Hitting Home – can workplace culture lead to violence towards women?

Being a sponsor for todays “Breakfast with the Guys” event in Calgary, organized by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS), acted as a timely reminder, the need for all of us to get involved in challenging abusive behaviours, whether this be at home, our community or the workplace. As a Champion of Great Leadership at Bluegem Learning and a father of two daughters, I see the need for leaders at all levels in organizations and the wider community to play their part in ending violence towards women.

As the majority of my work is spent with leaders in organization I am interested to learn if there is a correlation between the culture in the workplace and violence towards women.

A 2012 survey in Alberta found that 1 in 10 men said that it was acceptable for a man to hit a woman if she did something that makes him angry. And this startling statistic isn’t in isolation, on a wider scale across Canada Statistics Canada have previously revealed that:

 Half of all Canadian women have experienced physical or sexual violence, 

More than 3,000 women stay in shelters on a given night to escape abuse, 

Women are 11 times more likely to be victims of sexual offences,

Young women between the ages of 15-24 are particularly vulnerable to violent crime with the reported crime rate double that of women aged between 35- 44.

I found these statistics shocking, all the more so because they effect real people and are not simply statistics. So returning to my earlier question - can workplace culture lead to violence towards women?

Recent research in British Columbia has indicated that the culture of work camps, isolation, self medication through alcohol and/or drugs, can lead to a pressure cooker that can become destructive when that man returns home to his family. Is this isolated to work camps or is this pattern more wide spread across the workplace? Is it centred on professions with all male only teams and high levels of stress? The recent high profile cases involving Ray Rice and Jian Gomeshi indicate a more widespread problem, where unacceptable behaviour is at best ignored and at worst encouraged.

I don’t have the answers to these questions and as importantly what do we do about it. I’d be interested to learn others thoughts on this, from your experience is there a correlation between the culture in the workplace and violence towards women. Please feel free to leave me your comments.

ACWS rightly point out that men still hold the majority of leadership roles in organizations and can be powerful mentors to other men, boys and girls. It is time that these leaders stood up to the issue of violence towards women, it’s not enough to say nothing or do nothing in the hope that others will, as leaders we have an opportunity to speak out and should do so.

The Bluegem Approach to Leadership Development

Russell Stratton, Champion of Great Leadership at Bluegem Learning, has made it his mission to develop great Leaders in the organizations he works with. 

Bluegem is the only Calgary based Leadership Development consultancy that offers innovative, experiential programs that combine training, ongoing coaching and hands on, on the job support, at pricing that makes sense on your budget. All backed by our 60 day 100% money back guarantee.

Using Bluegem's ACE² systematic leadership development approach we can custom build a solution that guarantees results for your specific requirements.

Crash Course in Managing your Boss

At a recent workshop I was running for new Leaders a participant commented that their biggest challenge wasn't leading their team or the technical complexities of the job, but managing their own boss. So we quickly brainstormed some ideas on how to do this in a constructive way, here are our six top tips.

1. Work at it - some people adopt an a passive reactive stance to their boss. If you're not happy with the relationship take the lead and "manage upwards."
   
2. Meet expectations - establish whether your boss is hands off or hands on in relation to progress reports and then provide them with the information that matches their approach.
   
3. Be constructive - don't simply dump problems on your boss's desk, if you can't offer the solution immediately at least frame some options.
   
4. Respect their time - they will have lots of other responsibilities and calls on their time, use it wisely and don't be an energy sucker.
   
5. Feel their pain - understand what matters to them, the pressures they are under and then think of ways to help them achieve their goals.
   
6. Understand yourself - be honest about yourself, what type of relationship are you looking for from your boss, at the extremes are you overdependent of do you kick against authority.

On Becoming a Leader - Warren Bennis

Warren Bennis died this summer aged 89. As one of the leading authors of dozen of books on the subject of Leadership, one has remained with me above others - "On Becoming a Leader", his personal reflection on the preparation for being ready to lead.

Bennis asserts a number of key points in this book that resonate with me;

• Leaders are made, not born and therefore we can get better at it. There is not a magic formula.
   
• Leaders need  to take responsibility for their actions and not blame others if things go wrong. Mistakes are accepted as part of the learning process towards growth and progress.
• The point is not to become a Leader, the point is to become yourself. True Leadership comes from within , it is not a coat you wear when required.

And on the subject of why Leadership is necessary in business and the wider community, I'll leave you with a quote from Bennis himself ....

"One person can live on a desert island without leadership. Two people, if they are totally compatible, could probably get along and even progress. If there are three or more, someone has to take the lead. Otherwise, chaos erupts." 

Create a Vision and Share it

At a recent presentation to the Chamber of Commerce I talked about the need for leaders in all businesses to have a clear vision and be able to articulate it clearly to others. In an ideal world a leader may include their team in establishing the vision, but this isn’t essential, however, inspiring and engaging people with the vision is.

A vision allows your employees and your customers to know what you aspire to be, it integrates your values, keeps you moving forward and inspires you and everyone in your business. The vision conveys a larger sense of purpose so that employees see themselves building a product or providing a service that makes a real difference. A vision that inspires and engages your team can be immensely powerful.

Here’s an example of one well known company:

“Create experiences that combine the magic of software with the power of Internet services across a world of devices.”

If you didn’t recognize it this is Microsoft’s vision.

So when drafting your own vision there are several questions to get your creative juices flowing before you start:

• Why did I start this business?

• Should I leave this company, what do I want to leave behind?

