Overcoming Gender Boundaries in the Workplace - Steps For Women to Take
After choosing the title of this article from the EzineArticle author tools title suggestion box, I gave it a thought before writing this article.
One, it is somehow difficult to advice women to take steps in the corporate world without sounding sexist.
For the record, never have I been tagged a racist, ageist or sexist and most of my articles both here and other publications have always been approaching topics neutral.
I am writing this first paragraph this way so that people will understand better that the points I am expressing here are mostly from experience as someone who has been in various situations relating to the title.
The boundaries Are there gender boundaries in the work place? Most executives would always say that treatment for everyone is equal and that no matter what race, language, gender or sexual preference, everyone will be treated equal.
Yeah this may be existing sometimes, however, lets us admit the fact that sometimes when a pack of male co-workers just team up it can take down an unsuspecting female.
This is like stating the obvious; women until today are viewed in many organizations as fragile, delicate and weak.
But are we really? I doubt.
Certainly you don't need muscles to use a keyboard or a mouse or to bend corporate data at twist reports.
Let us admit it, corporate work does not require strong arms, high jumps and heightened stamina.
All we need is to be healthy, and truly a healthy mind in today's business world can bring the company into greater success than well toned big lumps of arm muscles.
Bridging the boundaries Women, to bridge the gender gaps in a work environment often push themselves harder and go the extra mile just to please corporate boards.
It is just so hard for some women to be delicate anymore or soft and gentle, more often than not, respect is not gained not unless a woman begins acting like a man.
Well this did not happen to that extent in my part.
Going back a few years ago, I have noticed that my male bosses often conduct close door meetings and have both short and long discussions without my involvement.
Moreover, my involvement would require everyone's approval before they call me in.
Since I am a manager then, they would need my presence from time to time, but I am amazed how some rules and new company protocols are being delegated to various departments without my approval and/or at least my knowledge.
I felt a little left out in the shadow but honestly, I was only 22 that time so it is easier for me to understand.
It came to the point that I asked myself why I am still in the company, and then slowly the question morphed to, "Why are they keeping me if I am useless?" Instead of feeling useless and drown in sorrow, I begin to realize that these men, the pack of "Alpha-Men" as one of them often regard their group, needed me.
I slowly shifted from feeling defeated to feeling victorious, I came to realize that my presence in that company is vital, and they do not allow me in their meetings because some of them feel threatened that I can supersede them if I have more knowledge of the operations.
But they were wrong, they didn't know that as I stand outside the doors of their meeting room, my bond to the employees become even more stronger.
I used skills natural to all women to succeed and throw the boundaries set forth by gender and society and here I will share them one by one.
1.
Intuition - A woman's intuition is different, close to psychic, but women are truly intuitive creatures, they feel an event happening or negative and sorrowful emotions from other people.
I used my intuition to feel my subordinates more, and because of this, I gained access to human resources that is unfathomable, it became clear to me who were on my good side and those who think I am weak can easily broken.
I didn't reprimand or fight with any of them, instead I remembered each one of those and won their hearts by showing them exactly that their impression about me are false.
2.
Multi-tasking - I cannot back this up with scientific explanation, but if anyone who can help me further this theory that I am about to write is welcome to shoot a response.
Women are made to be multi tasking more than men.
I am in a relationship as of the moment and my partner is amazed how I can write an article while keeping guard on my emails should a client need me, how I can be on Facebook and also in Skype with another client.
He always tells me that most women are truly this way and it is more often than not impossible for men.
It's our nature to have different parts of the brain active at the same time.
It might be our biological and chemical structure.
Now to go back to the corporate setup I was relating to, I used this skill so natural for me to excel more and show the Alpha-men that I may not be one of them and they can keep on alienating me but really, I can perform more than they could.
I make my reports even more interesting, I do one on one coaching daily to the employees under my umbrella.
I check productivity stats and indicate improvement areas.
In short after 3 months, when all our accomplishments were reviewed, they were not even half of my contributions.
3.
People skills - Women can easily connect to people of different age groups, lifestyle, genders and races more than men.
For men sometimes would be shy to approach a pack of women, or a man would never consider talking with another man who has an ego bigger than his.
But this simply does not exist within a woman's mentality.
We see people as they are and for women who have a softer hearts, this can gain you more advantage than you think.
Because you can be the key person to reach out to endless people resources that your company requires.
4.
Parenting - Is parenting a skill? Ok, men will hate me if they think that I am pointing out that they are bad parents.
NO, that is truly not within my intentions.
I just want to express that its human nature for women to feel like mother, they want to encourage, pamper their children and stay as close to them as possible.
I did use this skill not to the extent I would use to a literal "infant".
But I did made my trainees and subordinates feel that they are my babies, that if something goes wrong with their performance, tenure or even bits of their personal lives affecting their work, I make them feel that, I am here and I am ready to help you back on track, but you need some serious discipline.
There are other more points I wish to share, but I guess I need to stop for a bit and as k you for the continuation of this article in the coming days.
I admire women in the corporate world, for I know exactly how they feel when they enter the office.
Women are not better than men, and men are not better than women either, this is a world meant to demonstrate equality and balance in all things.
