My take-aways from “How Do Some Women Find Their Way Through the Labyrinth” [to become leaders]

Chapter Ten is the only chapter I read of Through the Labyrinth : The Truth About How Women Become Leaders .  The titles of other chapters did not convey any likelihood of saying anything different from prevalent information on their title topics (glass ceiling, discrimination, comparisons to men…)

So:

“First Principle: Blend Agency with Communion” … citing Dawn Steel “… a tough balancing act, … gauging how to juggle my masculine side and my feminine side… where the lines how to be drawn. In your dress, in your talk, in your body language, for starters.” (p.163)

• “establish an exceptional level of competence as a leader because… [exceptional level]… needed to convince others she is equal to men…it isn’t fair, but women often need to be exceptionally good to be credited with the abilities of less competent men… ‘Perform beyond expectations’… Deliver more than people expect. Impress over and over again… build a track record” (p. 164)
• eg “gain superior task knowledge”
• eg “be exceptionally well prepared for meetings and negotiations.”
• “Leaders competence derives from a confluence of tasks involving monitoring, advising, encouraging, directing, sanctioning, and solving both interpersonal and technical problems… etsablishing a record of competence in such activities requires the cooperation of followers.” (p. 164)
• Will need to seek out and put yourself forward for more challenging scenarios (which are not usually offered to women) in which to demonstrate the above, even though that may seem (from cultural expectations only of women) ungenerous and selfish. “Finesse the double bind… by combining assert[ion] with kindness, niceness, and helpfulness.” (p. 164)
• When directing, and being assertive and decisive – do so with warmth (smiling, looking at people rather than away) & per example from Hilary Clinton, arrange environment to give warm appearance (eg children at event – what other environmental factors could be arranged to balance a woman’s assertiveness with warmth?) (p. 165)
• “encourage subordinates and reward positive contributions” without coming off as inappropriately mothering. (p. 165)
• may be particularly effective in situations requiring transformational leadership, eg Meg Whitman (eBAY) “known for listening to her company’s customers and employees and thereby running a flexible and responsive organisation.” also ref Cynthia Caroll (Anglo Mining) and Amanda Burden (New York City Planning Commissioner) (p. 166)
• in Highly Masculine / “hyperagentic” settings the above recommended blended approach will either be less likely to be effective , or face greater challenges, wish such attributes perceived by some as weakness, eg Angela Merkel “So much passivity makes you wonder whether she will be able to make decisions quickly when teh going gets tough…brought a dose of discussion, discretion and collegiality” (p. 167)
• “avoid crying when upset” (p. 167/168)
• “not every good leader is universally liked .. women should lead in an assertive, competent manner, accompanied by especially nice, friendly behavior only to the extent that it does not undermine their authority” (p. 168)
• Take Credit for Accomplishments … “in a friendly and collaborative manner” (P. 168/169) eg call attention to your excellent proposal by inviting others to react to the suggestion and help her develop it further. Or when accoladed, acknowledge help of collaborators while accepting personal credit.
• If you see men taking credit for women’s proposals say something like “John I see that you agree with Emily’s suggestion. Emily can you tell us more about your idea?” (p. 169)
• Overcome reluctance, INITIATE negotiation over salary (after obtaining “as much information as possible about typical salaries and benefits”), and in doing so “present a alance picture displaying both task competence and social skills”,  (p. 171)
• Either choose to work where your values are shared, or be prepared to feel somewhat inauthentic when you must represent values you do not hold.

Second principle: Build Social Capital

• Join and participate in networks, both male and female, even though it will often mean doing it yourself almost all of the time (p. 173)
• Find a good mentor (male most likely will result in higher compensation), both informally and formally. (p. 174)
• Form good relationships at all levels (above, same and below) (p. 174)

Four sentences for your cover letter (from creamcitian at The Scott Adams blog)

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Next time I need to write a cover letter for a resume I believe I will remember those four sentences from The Princess Bride - thanks to creamcitian's concise explanation of how they represent the four key messages one needs to convey.

I want to link you directly to the comment in which creamcitian offers this striking cue, but it seems Dilbert.com doesn't assign permalinks to comments. The link I have provided is to a display of most popular comments first (creamcitian's topping the votes at this time).

Nurturing innovation

Thanks to Jennifer of Life As I Know It I discovered Blog about Libraries whereat I thank Steve Backs forWhich "culture of" is your workplace? for introducing me to Five Rules of Creativity, (apparently created by the Weiden and Kennedy ad agency). On reflection I realise that I've discovered the principles elsewhere from time to time, so I hope this reread and reflection refreshes my action in sync.

1. Act Stupid. "Our philosophy is to come in ignorant every day. The idea of retaining ignorance is sort of counterintuitive, but it subverts a lot of [problems] that come from absolute mastery. If you think you know the answer better than somebody else does, you become closed to being fresh." states Jelly Helm, creative director.

Hm, my trouble with this one is not that I think I know the answer, but I think that I should - so what I'm needing is a way of "coming in ignorant" without coming 'across' stupid.

2. Shut up. "The first thing we do when we meet with clients is listen. We try to figure out what their problems are. Then we come back with questions, not solutions. We write these out and put them on the wall. And then we circle the ones that we think are interesting. More often than not, the questions hold the answer."

I think I do this naturally, and then I find myself looking back on an interaction thinking hm, maybe I could have shut up more and listened then. So I guess yeah, I do it naturally, but I'm perfectly fallible too.

3. Always say yes. "What I've learned from improvisation is to let go of outcome and just say 'yes' to what ever the situation is. If you say an idea is bad, you're creating conflict--you're breaking an improv rule. You want an energy flow that moves you forward, as opposed to a creative stasis."

Even if it is a yes and... Certainly when the goal is creativity the black hat comes off ... and on again with plenty of time for plan refinement before execution.

4. Chase Talent. "Find people who make you better. It's best to be the least talented person in the room. It's reciprocal. It challenges you to keep up."

It's not hard for me to be the least talented person in the room. It is hard to be aware of this and remain confident that the more talented will be patient with me - which is, I do see, what challenges me to keep up.

5. Be Fearless. "Do anything, say anything. In the worlds of our president, Dan Wieden, 'You're not useful to me until you've made three momentous mistakes.' He knows that if you try not to make mistakes, you miss out on the value of learning from them."

Cool - I hope I find bosses like this fellow, although this quote doesn't indicate whether he prefers to take on people only after they've made their three momentous mistakes.