What are we so afraid of?

In my Patreon and on LinkedIn this week, I wrote about recently being asked to give a man’s perspective of women in leadership.

My first thought: there’s not enough of them being represented in these roles; and they should be. There’s plenty of space in companies globally to bring women into these positions but it’s still a common fight.

What does it boil down to?

Groupthink and maybe even being scared. Scared to give up the reigns and free up control to a concept that women equally belong in the spaces that men predominantly inhabit.

But what can it do for us if we start raising up females the way we do with men?

Good example of what can happen (although extreme):

Throughout the last year we saw the efficacy of female leaders in positions of power in countries like Finland, New Zealand and Germany and their success through education and COVID; but not here in the U.S.

The NY Times wrote about why many women-led nations were most effective in eradicating COVID early on and it boils down to gender inclusion.

When we allow both parties to exist in important spaces, varying backgrounds and diversity of thought join the table to make space for new ideas and combat groupthink.

Inclusion is a clear signal that these countries understand that men and women bring different things to the table to come together for the same cause.

In the article by Amanda Taub she quotes Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Health at the University of Edinburgh Medical School and her hypothesis on avoiding this issue:

“The only way to avoid ‘groupthink’ and blind spots is to ensure representatives with diverse backgrounds and expertise are at the table when major decisions are made.”

Even though that’s an exceptional circumstance and this conversation is based around sales roles and little to do with becoming prime minister, it still matters.

It’s so interwoven into our culture to just accept that because men and women are different biologically that must mean our differences in business and decision-making are equally disparate, but that’s not the case.

So how can we collectively ensure we’re lifting women into the realm of leadership?

1. Amplify their voices in conversations that might be predominantly male-populated
2. Champion women that you see doing the work and showing leadership qualities
3. Advocate for them — allow them to make mistakes and fail without repercussion like we do for men
4. Participate in conversations around women’s perspectives and experiences in work

The perk of number four is the accessibility to joining in on conversations through outlets like LinkedIn or Clubhouse before you go diving in and doing so with coworkers. Start seeking out conversations with women in sales groups and gain their perspectives, and then stfu and listen.

Another important factor that Harvard Business Review pointed out is paving the way.

If you’re a male and are a key player in your organization, you have a unique opportunity to introduce potentially strong candidates for leadership to influential people.

Don’t sleep on that. And don’t be afraid to take the time to make that move if you have someone in mind that fits the criteria of being a strong leader.

By no means does this translate to: all women deserve the right to automatically end up in leadership positions because of gender, but they should be given the same consideration as males if their work ethic shows. Do this with intentionality versus organically.

Understanding they’re effective leaders and will bring important perspectives to teams is step one in creating more dynamic organizations.

What are some companies you know of that are already good at bringing up female leaders?

What are they doing differently that you take notice of?

Perhaps most importantly – what is one thing you can do today, right now, to use the force for good and help be a part of this necessary change?

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POST-COVID DAYDREAMS

Close your eyes and picture this: (Take a moment here and humor me.)

You’re at home one day and a national alert goes off on your phone. Everyone’s been vaccinated (or if you chose not to be, you’re gonna be safe anyway let’s say.)

COVID is mitigated and we can finally go back to life (somewhat) as we used to know it.

We can finally discover what our “new normal” truly is.

You quickly experience a flood of all of the things you’ve been talking about doing with friends, family, coworkers and people you’ve met virtually this year. You’ve had more opportunities this year than any to work overtime and now it is time to reward yourself.

So what’s the first professional event that comes to mind? You’ve been connecting and meeting with people on Zoom all year and finally get a chance to formulate plans to meet some of the people you’ve grown your network with. But what does it all look like?

Is it a Vegas-style sales conference or a small-group exotic adventure to ease yourself back into group dynamics?

What is going to get you to make an investment in your professional career after a year of being cooped up inside of your house, staying busier than ever with work and professional obligation?

After over a year away from Costa Rica, you could say I’m ready to get the hell out of here for a surf trip. I think it’s safe to say we’re all aching to get out and get back together.

I’d be surprised to see massive conference-like settings return after a year of stuffy indoor living. People have formed solid groups and networks of people online in the last year throughout the pandemic and wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more people breaking off into smaller group settings.

Virtual events and meetings will continue to play a huge factor in how we conduct business, but nothing compares to creating memories together in-person.

Being able to give our attention to people one-on-one and build rapport in proximity to one another could never be topped. It’s hard to gauge what people will prefer to do once the world shakes out to be somewhat back to normal with hesitancy and safety on high alert but I’m looking forward to getting people back to small groups in Costa Rica for sunset surfing and midday sales training.

In my opinion, small events are going to take over. Large, corporate events feel like a thing of the past; stuffy, boring, all-day events hold no panache now that we’ve had to manage being socially distanced and locked inside of our homes for over a year.

People are going to be aching to get out — to meet the teams they’ve joined remotely or the friends they’ve met virtually.

Surf and Sales was ahead of the game in creating a micro-environment for salespeople, sales leaders or anyone looking to grow into their success. We got to gather and rally together in one of the most beautiful places for the week to learn together, drink tequila, and collaborate.

And we can’t wait to do it again because what’s better than that? So…we are back.

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WILL YOU BE THERE?

Tell me what you’re looking to get out of your first in-person business event — I’m curious. What will it take to get you on a flight for a business trip in a post-COVID era?

Celebrate, the Revenue Intelligence summit, is back March 23rd. It’s a 1-day-only event packed with learnings from world-class sales teams, motivation from A-list speakers, and connection with your quota-crushing peers. It’s free, so register here.