Women at Work: Recent Episodes
Harvard Business Review
Women face gender discrimination throughout our careers. It doesn't have to derail our ambitions — but how do we prepare to deal with it? There's no workplace orientation session about narrowing the wage gap, standing up to interrupting male colleagues, or taking on many other issues we encounter at work. So HBR staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield are untangling some of the knottiest problems. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help you succeed in spite of the obstacles.
This is the last episode of the most meaningful project we’ve ever been part of.
The Amys couldn’t imagine signing off without telling you why the podcast is ending, reminiscing with founding producer Amanda Kersey, and fitting in two final Ask the Amys questions. HBR’s Maureen Hoch is here too, to tell the origin story of the show—because it was her idea, and a good one, right?
Saying goodbye to all the women who’ve listened since 2018 is gut-wrenching. If the podcast made a difference in your life, please bring us to tears/make us smile with an email: womenatwork@hbr.org.
If and when you do that, you’ll receive an auto reply that includes a list of episodes organized by topic. Hopefully that will direct you to perspectives and advice that’ll help you make sense of your experiences, aim high, go after what you need, get through tough times, and take care of yourself. That’s the sort of insight and support we’ve spent the past eight years aiming to give this audience, and you all have in turn given so much back—to the Women at Work team and to one another.
What do you do when your request for professional development seems to annoy your manager? Or when you’re aiming for a bigger role but keep hearing that you’re
“too in the weeds”? Or when a team member’s behavior undermines others but you’re not sure whether to call it out because it feels like part of their personality?
The Amys offer advice for advocating for yourself without setting off alarm bells, shifting from tactical execution to strategic thinking, and confronting behavior that’s corrosive but hard to pin down.
Other listener questions they respond to:
- How can I push for a more robust and effective feedback and review system at my company?
- How do I decide which workplace battles are worth fighting?
- How do I remain professional and confident when my soon-to-depart manager is belittling me?
- How can I raise gender equity issues in a department that favors male colleagues?
Resources:
- “How Managers Can Make Feedback a Team Habit,” by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
- “Get the Boss to Buy In,” by Susan (Sue) Ashford and James R. Detert
- HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case, by Ray Sheen and Amy Gallo
- “How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company,” from Women at Work
- “How to Pick Your Battles at Work,” by Amy Gallo
- “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time,” by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy
- Speak Up, Speak Out (HBR Women at Work Series)
- “How to Advance in Your Career When Your Boss Won’t Help,” by Kristi Hedges
- “You Can’t Move Up If You’re Stuck in Your Boss’s Shadow” by Rebecca Knight
- Thriving in a Male-Dominated Workplace (HBR Women at Work Series)
- “4 Ways to Improve Your Strategic Thinking Skills,” by Nina Bowman
- How to Demonstrate Your Strategic Thinking Skills,” by Nina Bowman
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Many of us have internal beliefs—I need it done now, I know I’m right, I need to be involved—that feel like truth but actually hold us back as leaders. Executive coach Muriel Wilkins calls these counterproductive beliefs “hidden blockers,” and she talks the Amys through the process of identifying theirs and then reframing them.
They also explore how blockers show up at the team and organizational level, like when lack of trust leads to a bloated meeting culture. Muriel shares how leaders can encourage mindset shifts in their organizations, beginning with themselves, and how to create conditions that allow others to examine what’s driving their behavior without judgment or overreach.
Guest expert:
Muriel Wilkins is an executive coach who hosts the HBR podcast Coaching Real Leaders and whose latest book is Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential.
Resources:
- “What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It),” by Tasha Eurich
- “Becoming More Collaborative — When You Like to Be in Control,” by Jenny Fernandez and Luis Velasquez
- “Are You a Micromanager or Too Hands-Off?” by Carole-Ann Penney
- “How to Manage Someone Who Thinks Everything Is Urgent,” by Liz Kislik
- “The Insidious Effects of Hurrying,” by Kandi Wiens
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Have you ever realized, partway through a project, that you and your boss aren’t on the same page? Maybe your definitions of success differed, or their expectations were unclear. Maybe you couldn’t get them to listen, or you couldn’t figure out why they insisted on doing things a certain way. Managing up means tackling these disconnects head-on—and doing it through honest, well-timed discussions.
