The power of a pronoun

I am a female and I work in a male dominate industry and company. My leaders are men. My business partners are mostly men. My customers are mostly men. Fortunately, we are working to create a new reality, a new culture, a new pipeline. We are taking bold actions for change. We have a strategy. We have the associated tactics. We will move the needle year over year. Let me tell you about one of the most powerful actions taking place . . .it is the power of the pronoun.

We say ‘he’ a lot. We use ‘he’ to talk about Service Managers, Field Technicians, Dealership Owners, Sales Managers and other roles. It is logical.  This is the most accurate pronoun to describe the majority of people in these roles. We know these men. When we say ‘he’ it links us to the positive relationships we have them. We can see their faces, remember their handshakes and recall the impact they have had on our lives. 

Recently, my boss (reminder: my male boss) has started to use ‘she’ around the office. For example:

·      When we talk to the Marketing Manager, she will appreciate this initiative.

·      Have we asked the Sales Rep? Does she agree with the proposal?

·      Will the customer see value in this option? Does she realize the benefit?

It feels uncomfortable. It creates dissonance in my subconscious. It reveals my deep seated biases.

But, what if I followed my boss’ lead and practiced the power of ‘she’. How long will it take before it becomes a habit? How will the pronoun shift transform me? How will it transform my listeners? I don’t know for sure, but I’m excited to experiment. Sadly, it feels risky, vulnerable. But let's do this together. Join me. Keep me posted on what insights you uncover.