New Book Alert!!!
Available Now!
Author:
Anneli Blundell
When Men Lead Women: Navigating the Facts, Fears and Frustrations of Gender Equality as a Male Leader
For: HR, L&D, Leaders, and of course, Men
Purpose: To provide the pathway forward for a new dialogue between men and women
This is a pocketbook about the unspoken responses of men to the rise of women at work. Men are grappling with their place in the fight for gender equality. They have questions, concerns, fears, and curiosities, about their presence and purpose in this issue, and are not always sure how to enter into discussions with sensitivity and support. Not all of their thoughts feel safe to explore in general discussion, without seeming sexist, ignorant or unsupportive.
This book is an attempt to surface the conversations that feel taboo, that may be unpopular, and perhaps a little too controversial to say out loud. It's an opportunity for men (and women) to engage in real dialogue and get answers to the questions they're hesitant to ask. Without a safe space to explore and understand the role men play in striving for equality, society as a whole will remain stuck in the status quo.
The ideas in this book provide the pathway forward for a new dialogue between men and women: A dialogue where blame and fear are replaced with clarity and courage, and men feel not only encouraged to get involved, but crucial to the cause.
““Anneli’s passion for truly inclusive workplaces is real and compelling.” HR Director, Mercedes-Benz Australia
”
Check out the list of resources mentioned in the book!
Get Curious
Learn, read, listen to podcasts, watch TED Talks, interview women, talk with friends, start conversations with other men. Understand the experience of women at work. More specifically:
Watch:
Why gender equality is good for everyone—men included
Michael Kimmel, the pre-eminent scholar of men and masculinity, makes the surprising, funny, practical case for treating men and women equally in the workplace and at home. It's not a zero-sum game, but a win/win that will result in more opportunity and more happiness for everybody.
Read:
Do women really need help to progress? A practical look at 5 invisible forces that shape women in leadership
Anneli Blundell pens this paper without blame and without favour, taking a practical look at women in the workforce and offering points for discussion that seek to open up perspectives, challenge assumptions, and draw us all into an active stance on moving the needle forward.
When men mentor women
Listen:
David Smith, associate professor of sociology at the U.S. Naval War College, and Brad Johnson, professor of psychology at the United States Naval Academy, offer their advice on how men can be thoughtful allies to the women with whom they work. They are the authors of Athena rising: How and why men should mentor women.
Act:
Ask women what’s it been like for them as women in the corporate world?
Stay Open
Question your own actions, review your assumptions, and challenge your perceptions. Be open to changing your mind and your beliefs around this topic. More specifically:
Watch:
I’ve lived as a man & a women -- here’s what I learned
As a transgender woman, Paula Stone Williams has lived on both sides of the gender equation, ‘and the differences are massive!’ In this funny and insightful talk, Paula shares her wisdom for all.
In the eye of the beholder: Avoiding the merit trap
Read:
Chief Executive Women and Male Champions of Change team up to examine our use of merit and what we can do to avoid the merit trap of ‘I always hire the best person for the job.’
Let’s do less dead-end work
Listen:
Women are expected and asked to do thankless tasks—order lunch, handle less-valued clients—more than men, and research shows that doing those tasks slows down their career advancement and makes them unhappy at work.
Act:
Stop calling women aggressive / bossy / overly ambitious / too direct /too cold / too hard / too emotional. See their strength and assertiveness through the lens of men’s actions. If the behaviour would go unnoticed in a man, then let it go unnoticed for women.
Take action
Promote women on potential not just past performance, groom them for business acumen not just confident communications, boast on behalf of women and put them forward for opportunities and promotions. Don’t talk over women, or interrupt them, or restate their ideas without crediting them … ever. In fact, don’t do this to anyone. (You’d be surprised how often I hear this happening.) Shine the spotlight on women and openly acknowledge the value of their contributions. More specifically:
The mask you live in by The Representation Project
Watch:
This explores how our culture's narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.
The leadership shadow
Read:
This paper describes a model to help leaders learn and find better ways to lead the efforts that seek to achieve greater gender balance in organisations. It is an attempt to better analyse what we have been doing, reveal what has and hasn’t worked and then adopt more effective ways of moving ahead.
to your mother / sister / daughter/ wife.
Listen:
What advice do they have for the men of today to make it easier for women?
Act:
Listen to women’s ideas. Monitor how much time you talk in meetings and if you talk over others. Then set yourself a challenge to provide more space for women to speak. Be the man who stops other men interrupting women by saying, ‘let her finish.’
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
