Mad Men to #MeToo – why we need this conversation
Early in my career, I was in a meeting with four other men. Someone said, “Since this is a committee meeting, we should probably take notes.” All four men instantly looked at me. My immediate, and unfiltered response was, “If you think I’m taking minutes because I’m the woman in the group, I’m not!” After a surprised pause, much to his credit, one of the men, a heart surgeon who didn’t have any extra time in his schedule, said, “I’d like to take notes,” and we moved on.
Okay, that was not my finest hour. I could have handled the situation with much more tact, but the heart of the issue was the assumption of what my role and contributions to the group was. Not being the only woman to experience moments like this, our company launched a new session this week, Mad Men to #MeToo.
It’s a session that provides a conversation forum and discussion around the world of gender in our workplaces. The session moves beyond sexual harassment training to the deeper conversation around valuing all genders within the organization’s culture and values.
Why did we take on this content, why are we championing this discussion?
In a world where leaders, managers, supervisors and employees are nervous about how they balance the humanity of their jobs with the legal ramifications of sexual misconduct, having a safe space to discuss the real-life impact of stereotypes, language choices and expectations is imperative to living our values.
Many people, especially those in management, are honestly nervous about what they should do in everyday situations. Things that were once simple, like having a difficult conversation with someone else behind closed doors, is no longer simple. Our session is aimed at helping people discuss what may be gray areas, where in most instances, there are no consequences for the action, but in other instances, there may be.
In a conversation with an HR director this week, she shared the example of someone walking by a table of all women at a conference. The man said to one of his colleagues at the table, “Hanging out with the chicks today, eh?” This comment was said with no ill intent, and most of the time, it’s received that way. However, it’s important for all employees to understand the when, how and if something should be said.
Honestly, we sometimes overthink these situations, but in my opinion, it’s better to overthink than underthink and do something foolish and not easily remedied. This session is designed to help folks be preemptive toward anything bordering on inappropriate, but also to provide the balance between being human and being legalistic.
From an organizational perspective, this conversation gives everyone the chance to move beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law. The letter of the law is we need to be compliant with sexual harassment policies. The spirit of the law is we want and need to create environments where everyone has the opportunity to feel safe and thrive.
Whether you are part of the formal leadership or the employee group where you work, the climate of your work environment, can be impacted by your willingness to talk through difficult topics like this. That’s why we’re offering the session, and that’s why we are championing it.
To learn more, check out the session description below, share it with the decision makers in your organization, or call or email me.
From us to you, we wish you the very best as we all strive toward making our workplaces and worlds a better place!
Mad Men to #MeToo – A Discussion for Leaders and Teams
This quarter- to half-day session moves beyond the legal function of sexual harassment training, this session focuses on opening the conversation around understanding the everyday situations keeping us from working together for the greatest impact.
This session provides a forum for respectful dialogue on everything from the role of perception, to practical questions like: What are the new norms around meeting with the door closed and can I offer to hug an employee? Specifically, we’ll:
- Create safe dialogue with all levels of the organization around the difficult topic of gender-safe environments
- Learn to understand each other’s perspectives
- Create new aligned or realign values and behaviors customized for organizational success and workplace appropriate
- Align, realign or reaffirm workplace behaviors to create a productive, effective and engaging culture across genders
Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.