Executive coach Melody Wilding joins Amy G to explain why alignment on goals and clarity around working styles are essential. They talk through how to start these conversations without awkwardness, what to say to make them productive, and how to adapt your approach without losing your authenticity. Plus, they answer listener questions and hear from Amy B about how she handles alignment with both her boss and her team.
Guest expert:
Melody Wilding is an executive coach, human behavior professor, and author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge.
Resources:
- “The Essentials: Managing Up,” from Women at Work
- “7 Questions to Decode Your Managers Priorities,” by Melody Wilding
- “Before You Start Collaborating with Someone, Talk About Your Work Styles,” by Anke Thiele
- “28 Questions to Ask Your Boss in Your One-on-Ones,” by Steven G. Rogelberg et al.
- “Managing Up When Leadership Is Stuck in the Weeds,” Ian Gross and Samir Ranavat
- “When Your Manager is Ineffective—and You Feel Stuck,” by Sarah Mann and Luis Velasquez
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When our colleague Kevin Evers wrote There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift, we knew we had to talk about it. For so many women, she’s a role model—personally and professionally.
Four HBR Swifties highlight how her instincts and decisions offer lessons in leadership, strategy, and staying power.
Resources:
- “The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift,” by Kevin Evers
- “What All Leaders Can Learn from Taylor Swift,” from IdeaCast
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Self-disclosure at work can build trust and connection, but it also carries risks—especially for women, leaders, and those whose values or identities set them apart. That tension is what Columbia professor Katherine Phillips explored in one of our earliest episodes of the podcast, back in 2018.
Now, we revisit Kathy’s research on inclusion and authentic relationships, and add a fresh perspective. Amy B speaks with Kathy’s longtime collaborators Tracy Dumas and Nancy Rothbard about how expectations around self-disclosure have shifted. The Amys also reflect on what they’ve learned about sharing personal details at work: when it builds connection, when it complicates things, and when they choose to hold back.
Guest experts:
Katherine Phillips, before her death in 2020, was a professor of leadership and ethics at Columbia Business School.
Tracy Dumas is a professor at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.
Nancy Rothbard is a professor at Wharton, as well as the school’s deputy dean.
Resources:
- “Self-Disclosure at Work (and Behind the Mic),” from Women at Work
- “Sharing Personal Information Can Build Trust on Your Team — If You Do It Right,” from HBR on Leadership
- “Research: When Leaders Disclose a Chronic Illness at Work,” by by Peter Ghin and Mladen Adamovic
- “Make It Safe for Employees to Disclose Their Disabilities,” by Laurie Henneborn
- “Why Leaders Should Be Open About Their Flaws,” by Li Jiang et al.
- “How to Get Comfortable ‘Being Yourself’ at Work,” by Lan Nguyen Chaplin
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Young women are entering the workforce full of potential–they graduate with degrees and confidence–but they don’t always have the interpersonal skills they need to succeed and advance. They may not know how to speak up in meetings, collaborate with people in charge, or ask for what they need. And that’s not just their problem; it’s ours too. If professors, mentors, managers, and parents don’t support young women, we risk losing talented future leaders before they even get started.
In this live conversation from SXSW EDU in Austin, Amy Gallo talks with Neda Norouzi, an architecture professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Aimee Laun, director of the Career Connections Center at Texas Woman’s University. They discuss the gap between what colleges teach and what workplaces expect, and the role educators, managers, and mentors can play in bridging it.
Resources:
- “Sponsorship: Defining the Relationship,” from Women at Work
- “A Better Approach to Mentorship,” by Christopher “CJ” Gross
- “Men Can Improve How They Mentor Women. Here’s How.” by David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson
- “Investing in the Development of Young, Remote Employees,” by Octavia Goredema
- “The Key to Retaining Young Workers? Better Onboarding.” by Donald Tomaskovic-Devey and Reyna Orellana
- “Academics Can Only Take Students So Far,” from Inspiring Minds
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Imagine having a direct report who sobs every time you give them feedback. Or leading a team of people who’ve told your boss that they don’t trust you. Or taking on your first management position with no training or guidance–and having 43 direct reports! What then?
