In a male dominated workplace, how can I shift the perspectives of my colleagues so they view me as a leader - not just a woman?

Stump The Strategist

Watch below as we answer:

Q: I'm a woman engineer and the fact I'm a woman gets in the way of conversations about work. How can I shift the perspective of my colleagues so they see me as their leader, not just a woman?

• Featured strategists are: 

  Ashton Bishop - Head of Strategy, Step Change Marketing

  Jeff Cooper - Senior Partner, Step Change Marketing

  Tiffany Jones - Founder and CEO, Momentum Advisory Group

• About Stump The Strategist:

  • It's opinion, not advice
  • Questions from the floor, answered live in nine minutes
  • Step Change charges clients for advice, Stump The Strategist is free

A:

• Create the right framing - being a woman is an advantage, rather than a disadvantage. You can do this by aligning yourself with the best aspects of masculinity, without the negatives, e.g. you are brave, bold and decisive, but not aggressive

• Dress appropriately for the culture so that your colleagues have no choice but to focus on the content of what you are saying

• Preparation is key - go in knowing what to expect and exactly what you want to say

• Focus on you, not them - you can't change them, but you do have control over how you present and conduct yourself

• Be better than them, but don't compete

• Become a role model - see yourself as forging a path for other females to come

• Minimise the difference between you and them. What can you talk about? You can soften up a group of men by talking about their wives, families and children

• Speak into the listening - sometimes you just need to address the issue directly by asking who has a problem

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