The title of the book is important --- "Why Men Win AT WORK." I think that most of us would struggle with this book if the title was "Why Men Win At Life." With full respect for the issues that get in the way of a woman's opportunity to excel in business, it is not unreasonable to point out that perhaps one of the reasons is that women tend to have a much better and more balanced perspective about how to pursue a fulfilling life and pursue happiness in ways that are NOT defined by the corporate ladder. Men appear to me to be much more ego driven when it comes to success in big corporations and they often miss out on things like their children growing up because of that mindset. Surely, this is a factor in the outcomes being analyzed by Gill Whitty-Collins.
Sad to say but many companies need dot connecting beyond representation that should mirror society. The truth is that idea collision (the kind that drives innovation) happens when as many different types of contributors participate. It’s not just that women are a % of society — it’s that our lived experience (not a monolith but distinctive from men) dimensionalizes ideas in ways that connect with customers and consumers. Great piece, Rishad. As always.
Very insightful analysis of the problems that de-incentivize women and others (with diverse perspectives). I’d add one more. Digitization of performance appraisals. Performance algorithms are built based on what can be computed, essentially de-incentivizing spending time on discovery, conversation, learning from others, etc. - essentially all the behaviors critical to realizing the competitive advantage from collaborating with stakeholders inside and outside an organization. .
The title of the book is important --- "Why Men Win AT WORK." I think that most of us would struggle with this book if the title was "Why Men Win At Life." With full respect for the issues that get in the way of a woman's opportunity to excel in business, it is not unreasonable to point out that perhaps one of the reasons is that women tend to have a much better and more balanced perspective about how to pursue a fulfilling life and pursue happiness in ways that are NOT defined by the corporate ladder. Men appear to me to be much more ego driven when it comes to success in big corporations and they often miss out on things like their children growing up because of that mindset. Surely, this is a factor in the outcomes being analyzed by Gill Whitty-Collins.
Mark. Indeed it is. She speaks a bit on the podcast about it and has more in the book.
Sad to say but many companies need dot connecting beyond representation that should mirror society. The truth is that idea collision (the kind that drives innovation) happens when as many different types of contributors participate. It’s not just that women are a % of society — it’s that our lived experience (not a monolith but distinctive from men) dimensionalizes ideas in ways that connect with customers and consumers. Great piece, Rishad. As always.
Very insightful analysis of the problems that de-incentivize women and others (with diverse perspectives). I’d add one more. Digitization of performance appraisals. Performance algorithms are built based on what can be computed, essentially de-incentivizing spending time on discovery, conversation, learning from others, etc. - essentially all the behaviors critical to realizing the competitive advantage from collaborating with stakeholders inside and outside an organization. .