working on a computerThe theme these past three weeks from me has been dividing the tasks you like from the tasks you don’t like at work to help you work towards ensuring your next job is a very good fit ( from the perspective of the details of the work itself, cultural fit is something we will talk about next week!)

Ascertaining what you are not so good at at work is really important as then you can spend time developing yourself with or without formal development or learning programs at your company (it is great if there are programs to help you). However, how do you know what you are bad at? Well, you could have received feedback formally in a review or informally but sometimes the tasks you like least are often the ones you are least developed in and you just know that some of the elements of your job you could do with strengthening your muscles in ( see last week’s advice)

Write a list of what you want to master and carve out time to spend real time to practice – for example: budgets or excel – a lot of this can be self taught. Then there are less tangible areas such as networking which we will talk about for the month of October in this column. Good Luck!

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

thought-leadershipLast week we talked about making lists of the tasks that you do everyday. By now, if you did that exercise, you might have spotted that there are a few things on that list that you do not enjoy doing or that you feel you are not so strong at doing. The trick is to understand how important they are to your growth and to your overall success. Rank them as a priority in your success and then nominate a time in your calendar (daily, weekly, monthly * however appropriate) and really stick to plowing through those tasks. Make them a priority, and think about ways to enjoy them ( ranging from doing them with a team member to treating yourself to a nice coffee or something while undertaking it).

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@glasshammer2.wpengine.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

female leaderThe ironic thing about authentic leadership is that it’s defined by others.

You can aspire to act authentically as a leader based on what it means to you, but authentic leadership ultimately gets attributed to you -not by you.

We’ve seen how defining authenticity too narrowly can become a self-defining box that holds you back from growing as a leader, keeping you from daring to evolve into unfamiliar territories which could catalyse growth to expand.

Authenticity – What does that mean for women?

According to Dr. Helena Liu and her co-authors Cutcher and Grant in their study “Doing Authenticity: The Gendered Construction of Authentic Leadership”, authenticity is not a trait that we “have” or “are”, but a performance we “do”. So too, they argue, citing many studies, is gender. The researchers argue that looking at authenticity as a genderless true-to-self concept is a fallacy.

Authentic/inauthentic, when we’re talking subjectively about people, is a binary and limiting social construct. Just like gender. The two are interwoven in the representation of authentic leadership.

The research found that when it comes to how high profile leaders are perceived, authenticity is socially co-constructed by the media and gender expectations play a big role. The study found “doing authenticity requires leaders to conform to gender norms.”

Liu and colleagues analyzed verbal and visual media representations (across 266 articles) of two CEOS, one male and one female (first and only to date), of Australia’s largest banks before and after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

They wanted to explore how Mike Smith of ANZ and Gail Kelly at Westpac “performed authenticity” for the media as well as how the media drew on gendered stereotypes and norms in constructing the leaders as either authentic or inauthentic as industry conditions changed.

Their research illustrates how a woman whose leadership publically benefited from the outsider-inferred status of gender norms also found her authenticity conditionally latched to them.

Capitalizing on Gendered Leadership

Before the crisis arrived, the researchers found that both CEOS seemed to “perform” and were depicted with highly gendered leadership styles. Each leader seemed to play on their gender capital and the media verbally and visually accentuated gender norms.

Mike Smith used sporting metaphors to talk about himself and the company, positioning himself as a tough trainer who would get the weak athlete (ANZ) strong again. Media and imagery reflected him as bringing a “hyper-masculine”, “James Bond” “change agent” style approach to the leadership. He tended to be depicted on his own, with salient positioning, as the essence of the message.

Recruited to WestPac from her position as St George CEO, Gail Kelly’s idealogical focus on “customer satisfaction” and her “people-orientation” were emphasized as core to her success record.

Her leadership was depicted as “family-friendly” and her firm as “family.” Media and imagery focused on relationships with customers and staff, depicting her as a heralded industry outsider with “her personal demeanour” and emphasis on promoting work/life balance. Imagery emphasized her “feminized warm and relational image,” and she was usually depicted visually with others to convey relationship-building.

According to Liu’s piece for a volume about “Gender, Media and Organization”, “the media by and large heralded Kelly’s gender as a welcome change from the traditional image of a banker” with her leadership identity resting “on assumptions of femininity as inherently caring and nurturing.”

Both leaders were cast in a narrow box of gendered leadership and each were constructed in the media as doing authenticity, or “doing gender in line with stereotypes.”

