I recently coached a highly experienced woman, working in the corporate sector. A brand new role had been created in the company she'd been a consultant for, she applied and she got the job. She got the job because of her credibility, because of her corporate history, her reputation. She finds herself in a position where her male dominated team don't seem to value that credibility though. To them, she has no reputation as yet, she has no real clout yet and her authority is being undermined at every turn.
During her session, it just appalled me that her male colleagues seem to literally be playing games with her. They don't let her finish her sentences in meetings, they talk over her and wave their hand around dismissively, they stand over her and even seem to physically back her into a corner. At this point, it is important to note that both her and I realise that this behaviour is NOT representative all most of the male business fraternity, this type of behaviour is, we hope, in the minority – but it is happening. How does a small framed woman who believes in win:win situations compete with a strong male counterforce who are unsupportive of her role and seem to thrive on win:lose war-type situations? Click here to read on
