"How do I recognise ‘blokey’ behaviour and what do I do about it in the culture?”
I love this question from a male CEO who wants to create an inclusive, welcoming culture.
It’s great because it acknowledges blind spots and seeks to troubleshoot them. I find this often: male leaders want to be better leaders, and they are sometimes shocked to discover that their behaviour, or that of their team, is not always representative of what they want to create and experience.
So what is ‘blokey’ behaviour, why does it occur, and what should we do about it, if anything?
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Read More“Hold her under so she doesn’t get up.” Thank you Caro, Eddie McGuire and Sam Newman for this thoughtless repartee.
Regardless of gender, this kind of aggressive sledging is not funny. It speaks to everything that is not pretty or decent in some men’s leadership.
Male leadership is struggling, and has been for several decades. Men and their relationship to women, especially in the workplace, has often been uneasy.
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Read MoreBrexit, Pauline Hanson, Rise Up Australia. Hatred and rejection are alive and well in the world and politics. I was disturbed by the number of candidates and political parties in the Australian election whose platform centered around exclusion. There is so much hate and fear in the political discourse! I found myself getting angry with the candidates, and with the supporters who spruiked the same hateful vitriol.
Here’s the thing.
We echo what we judge...
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Read More"There is still a culture of blokey-ness in leadership. You’ve got to be tough. You’re seen as successful if you’re too busy to listen. When we had a re-structure and had to let some people go, we were told to just soldier on – it’s just part of business. You’re seen as effeminate if you show you care.”
I met with a reader last week to talk about his observations of men and leadership. He works with great female leaders in an organisation with men filling most of the top senior positions...
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