In many companies there is a very high proportion of male managers to females. This is causing major challenges in these organisations (although many are unaware it is an important issue).
The women know that with a more balanced hierachy, and viewing things from a totally different perspective this would increase morale, save time and money.
Women are naturally good at developing relationships, nurturing, caring and sharing whereas men tend not to be as sensitive and prefer to “get on with it”.
I’ve noticed many managers are out of touch with the fundamental issues in their departments, especially the ‘people issues’.
Often managers are promoted to their positions, not because they know how to manage people but because they are good at doing their job. A salesperson may be great at selling his company’s products and then gets promoted to Sales Manager. He knows the product and makes plenty of sales but suddenly he is faced with managing a team of salespeople–a totally different experience.
And for some unknown reason it is automatically assumed he has the skills to handle this new position.
Managing and communicating with people is a skill that for most of us doesn’t come naturally. It’s even more difficult communicating with the opposite sex.
I was having a meeting with a manager and his personal assistant (PA) recently. The PA had a list of things to discuss in regard to improving their joint office systems.
Instead of providing the male manager with a brief summary of each issue she wanted to raise, the PA delivered a sermon for each one.
You could see the manager switch off after the first couple of sentences and become impatient. She, on the other hand didn’t notice anything.
In another company a female manager never received any recognition from her male boss that she was doing a great job. In fact she felt very downhearted and left the organisation because she felt she wasn’t appreciated. Her ex-boss old me afterwards that she was the best manager on his team and couldn’t understand why she left.
So learn how to communicate with the opposite sex and become a gender blender.
How To Deal With A Woman In Business- Build rapport
- Be polite – say ‘please’ and thank you’
- Let her speak without you interrupting
- Use good eye contact and pay attention Look interested in what she is saying
- Make your own tea and coffee and ask her if she’d like one
How To Deal With A Man In Business- Speak up and be counted
- Get to the point
- Focus on one issue at a time
- Avoid taking things too seriously or hold grudges
- Learn to separate business matters from your personal feelings