When Gendered Leadership Backfires on Authenticity

When the global financial crisis hit Australia Mr. Smith’s language in the press included “carnage”, “an Armageddon situation,” and a “financial services bloodbath” and the media reflected back with talk of “plenty of financial firepower,” the “largest war chest,” and a “no nonsense officer.” ANZ’s rapid acquisitions were “applauded by the media and framed as reflecting the bank’s newfound strength and aggressive strategy of international expansion.”

But according to the study, in the context of Ms.Kelly’s leadership the media depicted the financial crisis as “an uncertain and fragile situation that invited careful and considered response.” When she took pro-active and decisive action to raise interest rates first and acquire St George, Kelly’s leadership was seen as out of step with the both the situation at hand as well as her caring and nurturing leadership identity. Her authenticity was thrown into question across the media, and actions were depicted as “predatory,” including a reference to the merger as “akin to a mother eating her children.” Her attempts to revive positive “family” metaphors fell flat.

Both CEOs took action, but because the situation and their leadership was constructed through gendered norms, the actions they took were rendered authentic or inauthentic. Aggressive action suited Smith’s gendered leadership persona in the aggressive situation he was framed in but betrayed Kelly’s gendered leadership persona in the fragile and uncertain situation she was framed in, in which she was expected to care and nurture.

How Can You Avoid Being Boxed In?

The research highlights how gendered norms can become defining to leadership identity and make authenticity highly conditional upon performing them. How can women avoid being boxed in?

“Ithink that gender norms, like what we saw in the media during the crisis permeate Western organisations and societies, but the corporate world is especially prone to the reproduction of gender stereotypes,” Liu shared. “Stereotypical assumptions often manifest in mundane and seemingly innocent practices, such as sexualised banter and informal networks and bonding, which can work to further marginalise women from leadership.” She continued, “I would stress that structural inequality should not be ignored and can ultimately be challenged through more reflexive and progressive practices from those who are often relegated to the margins of leadership.”

Liu advises women to be aware of the box, and defy representing your leadership only within it.

“I would suggest women who aspire to leadership need to remain aware of the wider gender norms that constrain their exercise of leadership and their pursuit of authenticity,” Liu told theglashammer.com.

“As Gail Kelly demonstrated, women can communicate compelling leadership personas that speak to gender norms around being attentive, responsible and people-oriented in order to assert their right to lead. At the same time, there is immense promise for women (and men) who may choose to reject and subvert gender norms through their leadership work. They can pay attention to how they frame themselves when they communicate with their employees and peers and potentially engage more proactively with the media to project more nuanced images of themselves as embodying both feminine and masculine qualities.”

“With increased representation and visibility of female leaders, including those who may not occupy formal positions of leadership but nevertheless engage in ‘leading’,” she shared, “I’m optimistic that we will see that women leaders are diverse, well-rounded and irreducible to gender stereotypes.”

Theglasshammer.com hopes she is right.

By Aimee Hansen

Women-working-on-tabletIs what you do everyday, close to what you want to do? It can be an overwhelming question. Make a list of the tasks that you would like to do all day, literally a blow by blow look at what you actually do task by task. Make sure you spell out what it is you would do to fill the hours, for example: find sales prospects by mining linkedin or review documents regarding the team deal. Be careful to understand that titles or one sentence strategy can be misleading, for example: being responsible for the group’s compliance may be your remit for sure but not helpful at letting you know what you like doing.

Step two. Make a list of tasks that you would like to do.

How do those lists compare?

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

Woman travelling - airport

By Gina Scanlon

China has proven itself to be a leading economic giant that continues to grow exponential sources of revenue for companies in the United States. VP of research for the Global Business Travel Association, Joe Bates, states that China is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world’s most dominant business travel market by 2016. Which is why learning more about their business culture may prove fruitful for managers and executives traveling to the Asian continent.

Westerners traveling to China on business sometimes have an unsettling feeling that they’ll do or say something potentially embarrassing or offensive without even realizing it.

It happened to management consultant Scott Margolis while making a video presentation to a room of Chinese credit card executives in Shanghai. “As I hooked up my laptop to the projector, a desktop photo of my three children went on the screen for 20 to 30 seconds while I was looking for something in my computer bag,” he recalls about the 2007 incident. “The room got very quiet.”

This is something that would go without a second thought in the western world, but displaying a family of multiple children in a country that only allows one child per family came off insensitive, and even worse, possibly insulting. The country has since begun to loosen this particular rule, but nonetheless, situations like this should be avoided at all costs.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind before you arrive.