The Amys offer advice to listeners for getting through these real situations. And not just advice, but actual language for asserting your needs, earning trust, setting boundaries, and holding your ground even when emotions run high.
Other listener questions they respond to:
- How can I push for career growth after maternity leave when senior leaders suggest I slow down?
- What should I do when my manager seems to be holding me back from advancing in my career?
- How can I succeed in a new role under an unsupportive manager who ignores my neurodivergence and offers vague, unhelpful feedback?
Resources:
- “When You Work in a Male-Dominated Industry,” from Women at Work
- “The Essentials: Building and Repairing Trust,” from Women at Work
- “How to Earn Respect as a First Time Manager,” from HBR On Leadership
- “What to Do When Your Boss Is Blocking Your Career Growth,” by Shirley Davis
- “How to Succeed When You’re Not the Boss’s Favorite,” by Dina Denham Smith
- “Building Social Capital When You Work Remotely,” by Aliza Licht
- “What to Say When Someone Cries at Work,” by Deborah Grayson Riegel
- “Bad Bosses: Our Favorite Reads,” by Paige Cohen
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Asking questions at work isn’t just about getting answers. Sure, you need the information you’re requesting, but you’re also showing your colleagues and leaders how you think. When your questions are strategic, clear, and well-timed, they can show that you’re insightful and committed to moving the work forward while also demonstrating you have leadership potential.
Amy G talks with a program manager who wants to get better at asking questions that show executive presence. They’re joined by Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks, who shares research-backed advice on navigating the complexities of workplace conversations.
Guest expert:
Alison Wood Brooks is a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of TALK: The Science Of Conversation And The Art Of Being Ourselves.
Resources:
- “The Surprising Power of Questions,” by Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John
- “Best of IdeaCast: To Build Stronger Teams, Ask Better Questions,” by IdeaCast
- “Why Asking for Advice Is More Effective Than Asking for Feedback,” by Jaewon Yoon et al.
- “The Essentials: Getting the Feedback You Need,” by Women at Work
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Maria’s boss used to be a mentor—someone she admired, learned from, and enjoyed working with. But after a reorg, he changed. He became critical and dismissive, questioned her commitment to work, and started to undermine her instead of lifting her up. Now she’s struggling to maintain a productive working relationship with someone who is unsupportive at best and out to get her at worst.
How should you handle a boss who’s turned against you? How do you protect your reputation and career while managing the stress?
In this episode, Amy G speaks with Maria and suggests strategies, based on her book Getting Along, for navigating a difficult relationship with a boss whose insecurity has turned him into a tormentor. By the end of their conversation, Maria has a plan for moving forward, setting boundaries, and preserving her well-being.
Resources:
- Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People), by Amy Gallo
- Speak Up, Speak Out, from the HBR Women at Work Series
- “Research: Shifting the Power Balance with an Abusive Boss,” by Hui Liao et al.
- “What to Do When Your Boss Betrays You,” by Ron Carucci
- “Research: Insecure Managers Don’t Want Your Suggestions,” by Nathanael J. Fast et al.
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After 10 seasons, Women at Work is changing things up for the better. We’re shifting to a new, year-round schedule, releasing a new episode every other Monday, starting March 10. That means more episodes that inspire reflection and growth, more practical advice, and more insights and stories that make you feel seen and supported in your career.
We’ll continue The Essentials and Amy B’s How to Manage series. We’re relaunching Getting Along, where Amy G teaches us how to deal with different types of difficult people. Plus, every few months, we’ll dedicate an “Ask the Amys” episode to questions from you.
So, follow the show now, and we’ll be back in your feed next Monday!
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What’s on your work wish list? A conference or training? A higher performance rating or salary or job title? Feedback from someone you respect? A project you’d like to lead? Clearer communication from your boss? Or maybe an extension on a deadline?
These are the sorts of things that Amy Gallo and four listeners asked for (and mostly got) when they did Alison Fragale’s “nos challenge” from our episode “To Get What You Want, Be Both Assertive and Warm.” These were the rules: ask different colleagues for something they have the power to give you and that you’d value having. Keep track of the requests and responses until you’ve gotten 10 nos. Also keep track of the yeses and how each response made you feel.
