“Gender Differences at Work: Successfully Walking the Tightrope”
Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC
Has a boss ever criticized you for doing what he frequently does himself? Has a man been credited in a meeting for suggesting a solution you posited just a few minutes before? Does it seem odd that Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was disparaged as too “bossy”? These are the effects of the cultural conflict between the expectations of women and the expectations of leaders. In the words of Deborah Tannen, Georgetown University professor, researcher and best-selling author, “Standards of behavior applied to women are based on roles that do not include being boss.”
Debra Bruce will discuss tips and examples on how to walk the tightrope of conducting yourself as a competent business person and leader, without clashing disastrously with the expectations of your gender in our culture. She’ll point out how the social mores and linguistic patterns you learned as a girl can hold you back as an adult professional… and what to do about it.
Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC is President of Lawyer-Coach LLC (www.lawyer-coach.com), a law practice management training and coaching firm. She practiced corporate and securities law for 18 years, regularly counseling C-level executives. She has been a speaker, writer and professionally trained Executive Coach for over 11 years, and a member of the elite cadre of coaches for NASA executives since 2005. She has also served as the Co-Chair of the Gender Fairness Committee of the Houston Bar Association, as Vice Chair the Law Practice Management Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and as leader and board member of the Houston chapter of the International Coach Federation.