Article written by Suzy Long:
Our first ever “Book Club Express” event was a great success! It was actually the first Book Club event I have ever attended at GBQ and my decision to do so was due in large part to the new format. There wasn’t a book to read, as in the past, but rather 3 articles…very “busy, working woman (and mom) friendly”!
The first article: “Miranda Priestly From ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Is One Misunderstood Villain” by Sage Young. This article discusses how Miranda Priestly (the boss in the film) is portrayed as a ruthless, demanding and even cruel person. The big question we discussed: Do you agree or disagree with the author’s assertion that Miranda Priestly is being judged more harshly for her actions than any male boss would be? We agreed that if she were a man, she wouldn’t seem so cruel. There is definitely a double standard and woman are often times seen as being mean, when usually they are really being direct/candid.
The second article: “The abrasiveness trap: High-achieving men and women are described differently in reviews” by Kieran Snyder, discusses how gender plays a role in performance reviews. Would feedback for a man ever include “He has a great personality”? Yet Darci Congrove, GBQ’s Managing Director, shared that she sees this comment used on reviews for female employees all the time and has never seen it on one for a man. So yes, men and women are evaluated differently…but is one way right and the other one wrong? One of our guests challenged women in management to not discard personality traits when doing reviews, but rather review EVERYONE’S personality, including men.
And the third article: “Is Being Bossy Really So Bad?” by Jennifer Still, examines the actual word ‘bossy’. To some this word means things like rude, overly authoritative and domineering. We discussed our thoughts on the word and most of the women in my group said they didn’t like the word, while others said they wear it with pride and don’t apologize for being a strong woman. Whether we like the word or not, we are all bound to be called it at some point in our careers and we should all focus on always being authentically ourselves and if that’s occasionally seen as bossy, so be it! #youbeyou
All of the articles were thought provoking and good reads. Each group seemed to be having very lively conversations and everyone wanted to be heard! In my opinion, there’s nothing better than a group of strong woman sharing their views on topics as important as how woman are seen and reviewed in the marketplace. I am already looking forward to the next Book Club Express meeting, which is tentatively set for November, so keep a lookout for our emails with more information closer to that date. We would love to see everyone there!
Thank you to all the women who attended this event. Would you like to get on our fabulous email list and be in the loop for our next Book Club Express meeting? If so, please email me (Suzy Long) at slong@gbq.com and I will fill you in on all the latest happenings with wGBQ’s Book Club Express.