In doing the challenge, they tested their assumptions about people’s willingness to meet their wants and needs. They also crossed off lots of items on their wish lists, learned to fear rejection less, and gained status. Now, your turn?
Guest expert:
Alison Fragale is a professor of organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina’s business school. She’s the author of the book Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve.
Resources:
- “All the Help We Can Get,” from Women at Work
- “3 Negotiation Myths Still Harming Women’s Careers,” by Kathryn Valentine and Hannah Riley Bowles
- “How to Get the Help You Need,” by Heidi Grant
- “Ask for What You Need at Work,” by Deborah Grayson Riegel
- “Saying No at Work: Our Favorite Reads,” by Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar
- Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, by Herminia Ibarra
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Changing jobs is hard. Changing sectors is daunting. You’ve built a network, a reputation, skills, expertise, a firm grasp of how that industry operates. Maybe you even got a related degree or two! And to just leave all that behind…except that, you really are stuck or unfulfilled or simply underpaid.
When it comes to shifting your career, the stakes are high, but so is your potential to succeed. Executive coach Nina Bowman regularly guides people through the process, with all of its uncertainty, time commitment, strategizing, and storytelling. Amy B speaks with her about making a bold mid-career leap, including how to identify a new path, build connections to land interviews, and tell the story of how you’ll find success in a completely different role.
Then, two listeners who made bold leaps themselves—one from academia to tech, the other from government to consulting—share their experiences and insights.
Guest expert:
Nina Bowman is an executive coach and managing partner of the consultancy Paravis Partners.
Resources:
- “4 Questions to Help Women Navigate the Second Half of Their Careers,” by Palena Neale
- “The Right Way to Make a Big Career Transition,” Utkarsh Amitabh
- “Are You at Risk of a Mid-Career Rut?” by Laurence Minsky and Julia Tang Peters
- “Starting a New Job as a Mid-Career Professional,” by Marlo Lyons
- “Reinventing Your Career — When It’s Not Just About You,” by Herminia Ibarra
- “4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Changing Careers,” by Dorie Clark
- “Do You Really Need a Big Career Change?” by Irina Cozma
- Taking Charge of Your Career, from the HBR Women at Work Series
- HBR Guide to Changing Your Career, by Harvard Business Review
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Marti Bledsoe, a past guest of the show, recounts how she burned out, quit her job, intended to get a new job after taking a breather, and then wasn’t able to for over a year. That’s because someone in her family kept getting sick or hurt, she had to move twice, and all of the logistics and emotional support fell to her (because who else was going to do it?!).
These ever-expanding, relentless set of responsibilities is the norm for lots of women in the U.S., especially mothers. Sociologist Jessica Calarco joins Marti and Amy B to help make sense of Marti’s exhausting year of unpaid work and the forces that put her and other women into the position of being people’s default, unpaid caregiver.
Guest expert:
Jessica Calarco is a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin and the author of the book Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.
Resources:
- “Your Employees Are Also Caregivers. Here’s How to Support Them,” by Gretchen Gavett
- “Working While Managing Your Child’s Mental Health,” from Women at Work
- “When You’re Responsible for Eldercare,” from Women at Work
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Do you expect and hope that you’ll have more time for yourself and for your career as your kids become teens and young adults? Amy G did. However, she didn’t fully anticipate the emotional intensity of being a working mom of a teenager. Responding to seemingly urgent texts, keeping track of an ever-changing after-school schedule, and being an on-call problem-solver would affect anyone’s ability to focus, including hers.
There’s little research on or conversation about this phase of working motherhood, and Amy wants to help other working moms not not only get through it but enjoy it as much as possible.
She’s joined by Babson College professor Danna Greenberg, who’s the co-author of Maternal Optimism and a mother of three twenty-somethings. Amy and Danna talk though questions like, How do I recover my focus after my kid calls to unload? How might I counter people’s judgy comments about how involved (or not) I am in my teen’s life? How can I avoid becoming my kid’s de facto boss?
