Last week I attended an event in which the importance of men as allies was discussed and then I read this in the Wall Street Journal titled “Men Learn How to Be ‘Allies,’ Without Fear, to Female Colleagues.” It includes research that says that 55% of men in the U.S. said they found it “harder for them to know how to interact with women at work, according to a new Pew Research Center Poll of more than 6,000 adults.” That is why the example Tony Robbins gave this weekend about his high profile client is so disturbing. Why would Mr. Robbins not stop his client and call him on how wrong not hiring the female candidate was, the more qualified candidate, because she was attractive? He blamed the #MeToo movement. Mr. Robbins has apologized but my bigger question is what is he telling clients now? Maybe as a coach he could help him address his concerns in a way where women are not negatively impacted by HIS issues? He could become an ally.
We will continue to see the theme of men as allies as an important part of positive change. In this post Melinda Gates (which talks about much more and is an important read) she says, “Men, this is your invitation to be an ally.” For those interested in learning and doing more, I did find the Forté Men as Allies Initiative. The site includes research and resources and encourages men to create ally groups. You can find information here. Maybe Tony Robbins should look them up….
In other news, The Harvard Business Review recently published two interesting pieces: “5 Things We Learned About Creating a Successful Workplace Diversity Program” and “How to Use Employee Referrals Without Giving Up Workplace Diversity.” Both include good tips as you continue to work to foster diversity in your organizations. Susan Wojcicki, YouTube CEO, also shared some good tips here for tech companies and Susan Giles wrote about why diversity is essential for innovation. This week CNN profiled Geisha Williams, CEO and President of PG&E Corp, who is the first Latina CEO of a major U.S. company.
Congratulations to the incredible leaders celebrated in AdWeek’s “11 Inspiring Women Who Have Broken Down Advertising’s Most Persistent Barriers.” Variety also released its 2018 Power of Women New York Impact List. Here is the weekly update on the record breaking Black Panther, this past week it passed “The Titanic.’
ICYMI this by Julio Ricardo Varela titled “The trouble with being the ‘only Latino in the room’’ is another recommended read for the week.
Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash
Let's Dance 