What's your perception?
Who is better at solving problems-men or women? The answer is: it depends who's asking. Men perceive men as superior while women give the edge to women. In reality according to Catalyst and the Institute for Management Studies, gender is not a good predictor of leadership performance. Why then, time and again are men rewarded in the business world for their problem solving skills?
Why are women passed over for promotions because they are judged to be "weak" at problem solving? It's due to women making slow progress in leadership positions in U.S. companies. Catalyst, says that only 15% of Fortune 500 companies reported that they have women in senior-level management positions. So the men that hold the bulk of the higher level positions reward the men. This, of course, is gender stereotyping and according to the latest study just out by Catalyst it is still rampant in organizations across the country.
| Catalyst, says that only 15% of Fortune 500 companies reported that they have women in senior-level management positions. |
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Unfortunately for women, perception trumps reality when evaluating managers for promotions. If business is about perceptions, then making public relations a goal of interchanges with management should be at the forefront of every leader's thoughts-especially women.
Often in 360 feedback reports, Leadership Solutions sees a manager rated low by the boss when all the direct reports or peers see the person as a stellar problem solver. How can there be such a "disconnect?" When we look further we find that if a woman manager complains to her male boss about a rough problem she just solved or uses her boss as a person to "vent to" after difficulties, the male hears it as, "She is not a good problem solver." In reality, this may not be the case. Leadership Solutions usually advises these managers to vent to anyone except the boss unless help is actually required. In this situation, talking to a friend about problems at work would be far better for a woman's career.
Here are some tips to help managers be their own public relations person:
- Know the message that is to be conveyed-time is short with senior people, if the message is "all is well" then say that don't say "I just had a horrible time with my team but now all is well."
- Make sure language and image reinforce this message
- Target the person or persons to influence
- Use multiple ways to communicate-email, verbal, formal and informal
- Use every opportunity to reinforce the message or desired image
- Get support from others on the team with ideas and feedback
Stereotypes and perceptions continue to play an important role in the workforce. Good public relations planning can really make a difference in altering an individual perception and lead to changed behaviors.
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