Guest expert:
Danna Greenberg is a professor of organizational behavior at Babson College and the co-author of the book Maternal Optimism: Forging Positive Paths through Work and Motherhood.
Resources:
- “The Upside of Working Motherhood,” from Women at Work
- “How Being a Working Parent Changes as Children Grow Up,” by Danna Greenberg and Jamie Ladge
- “How Working Parents Can Manage the Demands of School-Age Kids,” by Daisy Dowling
- The HBR Working Parents Series Collection, by Harvard Business Review
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How much are you using ChatGPT or Claude or one of the other LLMs in your job? Have you, like the Amys, largely avoided it because you haven’t been impressed with what you’ve seen it do? Or you haven’t thought of a compelling use case? Or maybe you feel professionally threatened?
The Amys have gone from being skeptical dabblers to skeptical enthusiasts. Why? They heard several listeners describe how they’ve gotten surprisingly good results, not to mention mental relief, greater agency at work, and imaginative business leads.
If you haven’t yet tried your hand at GenAI, we hope these power users, along with our guest expert, data journalist Alexandra Samuel, inspire you to finally do that; and if you’re already using the technology, that you come away with new ideas.
Guest expert:
Alexandra Samuel is a tech speaker and data journalist who creates data-driven reports and workshops for companies around the world.
Resources:
- “How the Next Generation of Managers Is Using Gen AI,” by Gabriele Rosani and Elisa Farri
- “Using ChatGPT to Make Better Decisions,” by Thomas Ramge and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger
- “The AI Skills You Should Be Building Now,” from the HBR IdeaCast
- “A Toolkit to Help You Manage Uncertainty Around AI,” by Oguz A. Acar and Bob Bastian
- “Embracing Gen AI at Work,” by H. James Wilson and Paul R. Daugherty
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Worrying is a fact of life; it comes and goes—usually. But what do you do when it doesn’t go away? And starts to disrupt your work? Women are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder, which can show up as physical symptoms like dizziness and nausea and as mental symptoms like repetitive and catastrophic thinking. If you’ve been worried for a while, wondering if you should see a therapist, take time off, tell your boss, or even quit your job, clinical psychologist Michelle Drapkin has advice.
She and the Amys discuss the differences between run-of-the-mill anxiety and a disorder. They also get into practical advice, like how to keep yourself from spiraling after a mistake, what to say when you wake up too anxious to do your job that day, and how managers can sensitively approach an employee who appears to need help.
Guest:
Michelle Drapkin is a clinical psychologist and behavioral scientist who specializes in anxiety and panic disorders.
Resources:
- “Women @ Work 2024: A Global Outlook,” from Deloitte
- “How High Achievers Overcome Their Anxiety,” by Morra Aarons-Mele
- “Managing Anxiety When There’s No Room for Error,” by Alice Boyes
- “How to Talk About Your Mental Health with Your Employer,” by Kelly Greenwood
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When you’ve gone after something you want, like a promotion or less boring work, did you follow the typical advice to lean hard into your confident, forceful side? When you’re interacting with people at work, how often do you find yourself deflecting praise, downplaying your accomplishments, or responding “busy!” when someone asks how you’re doing? We often make a tradeoff between being likable and being strong, but is it possible to be both assertive and warm?
Alison Fragale, a professor of organizational behavior, says yes. She argues that women can—and should—embrace warmth and assertiveness to build respect, elevate their status, and gain power. Alison shares practical ways to show up as strong and personable and offers advice on how to approach negotiations, networking, and other everyday interactions, including your out-of-office message.
Guest:
Alison Fragale is a professor of organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina’s business school. She’s the author of the book Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve.
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How would having a woman in the most powerful position in the United States affect how Americans perceive women as leaders? What changes have resulted from this type of representation in other countries, like Pakistan, Brazil, and New Zealand?
Political scientist Farida Jalalzai and organizational psychologist Laura Morgan Roberts unpack the symbolic and practical effects of having a woman in a top leadership position. They explore how Kamala Harris’s potential presidency could challenge and shift our notions of leadership and change the way that women understand what’s possible for themselves. They also dive into the realities Harris might face if elected—like juggling high expectations and navigating the complexities of representation.
