Survivor Tocantins – Team Learning From Sydney – Feeding Female Stereotypes – Episode 7
I’ve found reality TV to be a great way to relate team learning to real life experiences. The human drama that unfolds on every episode is generally rampant with lots of team learning. As I reflected on why Sydney was voted off this week, I was struck by the fact that it was the lack of connection that was Sydney’s downfall.
I recognize that the footage we see can very much present a picture that the producers would like us to see versus the real human connections that are taking place but I’m pretty sure the depiction of the “coat tails riding” female was a pretty accurate depiction of Sydney. Sydney was quite clear on her strategy of using her looks to make connections and hopefully ride that all the way to the million dollar payoff, fortunately this strategy did not pan out. What it did bring to mind though was some experiences I’ve had managing a team when a female team member believed playing up her feminine features would only benefit her and not hurt her professional credibility.
I’m not supporting the concept that to be successful in a workplace team you need to become “one of the boys”, but you do need to be cognizant of the message you are sending to team mates by your actions. As I managed teams in the past, I was often asked by younger women just starting their career do you have any advice on how to be successful as a woman in the workplace. My response was always quite simple, “recognize it but don’t play to it”. There are 3 key areas that are particularly fraught with feeding negative female stereotypes that can impact your credibility:
- How you dress – rule of thumb don’t be an outlier, be cognizant of the informal dress code around the office, work is not the place for plunging necklines or tight body hugging outfits, be seen for your results not your appearance.
- How you react under pressure – the workplace still has a lot of male norms and response under pressure is a key factor in gaining team credibility, be aware of your stress response and I’m not advocating not to be authentic but decide for yourself, do you respond well under pressure and if you see gaps in your behaviour relative to “your ideal” make a concrete action plan about how you are going to improve this element of your performance.
- How you express anger and frustration – again what is acceptable in the workplace is very much dictated by male norms, although we have made great strides in recognizing aggressive anger is inappropriate in any workplace, the female response for anger and frustration is often crying, which still has a negative stigma. Again, decide for yourself what your ideal action response is and set about an action plan for how to improve this element of your performance.
These guidelines are not rocket science they are just good common sense but often an awareness which leads to reflection that leads to action is a great way to improve your professional performance and development of strong team connections.
Lynn
Team Enthusiast
