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"it's probably time to stop penalizing women who speak their minds . . . don't you think?" These are the last words of an opinion piece that recently appeared in the NEWYORKTIMES.COM, written by organizational psychologist and author Adam Grant And while this question is provocative, the overall piece is quite a bit more equivocal. It’s titled “Women Know Exactly What They’re Doing When They Use ‘Weak’ Language. And as the rhetorical question above indicates, Grant finishes by calling out the ways that our highly gendered workplaces tend to punish women for being "forceful" and also (to a far lesser extent) men for being "needy," But he opens in a very different place, citing studies that show that women who use "weak" language--qualifiers, disclaimers, almost-apologies--often still get what they ask for when they do and are liked better by their colleagues. You can read Grant's full piece at the link below. I've read it several times and I'm still struck by all of the language he grapples with--and suggests that we grapple with as women in the workplace every day. Is weakness empathetic? And is empathy strong? Is assertiveness aggressive? Is that actually weak? But his essay also reminds me (forcefully) of a fairy tale. "Toads and Diamonds" tells the story of two women who encounter a fairy, with very different results. One is so sweet and kind (read—she uses “weak” language) that the fairy rewards her so that she spits out gemstones and flowers whenever she talks. The other is so assertive (read—what some would call a “nasty woman”) that she is punished and spits out bugs and snakes. I use this story in my novel Silenced, a #metoo fairy tale retelling, and I think it has resonance to Grant’s argument too. Because while it seems initially like one woman gets a reward and the other a punishment, they’re both in the end judged for the way that the world values their words. Say meek things? You’re a treasure! Say more! Say ugly truths? You’re a viper! Stop talking. But thinking back to Grant’s question above, maybe it’s not just time to stop penalizing women for speaking our minds, but to stop judging us for how we speak, when we speak, and what we have to say and just . . . Listen. #womenempowerment #womenintheworkplace #metoo #metoomovement #weak #strong #thenewyorktimes #wharton ##bookrecommendation #speakingup #genderbias #sexism #womenlead

Really interesting article from Gill, on what can be a very complex issue.

Continuing our conversation on how to be an effective customer of intelligence, here are some additional ways to make sure you're getting the most out of your analysts and their work. Today we'll focus on the following: 1.) Do kick the tires. It's okay to have questions about the accuracy of the intelligence reports you receive, particularly if big decisions are going to be made based on them. Ask your analysts about the sources they used, their confidence in those sources, and what their peers at other organizations are seeing. Ask if there are alternative scenarios which could explain the data, and how likely those scenarios are. A good analyst will know that you're being a good customer, rather than a knee-jerk contrarian. But also: 2.) Be aware of your own biases. We all have our own biases based on our religious, political, ethnonational, or cultural affiliations - it's part of being human. (https://lnkd.in/dfCkw2fJ) But you also need to be mindful of those biases when you're consuming intelligence. Are you skeptical about climate change? Dismissive of the pro-life movement? Wary of China? Then work extra hard to keep an open mind, and don't simply dismiss analysis which goes against your grain. On a related note: 3.) Don't judge a book by its cover. I know far too many brilliant female analysts who have been confronted with the question, "How old are you? How much do you know?" when briefing senior audiences - the implicit assumption being that they can't possibly be an expert on the issue at hand. (https://lnkd.in/dk7dds73) In my own career, I've dealt with customers in Asia (ironically, mostly Western expats) who assume that any American working in security must be an alarmist cowboy. Get to know your analysts and learn their strengths and weaknesses over time - but don't just assume you can know their competence by the way they look or sound. We'll get into other ways to get the most out of your intelligence analysts tomorrow, looking at topics like accepting uncertainty and sharing your own expertise. In the meantime, please do feel free to share your own tips on how to be an effective intel customer!

Banned Books Week is here, and awareness of censorship is as important as ever. Read our latest blog on the impacts of censorship in the workplace. https://lnkd.in/d7F_yJs5 #BannedBooksWeek #BannedBooksWeek2023

Just finished the course “How to Reduce the Obstacles of Ageism While Job Searching” by LinkedIn News! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/ejCanUAF #jobsearchstrategies #agediscrimination.

Just finished the course “How to Reduce the Obstacles of Ageism While Job Searching” by LinkedIn News! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/eRhvm-ED #jobsearchstrategies #agediscrimination.

From The New York Times: "Japan’s Labor Market Has a Lesson for the Fed: Women Can Surprise You" I loved seeing this headline, but it should be no surprise: “Since about 2013, the Japanese government has tried to make both public policies and corporate culture more friendly to women in the work force.” Much of the participation has been in part-time work, which allows for more flexibility but lower pay and benefits. My POV, as a woman who’s been both a full-time corporate employee (which is rarely just 40 hours per week) and as a stay-at-home mom searching for professional roles that let me see my kids more than two hours per day: There is a potential world in which part-time work is well-paid and valued. If we enact the policies and design the corporate cultures to make that happen, we will unleash an economic tidal wave of women (and men) in their prime earning years who can’t work 50-60-70+ hours per week BUT CAN work 20-30 hours per week at high professional quality. If – when – we do that, we’ll create a huge new engine of economic growth. And we’ll have a workforce with much happier, healthier lives for themselves and their families.

"To understand disinformation and how to counter it, begin by examining the counternarrative that informs dissent. This description of a populist counternarrative is based on media reporting, interviews, and surveys and while it may offend some, it reflects beliefs that no matter how irrational, are widely held in communities susceptible to disinformation." Read this and more analysis from Jim Lewis's new blog series 'Working Papers': https://lnkd.in/dc9G4ESK

Just finished the course “How to Reduce the Obstacles of Ageism While Job Searching” by LinkedIn News! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gvjqahDE #jobsearchstrategies #agediscrimination.