Breaking Barriers and Overcoming Obstacles

Welcome to the fifth edition of the Teamraderie Leadership Lab Newsletter.?

This edition will contain:

• Exciting updates on an upcoming event with several trailblazing athletes?
• Progress and challenges for women in leadership
• Why DEI leaders are burning out
• The importance of bridging generational differences

March is Women’s History Month

As we celebrate Women's History Month this March, it's the perfect time to shine a light on the incredible achievements and contributions of women in the workplace.

At Teamraderie, many of our experiences are led by women in academia, business, and athletics. Click here to learn more .

Women in Leadership: Progress and Challenges

With Women’s History Month rapidly approaching, it’s important to both reflect on the past and appreciate the progress women have made in the workplace, as well as recognize the steps that still need to be taken.?

According to the Economic Times , some of the top barriers faced by women in the workplace include:?

• Unequal pay: Despite progress in this area, women are still paid approximately 20% less than their male counterparts.
• Limited representation in leadership: According to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2023 report , approximately 28% of C-Suite positions are held by women, which is up from 22% in 2018. However, compared to the 48% of women who hold entry-level positions, it’s clear that there’s still significant progress that needs to be made.?
• Societal expectations: McKinsey’s report also revealed that women are 1.5x more likely than men to have their judgment questioned, 2x more likely to be mistaken for someone more junior, 2.5x more likely to receive comments about their appearance, and 2x more likely to receive comments about their emotional state.?

Francesca Gino is a Harvard Business School professor, award-winning researcher, and host of several of our team experiences including “Mastering Negotiation, ” “Customer Empathy ,” “Momentum Masters, ” and “Feedback Framework. ”?

In an article she wrote for HBR , Francesca highlighted four ways women can “break barriers by breaking the rules.”

1. Turn nervous energy into excitement: When approaching a high-stakes situation, avoid telling yourself to simply “calm down.” Instead, redirect your nervous energy into excitement. Research shows that this reduces anxiety and improves performance.?
2. Reframe qualities as positive rather than negative: Because of the societal expectations for women, they’re often measured against stereotypes. This can result in suppressing qualities that are stereotypically considered “feminine.” Research shows that perceiving those qualities as opportunities instead of problems makes you a more resilient leader.?
3. Practice “breaking the rules”: Unwritten rules and expectations often suppress positive qualities and leadership. For example, you might be hesitant to show vulnerability and openness. By intentionally breaking these rules, you can improve trust and confidence, regardless of your gender.?
4. Make your own rules: Break free from societal biases and expectations by seizing any opportunity to prove harmful stereotypes wrong.?

Read this article for five ways you can empower women in the workplace.?

DEI Leaders Are Burning Out

In January, Harvard Business Review (HBR) published an article that revealed that DEI-related roles have an unusually high turnover rate.?

According to the article, these positions are typically vacated within three years due to the emotional toll they take.?

According to HBR, this toll is largely because of the following:?

• Display rules: Explicit and implicit expectations for how employees display their emotions
• Surface acting: Attempting to fabricate positive emotions while suppressing the negative ones

In a DEI position, professionals often encounter significant barriers to understanding and acceptance. Fostering a workplace culture of inclusion requires a careful balance of education without invalidation.?

This can be exhausting for DEI professionals, especially depending on the company’s approach to DEI.?

Unfortunately, a common approach to DEI is to, as another HBR article puts it, “add diversity and stir.” Instead of celebrating differences, people with different cultural backgrounds are expected to assimilate into the “dominant culture.”?

HBR recommends that to combat this, and help prevent the burnout associated with this profession, they adopt a “learning-and-effectiveness” approach to DEI.?

According to the article, “Organizations adopting a learning-and-effectiveness (LE) approach value employees for who they are and foster climates where employees can share their intersecting identities with others at all levels. They recognize the opportunities and costs of diversity but are committed to learning, listening, and working through conflicts.”

For more tips on overcoming DEI burnout, read the rest of the article here .?

Bridging Generational Divides

Generational division is more apparent than ever, with five different generations in the workforce at the same time, according to an article from HBR .?

This can cause an enormous amount of organizational friction, as generational differences regarding workplace expectations (such as remote vs. in-person working) come to light.?

Despite these differences, however, when individuals of diverse age groups work together, it results in a shared sense of purpose and improved outcomes.?

Once again, the solution isn’t to attempt to create a “dominant culture” and expect individuals from different age groups to adhere to it, but rather to capitalize on the friction that results from these differences.?

According to the article, seeking enhanced understanding of others’ perspectives creates common knowledge, which results in:?

• Improved collaboration
• A shared frame of reference
• Better ability to correctly interpret situations and make decisions?
• More understanding for one another
• Improved overall efficiency?

To break the barriers of age division, it’s vital to start with an understanding that differences are opportunities for shared learning and creativity, rather than sources of division.?

Join Us For Our Upcoming Event: Exceptional Women on Pushing Boundaries

On Friday, March 15th, we’ll be hosting an exciting conversation with several women who have broken barriers and overcome obstacles to attain success.?

These include:?

• Nadia Com?neci: 9x Olympic medalist and the first person to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics. Host of our team experience, “Rethinking Perfection. ”?
• Tatyana McFadden: 17x Paralympic medalist with 24 World Major Marathon wins. Host of our team experience, “Crush Your Goals. ”?
• Lilly King: 5x Olympic medalist and world record holder for the 100m breaststroke. Host of our team experience, “Champion Mindset. ”?
• Simidele Adeagbo: Nigeria’s first Winter Olumpian and the first African and Black woman to compete in Skeleton at the Olympics. Host of our team experience, “Sleigh Your Goals. ”?
• Summer Sanders: 4x Olympic medalist and American sports commentator. Host of our team experience, “Diving Into Victory.” ?

Click here to learn more about this event and sign up.