Guests:
Farida Jalalzai is a political scientist and professor at Virginia Tech.
Laura Morgan Roberts is an organizational psychologist and professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
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We’re back with another season! How are women using GenAI to transform their work? What can we learn from the listeners who identify as “AI power users” about how to boost our productivity, creativity, and confidence? Why is working while parenting a teenager so much harder than Amy Gallo expected, and how can she and other moms navigate this emotionally demanding phase of motherhood? If you’re mid-career and thinking about switching industries, what should you know before making the leap?
These questions are at the heart of some of the conversations the Amys are having this season. As always, they’ll bring you expertise, stories, and advice.
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Do you know how your company’s DEI efforts are going? What data does your company collect to track and shape these efforts?
In this episode, DEI strategist and consultant Lily Zheng explains why data-driven efforts are everything. The way people make lasting progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion is to measure outcomes.
During this year’s Women at Work Live event, DEI strategist Lily explained the opportunities that data can create for DEI. They give examples from different companies, including one that was able to discern where exactly their recruiting efforts became inequitable and how the company fixed it. Lily also has advice for making a difference with data even when your company is tiny or you’re starting from scratch or there’s no budget.
Guest experts:
Lily Zheng is a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, consultant, and speaker who works with organizations to achieve the DEI impact and outcomes they need. They are the author of DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right.
Resources:
- “What Needs to Change About DEI — and What Doesn’t,” by Lily Zheng
- “To Make Lasting Progress on DEI, Measure Outcomes,” by Lily Zheng
- “The Failure of the DEI-Industrial Complex,” by Lily Zheng
- “To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems — Not People,” by Lily Zheng
- “To Build a DEI Program That Works, You Need Metrics,” by Joan C. Williams et al.
- “How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company,” from Women at Work
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No matter how ambitious and talented you are, rising up and out of mid-level management can be slow going for reasons beyond your control. Maybe it’s because your company doesn’t have a business need—or budget—to upgrade your job title and salary from senior to executive. Or maybe it’s because the person in the position you want has been there forever—and has no plans to leave any time soon.
Still, there are plenty of factors that you can control, and Amy B and her three guests cover them in this episode. Leadership development coach Cynthia Pong first validates the challenges of scoring a position that’s scarce. Then, Lauren Reyes and Megan Bock, both COOs whose careers stagnated in mid-level management before accelerating again, recount the conversations, decisions, and networking that jump-started them.
Guest experts:
Cynthia Pong is the CEO of Embrace Change, a leadership development and executive coaching consultancy.
Megan Bock is the COO of Federato, a company that uses machine learning to assess risk.
Lauren Reyes is the COO of the YMCA of Greater Boston.
Resources:
- “How to Beat Mid-Career Malaise,” by Rebecca Knight
- “Overcoming Self-Doubt in the Face of a Big Promotion,” by Evelyn Hsu and Sabina Nawaz
- You, the Leader, from the Women at Work Series
- “Research: How Women Can Build High-Status Networks,” by Carla Rua-Gomez et al.
- “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership,” by Alice Eagly and Linda L. Carli
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Think back to the last time you pitched an idea to upper management on how to change the way your company does business. Perhaps you proposed an improvement to an existing process, a new technology that would help things run smoother, or a different market you all could break into. How’d that go over?
As a mid-level manager, your involvement in day-to-day operations positions you to propose change that’s innovative and achievable. Amy B and her two guests, Sue Ashford and Ellen Bailey, give suggestions for framing those ideas so that executives buy into them. They’ll talk about the research findings they keep in mind, questions they ask themselves and others when vetting something, and what they learned from the times they missed the mark.
Guest experts:
Sue Ashford is a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.
Ellen Bailey is the vice president of business and culture transformation at Harvard Business Publishing.
