WOMEN SPECIAL.. Dr Tanvi Gautam Speaks

WOMEN SPECIAL..

Dr Tanvi Gautam discusses  and highlights  her views on the various glaring issues that impact the modern-day workplace

Women have adopted the male prototype of leadership today Sometimes in a conversation, what is not said becomes more important than what is said. I am sharing with you one such conversation with a senior HR professional. All was going well in a casual coffee catch-up session till I asked: So how are things around women and leadership in your company? HIM: Perfect. We have more women leaders at top than male leaders. God knows I would have been two levels above if I was a woman! ME: So do I take it that the men are resenting all this attention to women? HIM: Of course not, but I wish we had some of those women and leadership forums for us as well. Networking and a little attention sometimes help. ME: So what is the secret to having so many senior women leaders? HIM: Interestingly, for some reason, all women leaders behave just like our male leaders - very direct, aggressive and focused. Also, most are either not married or don’t have kids, now that I think about it. It is a true story reflecting the myopia that often surrounds the women and leadership conversation. The war cry for many firms right now is to increase the number of women in the pipeline; put in the quotas if needed, and have women on boards to show how sensitive the firm is to diversity.

Here are three red flags in the story I just shared: Firstly, women in the firm had adopted the male prototype of leadership to survive in top positions. It is not that uncommon a response for many women. The assumption is that to break into the old boys’ network, they must behave like one. When women start thinking and behaving like men so as to be accepted as leaders, the diversity advantage is lost; Secondly, if the women at the top are mostly unmarried or without children, what message is it sending to the women at the other levels? Work first and family last is the route to success. Those women with aspirations around families or personal obligations are probably self-selecting themselves out of the firm; Thirdly, if organisations are not careful on how they address the women and leadership agenda, they risk marginalising the men. There is a need for events and forums where men and women together strive for a more gender sensitive workplace. In the absence of a joint agenda (involving both men and women), the conversations remain onesided and reinforce stereotypes around gender-based capabilities.

By Dr Tanvi Gautam ,The author is managing partner, Global People Tree