132 - Biases in the Workplace with Joan Kuhl

Joan Kuhl is the founder of Why Millennials Matter. She is an author, speaker, and champion of women in leadership. Through her international speaking engagements, research, and consulting, she has guided leaders from more than sixty countries and transformed the internal workings of some of the world’s largest organizations, including Goldman Sachs, Eli Lilly, the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the New York Mets. She is the author of three books, including her newest book Dig Your Heels In: Navigate Corporate BS and Build the Company You Deserve.

Top Takeaways: Biases in the Workplace with Joan Kuhl

Women in the workforce are still lacking at the senior level of many top companies
Women are inspiring an inclusive culture which benefits everyone
Gender diverse companies have 3 times more company engagement and 22% less turnover
What’s holding women back and what can be changed?
- Not equal representation – companies may have one or two women at the top or on the board but very small number in comparison to men – block in understanding the representation, recruitment and succession plans and promotions for women
- Lack of understanding of the data
- Office housework typically falls to women (parties, making coffee, assistant, receptionist, taking notes)
  - Gender bias, or stereotypes based on position
    - What can be done? – Rotate jobs, these take women away from other priorities when doing something that could be a shared task with men
    - Women constantly volunteering can create non-intentional biases which create expectations that these women will always be taking on those tasks
  - Women often promoted based on skills and accomplishments (forces women to feel like they need to “overperform” in order to be noticed
  - Men are often promoted on “potential”
  - Need to level the playing field
- First step to overcome bias is awareness – understanding it by both women and men
- Second step – look for bias and have tools to combat it
  - Recruitment
  - Give them opportunities to thrive
  - Advancement – Mentor them
- Build a safe, trusting mentor relationship – reverse mentoring where a young person mentors a more mature person
  - Reference and guidelines to teach how to mentor
- Progress in gender balance and things are changing but must continue
- Leaders need to help evoke the change – be conscious of what is actually going on
- Myth of Meritocracy – do good work and equal opportunity will come along
  - Build rapport with your boss (genuine relationships)
  - Talk to your strengths
  - Make your brand known through highlighting your successes
- Make sure women continue to expand into previous men dominated fields (STEM)