Through the Leaders’ Lens: The Problem with Mass Market Advice

Through the Leaders’ Lens: The Problem with Mass Market Advice

Jun 3, 2016 | Uncategorized

For the last several year, The Leaders’ Lens — dtkResources’ curated and annotated roundup of current leadership  articles and salient news items —  has been sent exclusively to my executive clients.  Designed to contextualize volumes of content, The Leaders’ Lens effectively cut through the clutter by providing executive leaders with the critical perspective they so needed to access more nuanced and strategic  thinking. Based on its success, we’re now filling a huge need by offering The Leaders’ Lens articles — providing pushback, depth, and applicable takeaways —  for an expanded audience that’s more accustomed to consuming mass marketing advice peddled by amateurs.  Most well-meaning, but amateurs nonetheless.  Instead, we’re addressing this often misguided and occasionally irresponsible advice presented by otherwise discerning editors — by posting this exclusive material on my own website as well as on various news outlets in a comment or in the form of letter to the editor. My reasoning? At its best, mass market advice: Is elementary and simplistic, addressing the widest — and commercially advantageous — audience possible, with little applicability on an individual level; Is remarkably unnuanced, ignoring the complexities of the challenges currently facing  American business and its workforce; Is so homogenized that it  lacks guts and grit.  Written (or filmed) generically for the broadest demographic, it isn’t capable of speaking specifically to the real needs of individual employees, companies and industries; At its worst, this generic advice — prescribed for the masses — risks inflicting outright harm to individual careers.    So, how can an evolved and evolving professional make any use of the mass market material as they try to grow and develop themselves and their  organizations? To help, I’ve decided to begin publishing...
Through the Leaders’ Lens: The Misery of Mandated Fun

Through the Leaders’ Lens: The Misery of Mandated Fun

May 25, 2016 | leadership, networking, women

I make it a point to read the Workologist column in the Sunday New York Times  Business Section whenever it appears, not because of the “sage” advice offered… but actually despite it!  The responses to real world topics of tremendous and timely significance often lack not only a true understanding of climate, culture and social norms of the workplace but also the context essential to dispense sound, actionable and most importantly, responsible advice. The NYT has taken note of my thinking and published responses both in the paper and on the website but pushback isn’t always published so the Workologist’s advice goes largely unchecked. This is why I’ll be publishing my thoughts on mass market advice here… where the  focus is on real work and real results… in real time. As an executive coach  focused on professional firms similar to the one mentioned in the article, I’ve learned to embrace (and never ignore) the complexities, nuances and culture inherent in each different organization.  However, in an article about ‘mandatory’ fun at work, the Workologist offered a prescriptive solution without fully considering the profound implications of the situation or more importantly of his naive and fairly tone deaf advice … Here’s my — until now — unpublished response: In suggesting a strategy to push back against the questionable merits  of “mandatory fun,”  I feel that providing any practical,  effective solution warrants gathering more information. We know that the company in question is a financial firm but we don’t know its size or whether it’s privately or publicly held, distinctions that can absolutely affect the eventual remedy. For the sake of argument, I...
Women, Be Your Own Solution

Women, Be Your Own Solution

Mar 25, 2016 | women

The ’emperor’ (of women’s professional development) – flattered by tv talk shows, heralded in the news and making appearances at fancy banquets — has been proven to have no clothes. No clothes, no substance, no results. More than a decade ago, the percentage of women in high leadership positions was at an unacceptable 17%.  Today, many women are shocked to learn that this number is  still hovering around 17%. Yes, it’s now 2016 and we have a female contender running for POTUS.  While it looks as though she’ll win the Democratic nomination, the ultimate outcome of the general election is still months away.  But, there’s still so much work to be done in order for American businesses to realize the proven benefit of having women at the top. In a past article —The Emperor Has No Clothes —  I detailed the lack of results in this arena of women’s professional development and challenged women to hone their own skills and — as a result — become their own solution. If you are willing to take this bull by the horns, determined to claim your own position in leadership (and therefore pave the way for others to follow you) there are three specific ways you can lay the groundwork for your own professional ascent: 1. You need to be heard at work.   This article goes into some detail about how the language of business is “male” and what this means for our communication in the workplace. 2. You need to be respected at work. Unbeknownst to many, the most direct way to generate professional respect is to create a compelling personal brand. ...
The ALL Gender Solution

The ALL Gender Solution

Mar 11, 2016 | gender roles in business

It took until only recently for the mass media to echo what I’ve been speaking, thinking and writing about for years: silo-d thinking is at the root of so many corporate ills, not the least of which is too few women at the top of almost any industry. As I advocated for various solutions around eliminating unconscious bias, I focused on what I called the “two-gender” solution, the thinking being that gender silos (women’s affinity groups, old boys club) promote exclusion rather than inclusion. And, while it’s critical to have awareness in the workplace, the real change will only happen when we socialize our daughters…AND OUR SONS…differently. I wrote about this in an article titled, “The Two Gender Solution.” Of course, the hands of time continue to turn and the evolution of our culture should continue to challenge our thinking. I know my thinking shifted as my awareness increased: as we enter Women’s History Month, everyone would benefit if leaders and individuals took this conversation to the next level to reflect reality. We’re talking an ALL gender solution. All, as in male, female and everything in between. We can’t have an inclusive corporate culture until we acknowledge and adopt this thinking. I began discussing the changing complexion of the American workforce in 2010, but six years later we now have the opportunity not only to employ and embrace different cultures and different generations, but also to do the same for the whole spectrum of sexual identity. Now more than ever, we cannot afford silo-d thinking. The marketplace is demanding inclusion… a leadership model that blends the best of all...
Ladies, take your seats. Now.

Ladies, take your seats. Now.

Mar 11, 2016 | gender roles in business

    It’s Women’s History Month,  2016.  For more than a decade, I’ve been working and  waiting expectantly for the paltry 17% of women in top leadership positions to increase.  In the beginning, the more attention the mainstream media gave this topic, the happier I was.  When a new book for women in leadership was released, I read it with high hopes. When a new female CEO took to the airwaves to espouse the importance of having more women at the top, I championed the cause. But to what end? We’ve ‘leaned in’, ‘cracked the confidence code’ and discussed the ‘feminine mystique.’  But the needle stays stuck at 17% .  And all the talk?  Well, it has been largely palliative and — as the numbers prove — ineffective. So, today I echo what I wrote back in 2014. Ladies, Take Your  Seats.  Figuratively.  Literally.   Read the article — HERE — that acknowledges the corporate cultures and mores that — yes — make it more difficult for professional women to ascend to leadership but  also challenges women to own their part… and do their part.  Instead of waiting for permission or the invitation (most of the time, it’s not coming!) simply sit down. Real work. Real results. Real...