What Smart Women Leaders Know about Displaying Toughness, Tip #1 on Navigating the Double Standard
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She is a jellyfish or a stingray. Women face double standards on just about everything including about how tough she is. If a woman is diplomatic, she is regarded as “too soft” - more direct and she’s saddled with the label of “too harsh”.
Had Secretary of State Hillary Clinton been a man and told Pakistani journalists when speaking about financial aid from the U.S. that their government “did not have to take the money”, that would have been that.
Seemingly lucky men, usually enjoy social acceptance whenever they display strength. Women, on the other hand are subject to question whenever they even get close to the line of ruthlessness. This is unfair, but the double standard can be used by women to get an edge.
While disputes about a woman’s display of leadership can be irritating, the up side is that her performance can be a litmus test for success. After a fast and furious debate about whether Secretary Clinton was too bold, too frank, too everything under the sun, the ruling was that that the content and tone of her remarks were appropriate. If a woman uses a tactic or approach and it’s celebrated, you can best believe it works.
The down-side of women leaders facing intolerant responses when they misstep, can be worked to the advantage of using criticism as opportunities to learn faster. Knowing one’s boundaries on the weak-strong continuum is essential to leading.
Though entertaining, neither Tony Soprano nor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep character), nor Shaggy (Scooby Doo cartoon) nor Police Academy’s soft spoken policewoman could make it in the real world; because an extremely ste
or timid leader, male or female is not effective.
The double standard condemns women who are pushovers or dictators. Flip the script and use the feedback for discovering your own construction zone to good leadership!
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About the Author
Learn more about the double standard in Dr. Werdlow Rogers’ newest book CRACKING THE CODE: Surviving & Thriving in the Man's Double Standard World pending publication by Cable Publishing (www.cablepublishing.com).
DEA Special Agent in Charge (retired) June Werdlow Rogers (formerly June W. Stansbury) holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology earned at the University of Maryland. She has 28 years of law enforcement experience from 3 different agencies including the Detroit Police Department and Central Michigan University’s Department of Public Safety.
Dr. Werdlow Rogers is the Author of Becoming Ethically Marketable: A Guide for Criminal Justice Majors and Recruits (available from www.staggspublishing.com). She also was a contributing author in the book Police Psychology into the 21st Century (Kurke and Scrivner) writing chapter 11 on Counseling and Diversity Issues (available through www.amazon.com). Other articles written by Dr. Werdlow Rogers may be accessed at www.opednews.com. Dr. Werdlow Rogers has been a speaker on numerous occasions among diverse audiences, including national professional conferences, colleges and universities, and at numerous training seminars. She has made public appearances on television and radio, and is heavily quoted in printed media accessible on the internet.
Dr. Werdlow Rogers has received numerous awards. She has held membership in many organizations including the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, served on the executive staff for the Interagency Committed of Women in Federal Law Enforcement (ICWIFLE), and was at one time a church trustee. Moreover, Dr. Werdlow Rogers developed a videotape and presentation entitled “Dangerous Liaisons: Drug Dealers and You,” designed to inform people about the dangers of involvement with drug dealers, and to provide information about how drug dealers behaviorally operate. She continues to educate community groups in a presentation entitled “Risky Business: How to Avoid Involvement in the Drug Trade,” in an effort to reduce drug facilitation. In 2007, her efforts led to the nationally recognized Generations Rx: Children in the Medicine Cabinet, a public awareness effort aimed at reducing pharmaceutical drug abuse through a unique forum. This novel campaign piloted in Brockton, MA offered a drug identification and drop zone, permitting the public, for the first time, to properly dispose of unwanted drugs and learn the identity of any surrendered drug that the participants suspected was being abused by loved ones.
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