In my opinion to coalesce as working women is beneficial for any and every reason. Many times different women have said to me, “It’s more difficult to work with women because they are often petty and can get nasty.” I don’t know what separates them from nasty men. Yet, on the other hand I have heard from men, with women superiors, that they appreciate working for a woman. The reverse has been true in both situations.
I feel that being with women alone offers a comfortable platform for expression of thoughts and feelings, because of common experiences from mother to being mothered, and from building relationships to building communities of relationships. The key is establishing trust through a willingness to be vulnerable. Revealing a weakness, a gap in skill, a downturn of your business, a statement of personal need—this is a beginning to establishing trust. It tells the other person, “I trust you won’t abuse this information later—or use it against me.”
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Well said, Catherine. Question: Is it a common bond we must share in order to be willing to become vulnerable? Do you think it might be worth it to examine what that means for NAWBO affiliates?
ReplyDeleteWhat else might make people in business willing to be vulnerable to each other?
P.S. Wrote a few more thoughts on being vulnerable and linked to your post on the SWWAN blog.
ReplyDelete