Fierce in the press.
We were thrilled to see Fierce Strategy + Creative quoted in the recent article in Inc.com, “3 Myths About Women We Need to Debunk Now,” by Heather R. Huhman.
The basic gist of this myth is that women are ruled by their emotions, especially in stressful situations. When faced with a decision, they are unable to think rationally. And when they feel slighted, they become catty, particularly with other women.
But that’s not the reality.
“I personally have found that women work well together when they know the boundaries of the work environment and feel empowered to speak up,” said Beckie Manley, founder and CEO of Fierce Strategy + Creative, a strategic branding firm.
“When I ran my previous agency, we had many female employees, both young and old, working together to serve our clients, and they all encouraged each other, worked together, supported each other, and were friends outside of the office.”
In fact, research from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences shows that when there are strong female relationships in the workplace, there is less conflict. This is particularly true when the workplace is male-dominated.
One of the best ways to create this type of environment is to prioritize respect and kindness. For some employees, these behaviors come easily, but others might need help learning to communicate or better navigate professional relationships.
Tools like career coaching app Boost can provide employees with actionable guidance that helps both men and women from giving into irrational emotions.”
The rest of the story.
I have heard this myth often that women are emotional in the workplace, both with decision making and with leading or being led by other women. Conflict, intense discussion and honesty is often diminished to “cat fights” or “nervous breakdowns” and thoughtful confident decision making is reduced to bossiness.
Listening to Cheryl Sandberg on NPR, she said when she addresses audiences on leadership, she asks the men in the audience if any of them were ever called bossy when they were young and she said rarely one person raises their hand. She then asks the women in the audience the same question and she said every hand goes up. I find this so fascinating—and so true.
Change depends on us.
I believe that shattering myths about women in the workplace starts with us as women. We have a responsibility to be kind, to be good citizens, and to demonstrate respect toward each other. I made a lot of mistakes when I first started out in my career by reacting and over reacting to women when I shouldn’t have. I had to learn kindness, patience, that leading is actually serving and many other hard lessons along the way. I was mentored by great men and women who taught me so many good things and I am so grateful. As women, we must pass on this learning to young women just starting out so they can make the workplace better for both men and women every day.
Brand fiercely with us today.
Reach out to beckie.manley@hellofierce.com.
