Leading Change: Being Heard
Originally published on LinkedIn Mar. 23, 2024
Leading Change: Being Heard
Who listens to you? According to John C. Maxwell, the Law of E. F. Hutton says:
"When the real leader speaks, people listen."
I'll admit, I had fun reviewing some of those classic E. F. Hutton commercials recently, but even if you didn't grow up watching them, you get the point. People are more likely to listen to those they respect and view as a leader, regardless of their actual position.
For women in male-dominated fields, however, that's not as simple as it sounds. Many were reminded of this recently in a Minnesota hearing where a pilot introduced herself to testify on behalf of the Air Line Pilots Association International. She was still addressed as a "stewardess" first before correcting the lawmaker who apparently missed how many times she said she was a pilot.
Ask any woman in a male dominated profession and you will surely hear similar tales. That's part of what makes it so hard to be heard - to actually be listened to - by people who have a hard time seeing you in a particular role to begin with. Women pilots are admittedly rare, representing less than 10% of licensed pilots in the U.S., but how much representation do you need in a field so you are not so frequently underestimated and disrespected?
In the tech industry, where women have better representation at around 27%, the challenges remain: bias affects many aspects of the work environment, especially for women in technical roles, and interactions like the Delta pilot experienced above are still relatively common. In a recent SPR study published last month: "Of the women in tech who have experienced gender bias, nearly 3 in 4 (73%) have experienced gender bias in the last year."
"When it comes to reporting the situation, 14% told human resources about the experience. Among those who did, more than half feel the issue wasn’t adequately addressed by human resources or management." -- SPR, Women in Tech Statistics
This is why I've been spending time this Women's History Month learning more about effective advocacy, coaching, mentorship and sponsorship skills for environments where being heard as a woman is still a challenge. And this is on top of all the other dimensions of diversity that can significantly impact opportunities to grow and advance in one's career.
You could say it's all about something basic: respect. And Aretha Franklin would probably agree with you. If people don't respect you, there's not much else you can do effectively, and certainly not for an extended period of time. But if you are in a culture that consistently disrespects women, expecting each incident to be treated in isolation only prolongs the systemic challenge that type of culture presents to many of the women there - all of whom deserve respect.
This is where genuine allies and advocates can make a difference by addressing the broader cultural norms that allow the disrespect and other toxic behaviors to remain entrenched. The normalization can cause many women to internalize and perpetuate it themselves, even when they are well-represented.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach from a global perspective, given all the other cultural factors that can affect the experience of women in the workplace. Based on the latest World Economic Forum report, gender equality is stalling, and I don't expect to see it in my lifetime - try 131 years from now!
I am hopeful, however, that as technology brings more women and their allies together, they can continue to invest in improving everyone's experience through more inclusive and respectful engagement that addresses the underlying factors that have perpetuated biased behavior far too long.
That way, everyone can actually be heard.
Reference
Bondarenko, Veronika, "A Delta pilot corrected a senator who called her 'stewardess,'" The Street, Mar. 19, 2024, at https://www.thestreet.com/travel/female-pilot-calls-out-sexism-senator
Den Houter, Kate and Ellyn Maese, "Mentors and Sponsors Make the Difference," Gallup, Apr. 13, 2023, at https://www.gallup.com/workplace/473999/mentors-sponsors-difference.aspx
Diehl, Amy, Amber L. Stephenson, and Leanne M. Dzubinski, "Research: How Bias Against Women Persists in Female-Dominated Workplaces," Harvard Business Review, Mar. 2, 2022, at https://hbr.org/2022/03/research-how-bias-against-women-persists-in-female-dominated-workplaces
DuBow, W. & Wu, Zhen (2023) "NCWIT Scorecard: The Status of Women in Technology." Boulder, CO: NCWIT, available at https://ncwit.org/resource/scorecard/
Federal Aviation Administration, "U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics," updated Mar. 2024, available at https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics
Korn Ferry, "4 STEPS TO A MORE DIVERSE, EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE ORGANISATION," at https://focus.kornferry.com/4-steps-to-a-more-diverse-equitable-and-inclusive-organisation/
Library of Congress, "Women's History Month" at
Maxwell, John C., "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" via https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/815716.The_21_Irrefutable_Laws_of_Leadership
Maxwell Leadership Insights, "5: The Law of E.F. Hutton - 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership," Jan. 12, 2019, at
Singh, Vandana, "Here's why women are leaving the tech industry - and what can be done about it," World Economic Forum, Mar. 7, 2023, at https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/women-are-leaving-tech-roles-heres-how-we-can-support-them-to-improve-retention/
SPR, "Women in Tech Statistics: 73% Experience Gender Bias in the Workplace," Feb. 6, 2024, available at https://spr.com/women-in-tech-statistics/
USA Today, "I don't know why I said that: Minnesota lawmaker calls pilot stewardess in hearing," Mar. 8, 2024, at
Women in Aviation International, "Current Statistics of Women in Aviation Careers in U.S.," at https://www.wai.org/industry-stats##
World Economic Forum, "Global Gender Gap Report 2023," at https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/
--, "Gender Equality Is Stalling: 131 Years to Close the Gap," Jun. 20, 2023, at https://www.weforum.org/press/2023/06/gender-equality-is-stalling-131-years-to-close-the-gap/