Resources:
- “Middle Managers Should Drive Your Business Transformation,” by Michael Mankins and Patrick Litre
- “Do You Understand the Problem You’re Trying to Solve?” from HBR on Leadership
- “Get the Boss to Buy In,” by Susan (Sue) Ashford and James R. Detert
- HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case, by Ray Sheen and Amy Gallo
- “How to Push for Policy Changes at Your Company,” from Women at Work
- “The Essentials: Persuading People,” from Women at Work
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Your company’s executive team has just announced their new master plan for growing the business. Now it’s your job, as a mid-level manager, to put it into practice. Deep breath. Apart from the inevitable interpersonal and operational drama that change management causes, this is an opportunity to show that you know your stuff.
Strategist Andrea Belk Olson spells out how to make the most of a plan that you may or may not agree with and that you may or may not have had any input into. She suggests important questions to ask yourself before taking action, ways to handle resistance from people you manage, what to do when the plan isn’t working well, and points to include in progress updates.
Then, Amy B and two of her colleagues, Jennifer Long and Gabriella Spatolisano, chat about how they’ve handled skepticism and spoken up about their reservations when leading change initiatives in the past.
Guest expert:
Andrea Belk Olson is a differentiation strategist, speaker, author, and customer-centricity expert.
Resources:
- “Why Isn’t Your Strategy Sticking?” by Andrea Belk Olson
- “3 Reasons Why Every Department Needs Its Own Strategy,” by Andrea Belk Olson
- “Getting Employee Buy-In for Organizational Change,” by Andrea Belk Olson
- “4 Common Reasons Strategies Fail,” by Andrea Belk Olson
- HBR Guides to Building Your Strategic Skills Collection, by Harvard Business Review
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Before you became a mid-level manager, you were probably doing some individual contributor work: designing, producing, or selling something. Now your workday is likely focused on people and project management, including ensuring that everyone and everything is fulfilling a vision. Filling this more strategic role can feel uncomfortably abstract, making you want familiar and tangible tasks—to meddle in what used to be your business.
Amy B and her three guests have been there, and they’re here to offer advice on how to let go of your previous tasks and mindset so you don’t fall into micromanaging. Instead, they say, why not set clearer expectations, increase your team’s skills, and create a culture of accountability? They’ll share what they’ve said and done to get those results—and how loosening their grip ended up serving them well and offering relief.
Guest expert:
Lia Garvin runs a consulting business that advises companies on team operations, which was her specialty when she previously worked at Google. She’s the author of The Unstoppable Team and Unstuck.
Resources:
- “How to Stop Micromanaging and Start Empowering,” by Lia Garvin
- “How to Get Involved Without Micromanaging People,” by Linda Hill and Kent Lineback
- “A Guide for New Middle Managers,” by Gloria St. Martin-Lowry
- HBR’s 10 Must Reads for Mid-Level Managers, by Harvard Business Review
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
We’ve planned a half-day of learning, guidance, and inspiration—all virtual. Here’s the agenda:
- Executive coach Dorie Clark on working with the ambition you’ve got right now, whether you’re making every effort to get promoted or are taking a break from striving. She’ll help you recognize when it’s best to slow down or ramp up.
- Organizational psychologist Ruchi Sinha’s latest research findings on trust: how to measure the amount felt between team members, and what to do if it’s imbalanced. Plus, she’ll explain the upsides of switching between different kinds of leadership styles, and she’ll illustrate how to do that.
- DEI strategist Lily Zheng on the power of data to correct discrimination, design fair processes, and demonstrate a company’s progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. They’ll also describe the positive and negative moves companies are making and how to have influence within yours.
- The Amys on…whatever guidance you and other attendees need related to leading a team, dealing with conflict, negotiating, or something else. Email your question ahead of time to womenatwork@hbr.org, or drop it into the chat during the session.
Tickets are $60 for Harvard Business Review subscribers and $75 for everyone else. A ticket will also give you access to a replay of the event recording. Register here.
Interested in buying a bunch of tickets for your team, department, or entire company? Email WAWLive@hbr.org to learn about group discounts.
See you there!
If you’re in a leadership role, or any role where you’re putting yourself and your ideas out there in an outspoken and visible way, chances are that at some point people are going to criticize you, sometimes fiercely, sometimes publicly. Are you ready for that?
