On March 28th, the CLUB brought members and their male guests together to explore unconscious biases that often hinder women’s advancement to leadership positions. This workshop, led by leadership expert Ida Abbott, was the first in the CLUB’s Leveraging Feminine LeadershipTM series, engaging men and women to explore how to break down barriers and develop solutions that draw upon the feminine leadership qualities (possessed by both men and women) that have been shown to maximize a company’s success. Members and guests alike performed in several vignettes that illustrated certain common, but unconscious, biases, triggering lively table discussions about the biases participants see in their workplaces and solutions they have seen work.
Key ideas that emerged from the discussion included:
- Leaders need to ensure inclusion in meetings and encourage participants to voice diverse viewpoints;
- It is critical for women to display confidence – whether they feel confident or not – as they move towards and take on leadership positions;
- To effect change, we need to be vigilant in challenging assumptions – including our own – based on gender stereotypes.
Look for an invitation later this year for the next Leveraging Feminine LeadershipTM event – you can help expand this conversation by inviting men who can share their great ideas with us, and take our ideas back to their companies.