Business Etiquette Tips
  • Punctuality is extremely important. Being late in Chinese business culture is an insult.
  • When either handing or receiving something to another, it is customary to do so with both hands, and with a slight bow.
  • Patience and politeness is important, and it is customary for Chinese executives to make business decisions slowly. So be prepared for a bit of possibly long-winded pomp and circumstance at the beginning of your business talks. You may be asked to give a short speech as well, so go prepared. Do not interrupt a fellow business partner during conversation, as it can be seen as pushy and impatient.
  • Refrain from touching anyone’s head at any time, as the head is considered sacred.
  • Learn how to use chopsticks correctly. When putting them down, do not put them parallel on top of the bowl, or inside the bowl. Placing them in the bowl is considered insensitive as they resemble joss sticks (incense), which are used in religious ceremonies.
  • It is customary to try a piece of every dish if you do not have any allergies. Failure to do so will come off rude. But make sure you don’t take the last piece of anything as this can come off greedy.
  • Remove your shoes when entering private homes and temples.
  • If you are handed a gift, it is customary to show appreciation, but save opening it for later to show good taste. And if giving a gift, avoid clocks or books. ‘To give a clock’ in Mandarin sounds like ‘attend a funeral’ and to ‘give a book’ sounds like ‘delivering defeat.’
  • Don’t write anything in red ink, as it is used for letters of protest.
Transportation and Traveling Tips
  • For translation help, Pieco is a popular free app, and only costs $14.95 to purchase the optical character recognition function for your iPhone. For example, you can use your phone to get an instant translation of a Chinese menu item with this feature.
  • This one may come as a surprise, but toilet tissue is rarely available in public places in China, so make sure to bring your own.
  • Pack a multi-device charger, like a Chargepod, for your journey.
  • If you hold a U.S. passport, you won’t need a visa to enter Hong Kong if your trip is under 30 days. But you will need a visa for mainland China. You may need a multiple-entry visa depending on your travel plans.
  • According to CNN.com, taxi drivers in Shanghai are burdened with small bills. They prefer the jingle of coins, which seems to be the opposite sentiment from the United States. However, in northern in western China, market vendors prefer paper money and may reject coins.
  • If you are required to leave the major cities, be advised that there will be limited signs in English.
  • It is advised to take a business card from your hotel’s front desk upon arrival, which will have the hotel’s address in both English and Chinese, which can help with cab rides.
  • Your usual health products can be challenging to find in China, as they are mostly in Chinese, so you may want to ask your GP to prescribe an infection-fighting drug in case you may need one. Imodium may also prove helpful due to the difference in ingredients in the cuisine you may be used to.

Hopefully these tips will help make your time in China successful and stress-free. Knowledge is power!

working from homeChanging companies? Do benefits and company policy matter in this decision?

Yes. Due to the USA having the same maternity support as Papua New Guinea ( i.e. very little), it is essential that you choose an employer in the USA who offers maternity leave if you are planning in the short, medium or long term to have kids. Check leave for adoption, spousal leave etc and remember that there are companies who operate with excellent leave and offer support around re-entry and flexible work. For any country in the world- check for additional perks and cultural norms around time off.

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@glasshammer2.wpengine.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

women shaking handsGallup has polled Americans on their male or female boss preferences for over six decades now. It took until this century for “no difference” (46% in 2014) to consistently become the top answer– an answer which men (58%) are much more likely to express than women (34%).

During all previous years of the study, it’s no big surprise that preference for a male boss took the top spot. Among those with a preference today, men and women still prefer male bosses.

Among men, 14% prefer a female boss and 26% prefer a male boss – which means that among preferring men, 65% pick a male boss. Among women, 25% prefer a female boss and 39% prefer a male boss – which means that among preferring women,61% pick a male boss.

Women are more likely than men to prefer a female boss, but also more likely to prefer a male boss. Gallup points out that total preference for a female boss has never surpassed 25%.

Gallup indicates one of the measures that may contribute to the female boss bias is still too few female bosses. Only 33% of respondents currently had a female boss. But “those who have a female boss are more likely than those with a male boss to say they would prefer a female boss if they got a new job (27% vs. 15%, respectively).”

The Bias Behind Our Preferences

A recent study by Powell & Butterfield published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior sought to understand what drives preferences around male or female bosses, or the lack of preference.

