Men and women leaders working together

When men and women meet, a complex array of unnoticed exchanges take place that don't happen in same gender meetings. These meetings become further complicated by role dynamics. One of the most effective ways to manage gender difference is for men and women to learn and develop together, in the view that the only real place that gender can be understood is in meeting and exploring different life views, face to face.

Our experience in working with men and women on the gender issue is that understanding ...

• practical issues (power, politics and styles of working)
• social factors (implicit assumptions and expectations), and
• psychological levels (how people interpret or misinterpret gendered situations)

... enables a more constructive attitude to the way they work together.

We suggest a range of learning structures in which men and women leaders can learn more about their differences and appreciate how the corporate world will be more successful by combining the wide range of expertise that men and women jointly bring. Typical structures would be

• Leadership coaching where men and women leaders work together to address difficult issues between them.
• Developing leadership teams: where teams choose to take time to address gender-based issues.
• Action Inquiry groups and theme-based modules: psychology-based learning structures developed around work-based issues.

What few of us realise is that when people clash, the difficulty is in the relationship, not in the other person.

…… and then to appreciate how male and female qualities together provide the ingredients for remarkable leaders and fantastic leadership.