It comes as no surprise that men’s and women’s brain differ in many ways…. But how do gender differences play out at work and how can we value both genders more … through observing mental differences…. There is no lack of humor on the topic …. One business leader recently told his staff, “Men are from earth… women are from earth – deal with it!”
Ok… that’s one approach... but here are 5 steps to building on gender differences in the human brain ... that could help us to learn valuable lessons from one another....
1. Keep in mind that while no two brains are alike … and while each rewires daily … men’s and women’s brains differ in several fundamental ways.
2. Avoid the temptation to think of men as smarter … or women as smarter … in favor of the notion that each is smarter in distinctive ways that could help the other
3. Watch men and women at work to pinpoint and discuss unique ways that men tackle problems, say, or that women share stories to relate evidence of their findings.
4. Question and observe what works well for strong men and strong women leaders and then look for practical ways to build on these strengths to enrich team goals at work.
5. Invite all the women in your group to speak to a company problem and to add possibilities for a solution … so that key ideas are recorded. Men listen but give no response. Then shift the same task to the men … so that they alone respond with ideas on the same topic. Ask the whole group what they learned from the other gender … when they could not speak or show any responses while the others shared.
What would result where you work … from observing and hearing back from each gender -- without any comment from the other – as a way to build your next action plan together? Why not try it and let us know the results…
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