The researchers note that the overall male bias is likely a complicated mix of pervasive gender stereotypes, leadership traits being associated to men, role congruity, societally conferred male status, and think manager-think male prototypes. Other sources speculate female preference in particular for male bosses may lie in fear of the “queen bee syndrome”, bullying by other women, reports of increased stress when reporting to female bosses, or that women bosses get penalized for supporting other women’s career advancement.

But the researchers wanted to investigate how gender identity plays a role in preferences. They asked 455 undergraduate (median age 20) and part-time MBA students (median age 36) about their boss preferences and had them complete a tool that measures gender identity, or to what extent people identify themselves as having (stereotypical) “masculine” traits and (stereotypical) “feminine traits.

Similar to Gallup, they found the majority of participants had no preference about the sex of their boss. But sex-typed respondents (those self-identifying either highly masculine or highly feminine based on stereotypical traits) were more likely to express a preference – and that preference was likely to be consistent with their own gender-identification.

“Feminine” respondents preferred a female boss more than “masculine” ones. “Masculine” respondents preferred a male boss more than “feminine” ones. “Undifferentiated” or “androgynous” respondents, less defined personally by gender, were less inclined to express any preference for their bosses too.

According to Powell, “Our study supports the similarity attraction paradigm that suggests people are more interpersonally attracted to the idea of working with and being around people whom they see as being like themselves.”

If we extend these findings, our preferences or lack of them for the sex of our boss may reflect something about how we gender-identify within. It would seem that more strongly embracing our own feminine traits could open us up more to embracing female bosses.

Women are Better Managers

There are a lot of reasons to embrace female leadership. A recent Gallup “State of the American Manager” report focused on, despite the male boss bias, “why women are better managers than men.”

Fostering Engagement

Gallup found female leaders (41%) are more engaged than male leaders (35%), and make more engaging bosses. This enables them to lead high-performing teams.

The report found “Employees of female managers outscore employees of male managers on 11 of 12 engagement items.” Employees who work for a female manager are more engaged (on average 6%). The highest engagement levels are among female employees reporting to female managers (35%) and the lowest engagement is among male employees reporting to male managers (25%).

Cultivating Potential

Gallup found that employees who report to a female manager rather than male manager are 1.26 times more likely to strongly agree that “There is someone at work who encourages my development.”

The report noted, “This suggests that female managers likely surpass their male counterparts in cultivating potential in others and helping to define a bright future for their employees.”

Another aspect in which female bosses shined was in attention to employee progress. Employees reporting to a female manager are 1.29 times more likely to strongly agree that “In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.”

According to the report, “This suggests that female managers, more so than male managers, tend to provide regular feedback to help their employees achieve their development goals.”

Providing Recognition

When employees do make progress or realize achievements, female managers are more likely to acknowledge it too. The Gallup study found that employees reporting to a female boss are 1.17 times more likely to strongly agree that “In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.”

According to the report, “In addition to encouraging associate development through regular conversations about performance, this suggests that female managers surpass male managers in providing positive feedback that helps employees feel valued for their everyday contributions” and they are more likely “helping their employees harness the power of positive reinforcement.”

“Overall,” the report states, “female managers eclipse their male counterparts at setting basic expectations for their employees, building relationships with their subordinates, encouraging a positive team environment and providing employees with opportunities to develop within their careers.”

Gallup’s recommendation? Companies need to get more female managers in place through use of the great hiring and promoting equalizer of, wait for it: “talent.”

Overall, many advantages exist to having a women as your manager. It’s time both men and women took stock of them.

People around a laptopThis Week’s Tip Is….

Know the difference between a stretch assignment or an opportunity to develop your skills and over-promising work that you don’t have time, support or perhaps the skillset to do since this affect your reputation.

Work with your boss and sponsors to secure useful projects or tasks that are supported. Ask yourself about time, skills and institutional support as a checklist before you say yes.

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com is you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

thought-leadershipThis Week’s Tip Is…..

Beware of job myopia. Do you know the bigger picture?

Becoming a Leader or a senior executive usually requires having a holistic and bigger picture view of the business and the industry that you are working in.

When meeting with someone in your firm or a client, remember to ask broader questions that can advance your knowledge in this area as well as talking about the direct issue at hand.

Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@glasshammer2.wpengine.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work.

woman-office-spaceAs you advance in your career, you may find yourself tempted to mimic examples of “traditional” leadership. In other words, consciously or not, you may strive to be more independent, commanding, dominating, unbending, and yes, masculine.