Let us not violate the very structure of this universe, BALANCE.
One, it is somehow difficult to advice women to take steps in the corporate world without sounding sexist.
For the record, never have I been tagged a racist, ageist or sexist and most of my articles both here and other publications have always been approaching topics neutral.
I am writing this first paragraph this way so that people will understand better that the points I am expressing here are mostly from experience as someone who has been in various situations relating to the title.
The boundaries Are there gender boundaries in the work place? Most executives would always say that treatment for everyone is equal and that no matter what race, language, gender or sexual preference, everyone will be treated equal.
Yeah this may be existing sometimes, however, lets us admit the fact that sometimes when a pack of male co-workers just team up it can take down an unsuspecting female.
This is like stating the obvious; women until today are viewed in many organizations as fragile, delicate and weak.
But are we really? I doubt.
Certainly you don't need muscles to use a keyboard or a mouse or to bend corporate data at twist reports.
Let us admit it, corporate work does not require strong arms, high jumps and heightened stamina.
All we need is to be healthy, and truly a healthy mind in today's business world can bring the company into greater success than well toned big lumps of arm muscles.
Bridging the boundaries Women, to bridge the gender gaps in a work environment often push themselves harder and go the extra mile just to please corporate boards.
It is just so hard for some women to be delicate anymore or soft and gentle, more often than not, respect is not gained not unless a woman begins acting like a man.
Well this did not happen to that extent in my part.
Going back a few years ago, I have noticed that my male bosses often conduct close door meetings and have both short and long discussions without my involvement.
Moreover, my involvement would require everyone's approval before they call me in.
Since I am a manager then, they would need my presence from time to time, but I am amazed how some rules and new company protocols are being delegated to various departments without my approval and/or at least my knowledge.
I felt a little left out in the shadow but honestly, I was only 22 that time so it is easier for me to understand.
It came to the point that I asked myself why I am still in the company, and then slowly the question morphed to, "Why are they keeping me if I am useless?" Instead of feeling useless and drown in sorrow, I begin to realize that these men, the pack of "Alpha-Men" as one of them often regard their group, needed me.
I slowly shifted from feeling defeated to feeling victorious, I came to realize that my presence in that company is vital, and they do not allow me in their meetings because some of them feel threatened that I can supersede them if I have more knowledge of the operations.
But they were wrong, they didn't know that as I stand outside the doors of their meeting room, my bond to the employees become even more stronger.
I used skills natural to all women to succeed and throw the boundaries set forth by gender and society and here I will share them one by one.
1.
Intuition - A woman's intuition is different, close to psychic, but women are truly intuitive creatures, they feel an event happening or negative and sorrowful emotions from other people.
I used my intuition to feel my subordinates more, and because of this, I gained access to human resources that is unfathomable, it became clear to me who were on my good side and those who think I am weak can easily broken.
I didn't reprimand or fight with any of them, instead I remembered each one of those and won their hearts by showing them exactly that their impression about me are false.
2.
Multi-tasking - I cannot back this up with scientific explanation, but if anyone who can help me further this theory that I am about to write is welcome to shoot a response.
Women are made to be multi tasking more than men.
I am in a relationship as of the moment and my partner is amazed how I can write an article while keeping guard on my emails should a client need me, how I can be on Facebook and also in Skype with another client.
He always tells me that most women are truly this way and it is more often than not impossible for men.
It's our nature to have different parts of the brain active at the same time.
It might be our biological and chemical structure.
Now to go back to the corporate setup I was relating to, I used this skill so natural for me to excel more and show the Alpha-men that I may not be one of them and they can keep on alienating me but really, I can perform more than they could.
I make my reports even more interesting, I do one on one coaching daily to the employees under my umbrella.
I check productivity stats and indicate improvement areas.
In short after 3 months, when all our accomplishments were reviewed, they were not even half of my contributions.
3.
People skills - Women can easily connect to people of different age groups, lifestyle, genders and races more than men.
For men sometimes would be shy to approach a pack of women, or a man would never consider talking with another man who has an ego bigger than his.
But this simply does not exist within a woman's mentality.
We see people as they are and for women who have a softer hearts, this can gain you more advantage than you think.
Because you can be the key person to reach out to endless people resources that your company requires.
4.
Parenting - Is parenting a skill? Ok, men will hate me if they think that I am pointing out that they are bad parents.
NO, that is truly not within my intentions.
I just want to express that its human nature for women to feel like mother, they want to encourage, pamper their children and stay as close to them as possible.
I did use this skill not to the extent I would use to a literal "infant".
But I did made my trainees and subordinates feel that they are my babies, that if something goes wrong with their performance, tenure or even bits of their personal lives affecting their work, I make them feel that, I am here and I am ready to help you back on track, but you need some serious discipline.
There are other more points I wish to share, but I guess I need to stop for a bit and as k you for the continuation of this article in the coming days.
I admire women in the corporate world, for I know exactly how they feel when they enter the office.
Women are not better than men, and men are not better than women either, this is a world meant to demonstrate equality and balance in all things.
Let us not violate the very structure of this universe, BALANCE.
Source...