Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg's installment last week to their NYT series Women At Work seems to have gotten more than average attention and social chatter. “Speaking While Female” focuses on why women stay silent at work – whether because of institutional, corporate cultural or societal norms that discourage them to vocalize their opinions and ideas. This is especially true in male dominated organizations – for example, it seems to be more magnified in the technology sector where women represent only 17% of the population.
As a long time career woman, I totally get it. In my previous life, I had found myself the only woman in corporate meetings or on leadership teams where my gender and youth stifled me. I often wonder if on some level this frustrating smothering is what pushed me towards entrepreneurship and the embrace of a non-traditional (read: male dominated) organization, determined to challenge cultural and workplace paradigms.
As a woman-owned company and with employees who are predominantly women, I like to think BuzzBack is not like that. I was reassured just the other day when a colleague referenced the article this way to me: “Have you seen that piece about 'Manterrupting’, Carol? It's just not like that here at BuzzBack.” Phew!
But that doesn’t mean we aren’t in danger of some other biased-based bad behavior. When focusing on engaging and empowering employees, company leaders like me need be conscious that the floor is open to all comers. It’s my job to make sure everyone – not just the ladies - has a voice. This includes men, millennials, mature workers, what have you. Just like market insights, multiple perspectives provide richer understanding, more creative solutions and opportunities for innovation. And, at the end of the day, we’ve seen that when our team brings their whole selves to their job, and are actively heard and included, it absolutely results in a stronger company providing the best service possible.
Nota Bene: We are expanding our team so send us your resume… we're listening.