• What do I really provide for my customers beyond products and services?

• If my business could be everything I dreamed, how would it be?

Remember to think big, capture your passion – people are inspired by your dreams!

How to get the most from your networking

With Fall in full swing we're back into "Networking mode". With that in mind Jane Joseph, Champion of Women Leaders at Bluegem has written the following piece entitled "How to get the most from your networking".

"With today’s digital and electronic age, the idea of face to face networking must seem a little ‘old hat’.  However, when reading through a recent edition of Pride Magazine I was reminded of how useful and influential having a good network of people can be.

It is a commonly held believe that for people to get ahead they need good mentors and networks around them.  It has, also, been suggested that one of the reasons that women find it difficult to forge into the higher echelons of business is because they do not establish these networks at the same rate and that their networks do not have the same influential status as their male counterparts.  I am not entirely sure I fully subscribe to that point of view; however, I think that mastering the art of good networking skills will always be useful.

So according to the Pride Mag here are some do and don’ts of networking…

Do

·      Be presentable and prepared.  You only have one opportunity to make a first impression and you want that impression to say exactly what you want and not leave any room for doubt.  So when getting ready make sure you are dressed and presented in a way that truly reflects the role that you have or are aspiring to.

·      Maintain warm body language. If you are not sure about the power of body language take it from me we leak messages through our body all the time.  Albert Mehrabian states that the power of communication through our bodies is far greater than the words that we use.  So keep your posture strong but your gaze and smile welcoming.  The old adage that crossing your arms means that you are unapproachable may be true when first meeting people.  If a folded arm is your position of comfort, re-adjust until people get to know you, then it will not have the same impact.

·      Be natural.  As best as you can in an unfamiliar situation, just be you.  Remind yourself that you are just as good as anyone else there.  Being authentic lets people see who you are.  It is also more likely to attract people to you.  There is nothing more off putting than someone affecting a personality that really doesn’t fit.

·      Approach groups wisely. Old-fashioned manners ‘like grandma’ would approve of will be very useful when you are trying to break into a group or become involved in a conversation.  Have a look around; two people in intense conversation may not wish to be disturbed so join a slightly larger group, where several simultaneous conversations may be occurring.  Be gentle in your approach and wait for an appropriate moment to introduce yourself.  Remember you are there to network so don’t make it all about you… you already know who you are.

·      Spread yourself.  Networking is about meeting as many people as you can, so if you have come with a friend for moral support don’t stick with that person.  Maybe have a side bet of who can meet the most people and the winner buys coffee (or a glass of red…whatever is the best and most appropriate for you). 

DON’T

·      Be afraid of CEOs.  No matter what the grade or status of an individual we are all human. If, people in authority intimidate you, give yourself the challenge of approaching them.  My suggestion would be that they are not the first person that you talk to. Try out your patter on some other less imposing folk and build up your confidence.  Remember the goal is to be remembered for the right reasons.

·      Be a time hog.  Learn the art of skilfully bringing a conversation to a close and the cues of when someone else is doing it to you.  Be prepared to move onto the next contact with grace and ease.  Keep the conversation light before moving onto business, be inquisitive and alert to how these connections can be mutually beneficial. 

·      Forget you table manners.  I know that this one might seem a little patronising but you need to think about how you will manage to have a conversation and also juggle a drink and your nibbles.  A nice tip from Pride is to not hold your cold drink in your right hand as it makes a handshake cold and a little damp.

·      Be too selective.  Don’t be seduced by the extroverts in the room.  They may be the best at putting you at ease but you may miss a great contact if you spend all of your time with those who make the most noise.

So, there you have it Pride Magazines dos and don’ts for networking with a twist from me.  I hope that you find them useful."  

The Art of Leadership – Lessons from the world of business, sport and beyond.

On September 8^th I was fortunate enough to attend the Art of Leadership Conference here in Calgary and along with several hundred other participants enjoyed a full day of thought provoking and insightful speakers from the worlds of business, sport and beyond. Rather than try and cover all of the points made I’ve picked one key point from each speaker that resonated with me to share with you.

Rudy Giuliani (former Mayor of New York)

“Relentless Preparation” – leaders aren’t made they are developed and to become a leader you need to decide what you want to do and then practice, practice, practice to become good at it. There are no short cuts, continuous personal development is a key ingredient to success.

Chris Hadfield (Astronaut)

“Honestly delegate” – agree the goal with your team and then honestly delegate responsibility to your team and let them the decision. If you’ve trained and developed your people and improved their competence there should be no fear in delegating decision making responsibility to them.

Dan Roam (Author)

“Whoever best describes the problem is the one most likely to solve it” – think outside the box and harness the power of simple pictures to help people visually process the problem. You’d be amazed at how powerful visual processing is - did you know that you can explain virtually anything using only 6 pictures.

Vince Molinaro (Author)

“Leadership is a decision and you have to make it” – are you prepared to step up and be a leader and not simply be a technician with a new title. Often people are promoted into leadership roles from a technical one and this transition requires more than a new title. Leaders are held to a higher standard and you need to be prepared for that and not make your decision lightly.

Hayley Wickenheiser (Athlete)

“Are you an energy giver, or an energy taker?” – as a leader your presence has the ability to energize your team, to motivate and inspire them. However if you are an energy taker your presence has the potential to drain your team’s energy, de-motivate and leave them directionless. Which one are you?

I hope these extracts from the Art of Leadership Conference provide you with food for thought. If you were in attendance too, what were the comments that stuck with you?