On the flight to California to pump myself up for the IGDA conference I reread one of my favorite books:
Mustang Sallies by Fawn P Germer (you can buy it on Amazon)
This is especially a great book for women who have always been told that they are too opinionated or too abrasive or maybe too aggressive. It has some really great interviews with some very influential women. These women share their stories about reaching high level leadership positions in politics, Fortune 500 companies etc.
I guess the thing that really stood out for me is this:
Hold out your arms parallel to the ground, outstretched about 4′ apart. This is range of acceptable behavior for men in business. This ranges from shedding a tear when times are tough to being a screaming asshole.
Hold your hands about 6″ apart. that is the range of acceptable behavior for women in business. Go outside of that and you’re either labeled weak or you are labeled a bitch.
Generally I think that this is true. Well, at least it has been for me in my career at times. I hope that times are changing. I have to say that the folks who have come out of college in the last 10 years seem to be a whole lot more enlightened. This makes me really happy. I just want to be myself.
Another key point which I have heard made over and over again is that women have to support each other as they progress. What is it with the cat fighting ladies? It isn’t helping things. It keeps both parties from really being successful. In some ways I am really happy that I work in a male dominated industry. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t run across these women. I surely have. What it does mean is that most of the women that I run across are used to dealing with men, and I believe that is the reason they actually treat each other better and with more respect. This isn’t a dump on men – not at all – it is a statement on treating everyone fairly and generally equally. Women in a man’s world tend to be a bit better at doing that.
