eve-olution newsletter February 2006
Contents
- Statistic of the month
- Book of the month
- Lehman Brothers commit £1.75 million to research into Gender Differences
- Creative Female Leader at Farnham Castle
Statistic of the month
The average British man has 41.5 hours of 'me-time' a week compared to a woman's 23 hours. Source: Lastminute.com / Daily Mail
Book of the month
The Storey Factor by Annette Simmons
Reviewed by Anni Townend, Business Psychologist and Programme Co-ordinator, eve-olution
I am currently researching and writing a book on Assertiveness and Diversity in Organisations. The research is taking the form of gathering stories from people within organisations where individuals and, or groups of people have made a difference to people being able to be different and to bring their whole selves to the working environment. I am indebted to all the people who have given so generously of their time to tell their stories, and also to the colleague who recommended that I read this book 'The Story Factor' by Annette Simmons.
Read Anni's full review... (MS Word Document, 102k)
Lehman Brothers commit £1.75 million to research into Gender Differences
by Tracey Carr, CEO eve-olution
eve-olution were delighted to hear that a major investment bank has made such a serious commitment to understanding the differences between men and women at work.
When I founded eve-olution in 2001, Britain was not ready to hear that men and women might display differences in approach and communication style that seriously impact their ability to work effectively together.
Since that time we have carried out extensive research in this area and have had many hundreds of men and women going through our leadership programmes on difference - Vive La Difference! And, our conviction remains stronger than ever. Here's what Tom Peters has to say: 'Women love to talk. Men talk silently to themselves. Women multi-track. Women are indirect. Men are direct. Women talk emotively. Men are literal. Men listen like statues. Boys like things. Girls like people. Boys compete. Girls cooperate. Men hate to be wrong. Men hide their emotions'.
This is, of course a generalisation, but maybe there is something to pay attention to here. If, generally, women have different conversational rituals and styles of management then could it be that the vast drain of female talent is due to the fact that the majority of women simply feel they don't fit? In fact, I personally would go so far as to say that the few women who make it to the top of our organisations are those who are on the 'male' end of the spectrum. Many men are promoting women who most closely resemble an image of themselves. This subconscious stereotyping will continue to replicate itself unless we make a serious commitment to first, understand and second, to change.
If you are serious about retaining women in your organisation and tapping into a different but highly effective talent pool that complements your existing culture then you need to send the message that different is equal. If you do nothing - you have still made a choice - that you are happy with the status quo.
I leave you another with another quote from Tom Peters' book, Re-imagine: 'I never intended to make the 'women as leaders' topic a centrepiece of my writing. It snuck on me... and then hit me hard at a meeting with women business owners in 1996. I listened as one powerful woman after another described her struggle against male dominated hierarchies that had marked her personal and professional life. Listening to those stories, frankly made me feel like an idiot or a spoiled brat (at 54!)'
If you are booked to attend our Gender Intelligence GQ™ showcase on 22nd February at the IOD you can hear more about what Tom has to say on this subject. Unfortunately, if you haven't booked we are out of space!
Creative Female Leader at Farnham Castle
For your personal development
Creative Female Leader - eve-olution's Flagship External programme attended by diverse senior women from Banking, Retail, Police, Investment Banking, Public Sector, Manufacturing, Consulting.
'A great mix of theory and doing... amazed at the speed of improvement... I am in control of my physiology and can make a difference'.