn more? Take a free 7 part mini coaching session by email by signing up at: http://www.BusinessSuccessCoach.net.
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(2 years 206 days ago.)