Recently I read in Science Daily that “even at rest men’s and women’s brains differ.” Yet it can be frustrating to experience how these differences come together at times, and so they often simply get dismissed. With all the hoopla over gender differences, one business leader told his staff, “Men are from earth… women are from earth – deal with it!”
That's one approach... On the other hand, considering how the gender brains differ in useful and rather brilliant ways, I have often wondered, What would happen if we viewed male and female differences as an advantage to both sides? Seems to me that question could open a new window to garner more motivation and better results.... and who knows ... we could begin to learn valuable lessons from one another....
Have you ever noticed how some business leaders can turn a tide at work – simply by valuing both men and women's differences on a project together… They seem to capitalize on a few basic differences that women and men bring to the job and they fully expect each person's proclivitis will add value to their team.
No question, this approach differs from leaders who expect stereotypical behavior from either men or women.... It comes more from observing and drawing out then from adding quantitative values to differences observed....
Keep in mind that while no two brains are alike – and while each rewires daily observers still can pinpoint potently unique ways that men tackle problems, say, or that women share stories to relate evidence of their findings. The key is to observe what works well for strong men and srong women leaders and then to build on these strengths in ways that enrich team goals at work.
Sounds like a win-win, and it is. Yet it takes a tactic or two to make it happen in your favor….Start with a general inquiry related to your next big project and see what I mean.
I sometimes have all the women speak to the problems and possibilities of the upcoming project so their key ideas are recorded. Men listen but give no response. Then shift to the men and have them respond with ideas of their own. Ask the whole group what they learned from the other gender when they could not speak or show any responses. Next project start with men first....
What do you sense would result from observing and hearing back from each gender -- without any comment from the other -- before you begin to build your next action plan? Worth a try?
When working on any project, time is a serious player in how man will respond to comments from women. The more time given, the more acceptance from males. (Unfortunately, in business, time is not always available for "settling in" period and one must hit the ground running / racing.) Given the right set of skills, the project can balence itself after a short period of time. BUT, because men will usually ignore the first presentation of ideas by women, women need to have professional presentation skills and not try to play the "man" game of bully the team into thinking my way. A responsible facilitator (manager / leader) will bring everyone on the team into the discussion and make sure that there is a sense of understanding for each idea or comment presented. It has been my experience (working as a middle manager for a Fortune 500 Corporation) that women will approach a problem from a different perspective and by listening and discussion, most often, the best answers are a combination of male / female ideas.
Posted by: John Papietro | April 18, 2006 6:59 AM | Permalink to Comment