Generally speaking, women think, relate, motivate, and assume responsibility differently from men. But if you’ve ever considered your natural leadership style a liability, think again. As the popular Always campaign demonstrates, doing anything “like a girl” should be a point of pride. (It’s time to free yourself from any lingering notions of joining the “old boys’ club.”)

In a connected global marketplace that’s driven by engaging communication, collaboration, and collective buy-in, many “feminine strengths” (which, to be fair, many men also possess and use quite effectively) are suddenly in high demand.

That said, here are six suggestions to help you tap into the power of feminine leadership.

First, gain a better understanding of your feminine “power tools.” No doubt about it: Traditional models of powerful leadership (think command and control) are on their way out. Meanwhile, a more flexible, inclusive incarnation of power — one that comes naturally to women — is becoming more entrenched.

Gloria Feldt, one of the coauthors of my book Leading Women, says instead of pursuing “power over,” women prefer to think in terms of “power to.” Yes, your team may accomplish enough with a dominating leader—but they’ll accomplish more with one who helps them tap into the power to accomplish, grow, and use their individual and collective strengths.

Speak up more often. Many female leaders consciously marshal their words so as not to be perceived as “too chatty” when there’s an important job to do. But actually, research suggests (and you may have noticed yourself) that men speak more at meetings. My coauthor Claire Damken Brown, PhD, points out that when women talk, we provide details and seek cohesion, so as long as you keep your responses focused, don’t feel that you have to be “strong and silent” to be an effective leader.

Don’t keep it all business, all the time. Women’s emotional intelligence makes us natural connectors. Use that skill to your advantage. When you allow yourself to “get personal” and nurture your relationships with team members, you will put them at ease, positively impact their motivation and engagement, and strengthen their loyalty. I love my coauthor Birute Regine, EdD’s, perspective on feminine emotional intelligence. She says it’s not a “soft skill” at all and is actually quite hard to acquire if you lack it. (It’s not the kind of thing you can master in an afternoon seminar!)

Take your place at the podium. Even if you dread speaking in public, I urge you to actively cultivate this skill. My coauthor Lois Phillips, PhD, points out that in today’s business world the podium is truly the “head of the table.” It’s a place to build credibility and expand your audience. Take advantage of women’s natural tendency to share information that empowers others and to connect with your audience by noticing and responding to their nonverbal cues.

Collaborate your way to the next level. Collaboration is definitely a buzzword these days — but as many leaders have learned the hard way, there’s a lot more to it than simply asking a group of people to sit at the same table and work together. Birute Regine, EdD, says that women are great at up-leveling group work to something greater than the sum of its parts (a real phenomenon called “collective intelligence”). This is because we emphasize turn-taking, equality, empathy, and respect for others’ opinions — conditions that must be present in order for group members to feel comfortable expressing outside-the-box opinions and taking risks.

Bring other women on board. If you’ve attempted to reach success as a rugged individualist, you know the journey can grueling, lonely, and maybe even lacking in satisfaction. Good news: It’s okay (and encouraged!) to tap into women’s collective power. For millennia, women have relied on their “sisterhood” for advice, support, and help. And today, I see a genuine women-helping-women movement taking shape. In business, in philanthropy, in our communities, and more, women are consciously joining forces to cocreate, to give one another a leg up, and to make life richer and more fulfilling.

So be vigilant for opportunities to join forces with other women. Offer others your time, insight, empathy, and aid — and accept those things in return. I truly believe when enough “hands that rock the cradle” join together, we can help rule the world.

Male or female, building a successful career isn’t easy. So, women, don’t force yourself to be what you’re not. I, for one, am excited that the changing face of leadership is displaying more and more qualities that are traditionally feminine — and optimistic about what this means for women’s future in business.

Author Bio

Nancy D. O’Reilly, PsyD, is an author of Leading Women: 20 Influential Women Share Their Secrets to Leadership, Business, and Life and urges women to connect to help each other create a better world. As a clinical psychologist, motivational speaker and women empowerment expert, O’Reilly helps women create the satisfying and purposeful lives they want to benefit themselves, their families and their communities. To accomplish this, she devotes her energies to fulfilling the mission of the Women Connect4Good, Inc. foundation, which benefits from her writing and speaking services. O’Reilly is the founder of Women Connect4Good, Inc., and for seven years she has interviewed inspiring women for online podcasts available on her website.

For more information please visit http://www.drnancyoreilly.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.