Dismantling Expectations—The Unexpected Consequence of Being Genuine

In her powerful and thought provoking?cover profile in GQ?congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opens up about her battle over abortion, her own shot at the presidency, and why it is critical that men step up now. In regard to the latter, AOC points out rather poignantly that what often keeps men from speaking up against inequality is the ‘burdens and antiquated expectations of masculinity’ and how men themselves are ‘victimized by toxic societal constructs.’?

Dismantling expectations

A part of SHE’s mission is to increase inclusivity and create real change for people - in business and society. When we empower people to make business fair for everyone this greatly benefits society as a whole while simultaneously enabling growth. Psychological safety and the expectations of femininity and masculinity within the workplace is a major component of achieving this change.

It becomes important to recognize and dismantle our expectations of what it means to be a well-respected and effective leader.?

Psychological safety is a term popularized by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson and can be defined as?a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking. When applied to organizational work teams and business environments more broadly it means that employees are not afraid of asking for help, sharing questions informally, or?challenging the status quo without fear of negative social consequences.?

Tools to identify and act with

In one of our SHE leads module this year we were visited by B?rd Fyhn who specializes in?psychological safety within teams. This is a way to identify and apply tools that you can use to shape or take part in effective leadership teams. Recent studies on psychological safety have found that?leaders initiated vulnerability through seeking feedback, but that it often dissolves due to defensiveness and inaction.?

In her interview AOC stated that ‘The most powerful and persuasive things a person can say on any given issue (...) is sharing their personal experience and personal story.’ This reflects the notion that openness and vulnerability is an important component of making an impact on other people and issues.

Empower difference

The importance of dismantling the expectations of distance between leaders and the team becomes vital when working towards true equality. When adapting behaviors that members of a team can emulate in order to create a safe and effective environment rather than emulating societal expectations of gendered difference, the uniqueness of every team member can truly be valued and utilized. ?