Do You Have A "Male Ally"?

I was interviewed recently by Julie Kratz of Pivot Point. She is a leadership coach who's currently writing a book on how men can become better advocates for women, and all the benefits to their own careers when they do so. For the moment, she refers to one as a, "male ally," but she is taking a poll to see if there's a better term. Let's help her out! Click here to choose the term that you think best describes this kind of professional.

4 Male Allies Have Helped Me Along The Way

During the interview, we talked extensively about my male allies, i.e. the men in my career who were instrumental in helping me go after my career goals. In particular, those male colleagues and mentors who didn't see me as a "female." They didn't push gender stereotypes. They didn't make assumptions. They didn't act like I was their daughter or little sister. They were comfortable working with me and truly happy to help me pursue my career dreams. Sadly, I'll be honest: I don't have nearly as many male allies as I would like. But, there are four that I'm particularly grateful for:

Eric O'Donnell - My husband knew he wanted to be a pilot at 11 years old. He has singularly pursued his passion for flying ever since. As a result, he understands the drive I have to feel satisfied with what I do for work. For me, it's about having maximum impact. I want to change lives at scale. He not only supports my career goals, he literally pushes me to pursue them. When I'm down, he tells me to quit whining, get up, and keep going - and I adore him for it. It's so important to have that in your life. There's zero chance I'd be where I am today if I didn't have that kind of support from my significant other.

John Tanner - My dad, a successful business owner, never saw me as a female. He saw a brain and ambition - and he expected me to make the best use of both. I started working at his engineering company at the age of thirteen and he had me work twice as hard to prove I wasn't a 'lazy boss' kid'. He was tough on me. And, I'm grateful for it every day. I lost him last year to lung cancer and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about all he empowered me to do in my life.

Tom Raffio - I reached out to Tom years ago because he was the the CEO I admired most in great state of NH (where I live). His devotion to his business and community is so inspiring. His company, Northeast Delta Dental, has ridiculously low turnover because nobody wants to leave! Additionally, he has a calm, pleasant demeanor that's rare in CEO's who run corporations as large as his. His quiet confidence and compassion as a leader is something I aspire to every day.

Chris Reap - Chris and I met 8 years ago when we both became board members for a charity. As the newbies, we decided to pair up and worked on a fundraising project together. As we got to know each other over time, (Chris is a talented Private Equity Investor), I found myself reaching out to him regularly for second opinions on business situations. He is one of my favorite people to bounce ideas off of. He never tells me what to do, he just asks me questions that get me thinking deeply. He also has a very keen perspective on the insecurities women business owners have and knows how to instill confidence in me. I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone like that in your professional peer group!

So ladies, who's your favorite male ally? Do you have more than one? Today's the day to share in the comments below. Be sure to tag them so in your comment so they get the recognition they deserve!