Women in power in this century are, for the most part, dismissing the old notions of the vast dichotomy between their skills and those of their male counterparts. This has been an on-going debate for decades and essentially, leads nowhere.
We are all complex, multi-layered human beings and we need to embrace that concept, female and male. A graduate of the Total Leadership Connections program sent the following fun picture. Underneath he put “Ain’t that the truth…and the real truth is it applies to men as well as women!”
- And thus, dear students, we have arrived at the formula for understanding women
Well said, Barry Ginnetti, CEO of The GMR Group, a healthcare consulting group focused on managed care. Both men and women employ female as well as male characteristics. Sure, there are differences. Not like a past generation that attempted to make us all unisex, we all have distinct ways of thinking and showing our emotions.
In “Don’t Bring It to Work” there is a major past of the book that tackles the roles learned in childhood and how they impact the behavior patterns we bring into the work place. What our parents, grandparents, culture showed us we imbibed along with mother’s milk or formula. The crises that came into our lives helped to determine how we would handle workplace conflict. Experiences as sons or daughters and siblings taught us what and how to value each other and were the foundation for leadership development.
Thus, we all, as individuals and in our gender issues, become as complex as the blackboard filled with the mathematical formula as our lives expand and contract over time. Let’s celebrate the uniqueness of each of us and stop looking to split hairs over what is male and what is female. We are so much more than that!
Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair, PhD, is President of CEO – Creative Energy Options, Inc., a global consulting company focused on optimizing workplace relationships through her exclusive PatternAware™ Leadership Model. Dr. Lafair is the author of Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success published by Jossey-Bass. As an executive coach and leadership educator, she has more than 30 years of experience with all levels of management from leading corporate officers of global companies to executives of non-profits and owners of leading family-owned businesses. She is now offering GUTSY Women Weekends, giving women the opportunity to dialogue and clarify next steps.
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