Narratives The Stories that Hold Women Back at Work

Explore the most widespread myths concerning women in the workplace, then dismantle them with facts, arguments, logic, and tactics Every organization has stories about women in the workplace that live on through constant retelling: ‘ Women are too emotional’ ; ‘ Women are not interested in a career’ ; and ‘ We are hiring the best person for the job, regardless of gender’ . We need to dispel these myths that are keeping women on a lesser footing. Here are the tools for doing just that. This book will shatter ongoing workplace gender myths. Narratives provides context for these stories and offers women— and men— the powerful arguments and tools they need to counteract them and ensure a fairer and more competitive workplace— and a better business overall.

Mette Johansson (MBA, CSP, PCC) is a highly awarded author, speaker and consultant. She worked in leadership roles for multinational corporations for fifteen years before founding MetaMind, a training consultancy providing consulting and learning programmes in the people side of leadership skills. Mette has spoken internationally on authentic, inspirational and inclusive leadership at a wide variety of global conferences, corporations and business schools. Her clients include Citibank, Airbnb, Microsoft, UPS, Pfizer, CapitaLand, and many more.

Section I Myth One: ‘ Women Are Too Emotional’ Myth Two: ‘ We Adhere to Meritocracy’ Myth Three: ‘ Women Can’ t Work Together’ Myth Four: ‘ We Don’ t Have a Gender Pay Gap Here’ Myth Five: ‘ Mothers Aren’ t Committed to Work’ Myth Six: ‘ We Can’ t Find Women to Fill Leadership Positions’ Myth Seven: ‘ Women Speak Too Much’ Myth Eight: ‘ Women Bosses Are Too Bossy’ Myth Nine: ‘ Women Are Indecisive’ Myth Ten: ‘ Women Are Not Suited for Sales Positions’ Section II Skills for Speaking Up and Dispelling the Myths Effectively Skill One: Choose Your Audience Wisely Skill Two: Separating Impact from Intent Skill Three: Empathy and Compassion Skill Four: Managing Your Own Emotions Skill Five: Asking Questions Rather Than Making Statements Skill Six: Ensuring Your Questions Are Neutral Skill Seven: Persuading with Facts, Stories, and Case Studies Skill Eight: Managing Confrontations Skill Nine: Healthy Debates Skill Ten: Understanding the Cultural Dimension