The recent Star article "Why I Wish I Were a Guy" raised all kinds of discussion in my circles.

The article is filled with some stats (worth knowing) that shows even in North America, there are gender gaps. While Mallick doesn't show the upside of how far women have come, she certainly doesn't bash the other side. She simply, with some tongue-in-cheek humour, points out that it's still easier to be a guy in the working world. I believe that's true. Having even a guy's name has often provided me with an advantage. Stupid eh?, but true.

But the title and last lines of the articles seemed to be all anyone read - a shame really because Mallick raised some excellent points.

I'll add one - as much as others may view our gender as holding us 'down'... we hold ourselves down as well:
* We self-select out of opportunities, perceiving (rightly or wrongly) that we're not qualified/don't have the time/wouldn't be considered.
* We don't talk about our accomplishments freely.
* We can take things too personally in the workplace.
* We can try too hard to be one of the guys instead of showcasing our own unique strengths.

I've been in enough situations where I believed that being a guy would have made all the difference. Yet, I don't want to be a guy. But I do understand the sentiment.

Why vs. How

A friend recently complained, "They keep telling me how to do my job. It's not my first day; I know how to do the work. I need to know what they need done and why. I can figure out how to do it myself."

A good point, yes? The next time you ask someone for help or attempt to offer some leadership, try giving the "what" and "why" and refrain from offering "how"... unless you're asked :-)

Influences from afar

We all know the parlour game of asking "Who, alive or dead, would you want at a dinner party and why?"

It's the why? that fascinates me. (it's always the why) From style icons to great thinkers, world changers to local legends, we absorb the stories and aspire to some of their messages. They are not quite mentors but they do influence us.

So which three women, alive or dead, but who you've never met do you feel have had an impact on your life?

Me? For today, I'll pick:
Elizabeth I - for courage, love of the arts, surviving her childhood, finding her way in an unfriendly world and defying convention.

Katherine Hepburn - for wearing trousers, speaking her mind and defying convention.

Carol Burnett - for understanding the pain of humour, teaching us to laugh and defying convention.

You?