Tag Archives: Mentoring

The Challenges Faced by Global Cosmopolitan Women

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by Linda Brimm

To tap the full potential of these agents for change, organisations must listen and push beyond assumptions.

Carolyn was thrilled when she was offered a role in China. A high flyer in her Dutch organisation and fluent in Mandarin, she believed this was the perfect opportunity to get the international experience that she wanted. However, her boss suggested that it would be difficult for a woman to lead a team for this particular project in China. While his intentions might have been good, his comments left her feeling vulnerable to concerns about gender bias and her ability to handle it.

She knew that the decisions she would have to make in an unfamiliar context would be scrutinised. Carolyn could run into difficulties related to language. While these factors risked eroding some of her self-confidence, she was determined to enter this complex negotiation and decision-making arena. Due to her gender and culture, Carolyn was used to standing out and knew how to benefit from different perspectives. She would probably need to be much better than the men who had previously held the same position to be appreciated. Continue reading →

When leadership turns toxic: The fine line between being tough and being a bully

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By Karlyn Borysenko

Shortly after Senator Amy Klobuchar announced her bid to become the next Democratic nominee for president, horror stories began popping up detailing years of consistent abusive treatment of her staff. The reports contended that her reputation made it difficult to recruit someone to manage her presidential campaign. In response, Klobuchar’s supporters argued that she was being targeted due to her gender and that a man in her position would be considered “tough” instead of toxic.

While it certainly is true that assertive women are much more likely to be viewed as bossy or unlikable than their male counterparts who engage in exactly the same behaviors, we can’t assume that just because someone is a woman, it means that her behaviors towards her staff are being wrongly characterized when charges of toxicity are made. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 30% of workplace bullies are women, and according to a recent study more than two-thirds of women have reported being a target of workplace bullying by a female boss.

So, how can you tell the difference between when your boss is being tough and when they’ve crossed the line into workplace bullying, regardless of the gender they identify with? Where is the line? Here are some differentiators to consider.

Tough bosses have bad days. Bullies are consistently bad.

According to Bartlett and Bartlett, workplace bullying is defined as “the experience of repeated and unwelcomed negative acts such as criticism and humiliation, occurring at a place of employment, that are intended to cause fear, distress, and harm to the target from one or more individuals in any source of power over the target, where the target has difficulties defending him or herself.” Continue reading →

Why We Need More Authentic Women At Work

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  Last Sunday, comedian actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, largely known for her work on Seinfeld and Veep, won the Mark Twain Prize, considered the highest honor in comedy. Louis-Dreyfus is the sixth woman to win the award in a male-dominated field. She is also 57, an age at which?especially in entertainment?many actresses are disqualified.

All the way back in the late 1980s, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was a casting afterthought. The Seinfeld executives decided last-minute that they needed a woman added to the cast. In popped Louis-Dreyfus, and as Jerry Seinfeld said to the New York Times, “I could not get enough of her . . . That whole time, nine years, I was not acting.”

Louis-Dreyfus is gifted comedically. But it is perhaps her conduct that makes her a distinctly unique role model. In spite of the cattiness that can define the entertainment industry, Louis-Dreyfus has made it her business to be both authentic and kind. “Many of those who spoke talked about Louis-Dreyfus’s kindness, [and] how constant and straightforward it was,” as reported in the New York Times.

In one particularly telling incident, Friends’ actress Lisa Kudrow and Louis-Dreyfus were both nominated for an Emmy. “After Louis-Dreyfus won . . . she sent Ms. Kudrow, a fellow nominee, flowers with a note attached: ‘You were robbed. -Julia.’” Continue reading →

Should I stay or should I go?

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The topic of counter offers is an interesting one. I am sure you have seen articles and thoughts about the subject and they are usually one person’s perspective on the topic. For a somewhat different approach, we’ve reached out to people in our network to gain their thoughts and perspective on the topic.

We asked:

You have just received an offer to join a new firm. You are giving notice to leave your current position and your employer makes a “counter offer” to keep you from leaving. You start to think about whether or not to take that “counter offer.”

Why would taking a counter offer can cost you more in the long run?

If people generally want to stay with their current company and the concerning issue is mainly about compensation, accepting the counter-offer can be a good decision.  However, if compensation is only one of a number of reasons to leave, best for the employee (and employer) to part ways amicably and not confuse or prolong the process by considering or negotiating a counter-offer. Further, if the only way for employees to receive raises and/or get paid market rates, better to leave vs. accept a counter offer since this will likely be a recurring theme.

Bob Pryor, CEO,  NTT DATA, Inc.

 

When you decide to make a change it is because there is something missing.     I have always found that a counter offer usually only attempts to correct a salary issue and not the driver behind your decision to make a change and you will still be unhappy.

You will end up back looking in a year!

Once you turn down that original date to the prom, they probably are not going to ask you again!!

Be decisive, know what you want, move forward and don’t look back!!

Betty Becker-Steele, Senior Executive at Accenture

 

The reasons people resign include they: dislike the work, dislike the company direction, dislike their boss, dislike their pay. They don’t necessarily want a raise, they want a new situation. Accepting a counter does not fix any of this.  In fact, it may cause resentment toward that employee down the road. Don’t take the counter!

John Cutrone,  Senior Advisor – Professional Services

 

We hope you find these perspectives interesting. If you would like to share your thoughts on this for future blogs, please let me know.

Larry Janis, Managing Partner, ISSG, janis@issg.net

How to bond with your employees without compromising your authority

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By Sadie Williamson

For any company, success is largely dependent on how well workers perform. I’ve long since learned that employees who perform the best are almost always those who are most engaged with their projects and teams. But you might be surprised to find out that one of the biggest contributing factors to the motivation and good feeling of an employee is often their relationship with their manager.

In a study by the OC Tanner Institute, 37 percent of employees reported recognition from management as by far the most important factor for employee motivation. A similar study found that 79 percent of people who quit their jobs do so because they don’t feel appreciated.

The most successful managers understand their responsibility for employee engagement and recognize how good employee relations contribute to a flourishing company.

Unfortunately, evidence also shows that companies are not taking steps to equip their managers to handle the softer aspects of the role. A CareerBuilder survey found that 58 percent of managers reported receiving no training for their current position. While there is no instruction manual or rule book on managing and leading people, my time in the corporate world has taught me that there are steps that you can take to navigate this complicated responsibility. Continue reading →