I want to call out a key culture success factor that’s often a blind spot for many organizations – the men and women in your organization need to work well together.
Here’s two keys to the kingdom:
- Creating and leveraging real deal alignment requires having women at the leadership and management table. If you find that table to be oddly lopsided, you’re not alone. Competitive advantage anyone? Invest in your female talent and support them in stepping into their professional potential. Check out one of the best resources out there: the Moxie Exchange Micro-Learning.
- Don’t accept, nor let slide, the scapegoat of gender stereotypes. The next time someone says, “Oh that’s because he’s a man or she’s a woman,” kindly push back. It only takes a brave minute. Here are some examples (of course the context is key):
- “If you’re concerned about Gerald’s behavior, don’t chalk it up to him being a man. Be a stand for his success and your working relationship and go talk to him directly.”
- “Mmm can’t say I agree. From my perspective, Charla didn’t say that because she’s a woman, she made that comment because she’s Charla.”
Sick of silos and apathy? Tired of gossip and entitlement? Stop the insanity and seize the day! Order Culture Works today!
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Kris Boesch is the CEO and Founder of Choose People, a company that transforms company cultures, increases employee happiness and boosts the bottom-line. She is a nationally renowned speaker and workplace culture expert. Boesch is also the author of Culture Works: How to Create Happiness in the Workplace and developer of the Choose People 360° Culture Audit. Kris is also a proud mother, dancing diva and dog lover.