It's time for all of us to seriously wake up on gender equality in the workplace.I was speaking recently to a twentysomething female colleague about her work. She has begun to move into a more sales oriented role at her company, and has been involved in helping close several deals for which she believed she deserved extra compensation (in the form of commission). While the level of her involvement in these deals was up for debate, trust me when I tell you, this individual is high quality, high potential, and I believe very much poised to kill it in this role in the future. Yet, as we discussed her situation, she became reluctant to want to press the issue. "I believe I deserve the commission, but I'm worried that I am coming across too bitchy by asking," she said to me. Alarm bells immediately went off in my head.Fast forward to last week. You may recall that I included an article from the NYT in the "Last Word" section of this newsletter that discussed why more women were not CEOs. It is a bit of a long read, but definitely compelling in it's account of the challenges women face in the workplace as they look to ascend to the highest roles. More of you clicked on a story I included about the strange life of Q-tips than this NYT piece. Additional alarm bells for me. Friends, I know it may seem like we are being bombarded by commentary about gender inequality in the workplace of late, but it is time for us all to start to pay attention and stop dismissing the issue. This is not "snowflakes" marching or main stream media simply producing clickbait content. The issue of gender inequality in the workplace is very real, and it is adversely affecting corporate performance in a material way. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty competitive. I like to be on teams that win and I absolutely HATE to lose. I like to work along side of others who think the same way, and frankly, I could give two shits about what gender or race my teammates are. I just want to be on a team that treats everyone fairly and rewards those who are accountable and are doing whatever it takes to win. But here's the thing: as my two examples above illustrate, we are still a long way away from this happening. As long as female co-workers have to worry that asking for something they feel they deserve might make them "bitchy" or that the best qualified leaders in a company are not being installed at the top of the food chain, we ALL have less of a chance to win. I know I have never had to worry about or even think about either of these things. One could classify it simply as over confidence or as privilege. Either way, it is time for all of us, especially men, to acknowledge that an unequal playing field exists, and if we want to win, we need to proactively work to level it. This isn't liberal or progressive thinking either. This isn't me saying I am a father to a daughter or brother to a sister who works. It's simply about one thing: #winning.I've experienced first hand what it is like to work on a gender balanced executive team. I know what it is like to work for a dynamic, strong leader that happens to be female. Diverse teams are stronger teams. When it comes to corporate governance, ego plays a much lesser role in balanced organizations, and discussions are more well rounded. Corporate cultures at gender balanced companies are far more nurturing and developmentally focused. All of these attributes are good for teams that want to win. I could go on about this issue, but I'll get off the soapbox for now. Do me a favor though: when I include articles in this newsletter about gender (in)equality, maybe skip a random snarky article and take the time to check them out. We need more thought and discussion around this topic, particularly from the male side of the house. Thanks for listening. If you have any thoughts or opinions you'd like to share on this topic or others, please pass them along. Enjoy your weekend everyone.XOXODave
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Friends of Dave #32: This Is A Man's World?
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It's time for all of us to seriously wake up on gender equality in the workplace.I was speaking recently to a twentysomething female colleague about her work. She has begun to move into a more sales oriented role at her company, and has been involved in helping close several deals for which she believed she deserved extra compensation (in the form of commission). While the level of her involvement in these deals was up for debate, trust me when I tell you, this individual is high quality, high potential, and I believe very much poised to kill it in this role in the future. Yet, as we discussed her situation, she became reluctant to want to press the issue. "I believe I deserve the commission, but I'm worried that I am coming across too bitchy by asking," she said to me. Alarm bells immediately went off in my head.Fast forward to last week. You may recall that I included an article from the NYT in the "Last Word" section of this newsletter that discussed why more women were not CEOs. It is a bit of a long read, but definitely compelling in it's account of the challenges women face in the workplace as they look to ascend to the highest roles. More of you clicked on a story I included about the strange life of Q-tips than this NYT piece. Additional alarm bells for me. Friends, I know it may seem like we are being bombarded by commentary about gender inequality in the workplace of late, but it is time for us all to start to pay attention and stop dismissing the issue. This is not "snowflakes" marching or main stream media simply producing clickbait content. The issue of gender inequality in the workplace is very real, and it is adversely affecting corporate performance in a material way. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty competitive. I like to be on teams that win and I absolutely HATE to lose. I like to work along side of others who think the same way, and frankly, I could give two shits about what gender or race my teammates are. I just want to be on a team that treats everyone fairly and rewards those who are accountable and are doing whatever it takes to win. But here's the thing: as my two examples above illustrate, we are still a long way away from this happening. As long as female co-workers have to worry that asking for something they feel they deserve might make them "bitchy" or that the best qualified leaders in a company are not being installed at the top of the food chain, we ALL have less of a chance to win. I know I have never had to worry about or even think about either of these things. One could classify it simply as over confidence or as privilege. Either way, it is time for all of us, especially men, to acknowledge that an unequal playing field exists, and if we want to win, we need to proactively work to level it. This isn't liberal or progressive thinking either. This isn't me saying I am a father to a daughter or brother to a sister who works. It's simply about one thing: #winning.I've experienced first hand what it is like to work on a gender balanced executive team. I know what it is like to work for a dynamic, strong leader that happens to be female. Diverse teams are stronger teams. When it comes to corporate governance, ego plays a much lesser role in balanced organizations, and discussions are more well rounded. Corporate cultures at gender balanced companies are far more nurturing and developmentally focused. All of these attributes are good for teams that want to win. I could go on about this issue, but I'll get off the soapbox for now. Do me a favor though: when I include articles in this newsletter about gender (in)equality, maybe skip a random snarky article and take the time to check them out. We need more thought and discussion around this topic, particularly from the male side of the house. Thanks for listening. If you have any thoughts or opinions you'd like to share on this topic or others, please pass them along. Enjoy your weekend everyone.XOXODave