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Greetings!
I hope you are enjoying the 'hazy, lazy days of Summer,' although for some I'm sure that it feels more like the 'sweltering days of Summer!'
Welcome to the July issue of GenderSmart Tips. This newsletter focuses on workplace gender communication - the lack of it, need for it, and management's perception of it.
Warm Regards,
Jane Sanders | |
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THE STATUS OF GENDER COMMUNICATION AT WORK |
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Why Companies Need Help and Why They Think They Don't
...by Jane Sanders
I am deep in the throes of writing my second book - this one on recruiting and retaining women. I am accessing and conducting research from every source possible, and my findings consistently reinforce the existence of a split in Corporate America's perspective on gender communication training.
Increasingly, and thankfully for their bottom line, more companies are recognizing the need for it. However, there are still too many organizations that consider it old news and passé. This latter position is like saying you don't need a healthy diet, preventative care or health insurance because you have no complaints at this moment.
Most people have no idea what is going on inside their internal organs and various physiological systems. You could have plaque quietly building, a chronic condition ready to manifest, or a virus beginning to make itself at home in your sinuses. Or you could be in good health but with lots of room for improvement - who wouldn't mind adding a few active years to their life? Likewise, what company wouldn't mind adding some productivity, retention, and revenues to its life?
My research shows that when women, consciously or unconsciously, feel they don't have the connection or fulfillment they desire, are unable to get the training they need to do their best work, or feel management doesn't understand and acknowledge them appropriately, then productivity and retention often suffer.
These bottom line measures are also impacted when management takes the stance that gender issues training is no longer (or never was) necessary. From their perspective everything seems fine on the surface. But most managers don't realize that many teamwork and personality issues are caused, or at the very least exacerbated by, gender communication and behavioral style differences. Men and women are different. We are equal, just different. Every single physiological system in the human body is different in men than in women, so of course we communicate differently and are motivated by different styles!
Unless employees and managers understand what these differences are, and specifically how to work with them, a company's health, and therefore financial performance, cannot reach optimal levels. Quality gender communication training provides skills for both men and women - it's a two-way street and both groups benefit by understanding each other better and learning how to work together more effectively. Often, people think they have these abilities, when in fact they may be merely familiar with many of the differences. The latter is a far cry from owning the skills and knowledge to work with each other effectively, in various common situations.
Find an expert whose gender communication training style is all-inclusive, interactive and celebrates differences without condemning or bashing either gender. My programs often create many "ah-has" as they provide valuable skills and open people's eyes to their own subtle biases, misperceptions, and styles. They also provide good-natured and balanced humor about gender differences. Learning valuable skills and having fun, with positive performance results, is a win-win for both management and employees!
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GenderSmart Tidbits |
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Here are some points to consider when evaluating your company or department's need for gender communication training:
- Due to countless generations of social wiring that rewards status and superiority, we all know that many men find it difficult asking for help. As one example of this, very few men, unsolicited or otherwise, will admit they need help with communication, teamwork, or working with women. Also, some men feel women simply need to get into the game and figure out how to excel within the existing system - and there are some women who can do that. But many more women will never reach their potential, will leave, or will express dissatisfaction in other ways due to challenges with gender communication and management style differences.
- Few men and women truly understand the impact of their communication style differences. Those who do are often not comfortable suggesting training in this field due to its perceived controversial nature. Considering that numerous participants from my programs have told me about their professional successes due to their new (gender) communication skills, those who don't receive such training are missing out - as are their companies.
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Communication training not only benefits men and women in the workplace with increased job satisfaction, sales results and improved managerial skills, but it can also cross over to their personal lives in becoming better husbands, wives, fathers, mothers and friends. This balance also helps improve productivity. Again, a win-win!
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Quote(s) Of The Day |
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"We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist, founder of analytical psychology
"If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or you asked the question wrong." Pat Parelli, master horse trainer and clinician
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You are welcome to reprint any part of this newsletter as long as
you include "By Jane Sanders, GenderSmart® Solutions, 877-343-2150, http://www.janesanders.com."
Contact Information
Toll-Free: 877-343-2150
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