by Dot Callihan | Jul 17, 2012 | Acting As Empowered Women, Thinking Like Empowered Women, Understanding The Male-Dominated Workplace
When women entered the male dominated workplace we were confident we had the fortitude to climb the corporate ladder with our kids and family life slung over our shoulder. We knew we were great multi-taskers and time managers. So, there should be nothing barring us from climbing the corporate ladder to success.
But as we started climbing the ladder, what we didn’t count on were the changes men would make in the demands of the workplace. To men, work is a competitive place, where they consistently seek new ways to determine status and dominance. One of the changes they made was to no longer value getting work done quickly and efficiently so you didn’t have to stay late. According to the new values, only expendable employees went home after 8 hours and worked only 40 hours per week.
by Dot Callihan | Jul 12, 2012 | Acting As Empowered Women
One of the biggest critiques we hear is that unlike our male colleagues, we don’t self-promote enough. We are told we need to let our managers know what we accomplish because that is what our male colleagues do and unless we do what men do, we can’t compete with them. But this advice like so much of what we are told doesn’t work for us. Why? Because we are not men! Self-promoting in order to gain recognition is a male approach. We need to gain recognition using a female approach!
by Dot Callihan | Jul 9, 2012 | Acting As Empowered Women
When women entered the workplace it was very male. We assumed that the way men conducted business was the right way, it was the best way. We had to fit into their way of doing things – after all that IS how business is done.
That is the mistake women made – thinking that we had to play by men’s rules. We were led to believe that we have to go into the Blue Zone in order to succeed in business.
But the one thing I have learned in over 30 years of working with men is – STAY OUT OF THE BLUE ZONE!
by Dot Callihan | Jun 29, 2012 | Thinking Like Empowered Women
Did you ever wonder where all this “women are weak, timid and lack self-confidence” stuff came from? We often think of the 1950’s and the visions of the idealistic stay at home mother in her apron and pearls but it actually goes back to the period from 1820 – 1860. This was an age when the Cult of True Womanhood thrived.
by Dot Callihan | Jun 21, 2012 | Acting As Empowered Women, Dealing With The Ugly Stuff
A reader wrote to me about a job interview in which the male interviewers made inappropriate comments. It brings up the question – what should we do in this situation? Our initial instinct is to get angry and tell them off but more often than not we don’t...
