Biswajit Dash’s Post

“….a much bigger problem is the lack of career obstacles for incompetent men, and the fact that we tend to equate leadership with the very psychological features that make the average man a more inept leader than the average woman. The result is a pathological system that rewards men for their incompetence while punishing women for their competence, to everybody’s detriment.” If we extrapolate to all sectors of business, and socio-economic and political life, could this be the beginning of finding answers to our global problems? War, rebalancing extractive economics with regenerative endogenous systems, climate resilience, etc.

Very interesting article and I can relate to much of it based on the traits listed in the article. Half the population are born female but the proportion of female in many organisations is often much lower than that particularly at more senior levels. My humble view is that many people will offer opportunities to those that have similar characteristics, which creates what is described in the article. If, however, we focus on broader characteristics then we are also likely to bring moe diversity of thought into the workplace

Very interesting article from the Harvard Business Review.

Social biases and stereotypes can lead to a double standard where men's confidence is interpreted as competence, while women's competence may be viewed as arrogance. This disparity can stem from long-standing gender norms and expectations, where assertive behavior in men is typically praised, but in women, it can be criticized or misunderstood. These biases can affect professional environments, impacting how individuals are evaluated and treated based on their gender. Promoting awareness and challenging these stereotypes is crucial for achieving more equitable perceptions and treatment of both men and women.

- 💼 The under-representation of women in management positions is often attributed to misconceptions about women's leadership capabilities and interests. - 🤔 Confidence is often mistaken for competence, leading to the promotion of charismatic but incompetent men to leadership roles. - 🌟 Arrogance and overconfidence, traits associated with men, are actually inversely related to effective leadership talent. - 👩💼 Women tend to display more effective leadership traits, such as humility, emotional intelligence, and considerateness, compared to men. - 💡 Women face barriers to leadership positions due to a thick glass ceiling, while incompetent men often face fewer career obstacles.

The issue of barriers faced by women in various fields is indeed significant, but an equally concerning problem is the absence of barriers for mediocre men. Equality and fairness in opportunities and recognition are essential for creating diverse and inclusive environments where merit and talent, rather than gender, determine success. Recognizing and addressing these issues is crucial for achieving a more equitable society.

It seems as the qualities that help men ascend corporate hierarchy are the same characteristics that will drive poor leadership performance. Read this thought provoking article.

This was posted by HBR today - an article from 2013. Has anything changed? Could we work harder towards building mediocre men into emotionally intelligent capable leaders? Shouldn’t this start at the childcare education level? When women are still struggling to be visible & heard (without criticism) - for being intelligent, funny, smart and/or attractive (without projected judgement) what should be done to boost their confidence and appointments to roles that affect positive change? It is true - there are amazing male and female leaders across the globe, but articles like this are designed to prevoke conversation and awareness, so that everyone can advocate for brighter collaboration outcomes. I’m interested to hear thoughts on this!

Perfect article about Leadership Don’t be wrong : self Confidence is completely different from Competence .