Two women who’ve felt the heat because of decisions they’ve made or arguments they’ve put forward—or simply because of who they are—reflect on the ways they’ve steeled themselves for harsh critiques and dealt with the fallout. Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar describes the preparation and the presence of mind she summoned as a university president communicating contentious budget cuts. Ruchika Tulshyan brings her expertise in DEI and women’s leadership to contextualize those experiences, and she describes her own experiences with online harassment and how she’s dealt with skeptics.
Listening to them recount how they responded to fierce criticism will hopefully help you think about how you might respond, both when you see it coming and when you don’t.
Guest experts:
Ruchika Tulshyan is the author of the book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. She is the founder of Candour, an inclusion strategy firm.
Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar is an executive coach who was previously the president and CEO of the University of Central Oklahoma.
Resources:
- “How Leaders Should Handle Public Criticism,” by Ron Carucci
- “How to Be Resilient in the Face of Harsh Criticism,” by Joseph Grenny
- “How to Take Criticism Well,” by Sabina Nawaz
- “In a Crisis, Great Leaders Prioritize Listening,” by Erika James and Lynn Perry Wooten
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
We all need to set boundaries, even in the most structured jobs, because work has its way of encroaching on the rest of our life. Ashley, a senior analyst for the federal government, recently shifted to a schedule that helps her do her most important work and have some alone time before her family gets home. Now she’s trying to figure out how to further minimize interruptions, deal with slow and busy stretches, and get out of unproductive meetings.
Amy G and executive coach Melody Wilding talk through adjustments Ashley can make and things she can say to achieve those goals. They also offer strategies for how to communicate your new limits with colleagues and how to hold the line when your boundaries inevitably get tested.
Guest expert:
Melody Wilding is an executive coach and the author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work.
Resources:
- “How to Set Healthy Boundaries When Starting a New Job,” by Melody Wilding
- “What to Do When Work Is Slow,” by Elizabeth Grace Saunders
- “How to Protect Your Boundaries When Your Company Is Struggling,” by Susan Peppercorn
- “Set Better Boundaries,” by Priscilla Claman
- “Set These 5 Boundaries Before You Go on Vacation,” by Marlo Lyons
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Trust smooths the way for collaboration, conflict resolution, and influence. But how do you build this asset? And how do you repair it when you’ve missed a series of important deadlines or otherwise messed up?
Organizational psychologist Ruchi Sinha talks with a listener who’s struggling to restore skeptics’ confidence in her and her team. Ruchi shares the three elements of trust and how to convey each one. She also offers advice on what to do if you’ve failed to acknowledge a broken promise and how to communicate practically when confidentiality prevents you from being totally transparent.
Guest expert:
Ruchi Sinha is an associate professor of organizational behavior at the University of South Australia Business School. Her research explores how voice, conflict, and power dynamics influence work relationships and performance outcomes.
Resources:
- “New to the Team? Here’s How to Build Trust (Remotely),” by Ruchi Sinha
- “How High-Performing Teams Build Trust,” by Ron Friedman
- “10 Pitfalls That Destroy Organizational Trust,” by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss
- “What to Do When You Don’t Trust Your Employee,” by Dina Denham Smith
- “How to Build Trust at Work,” from the HBR on Leadership podcast
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Executive presence is a mix of gravitas, communication skills, and appearance. But how do you learn to command a room if you only have a few opportunities to be in front of your colleagues, except for the occasional video call? This is the situation that one of our listeners is in. She joins Amy B and two other women who’ve each cultivated a strong executive presence, Megan Bock and Laura Sicola, to get advice on what hers can look and sound like.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to improve your own influence and impact, keep a virtual audience engaged, and grow while staying true to yourself.
Guest experts:
Megan Bock is the chief operating officer at Federato, a company that uses machine learning to assess risk. Cultivating an executive presence helped her rise up through the insurance industry and into tech.
Laura Sicola is a cognitive linguist who coaches leaders on communicating strategically. She hosts the podcast Speaking to Influence, and she wrote the book Speaking to Influence: Master Your Leadership Voice.
Resources:
- “The New Rules of Executive Presence,” by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
- “If You Want To Lead, Master This Skill,” by Dina Denham Smith
- “Gravitas Is a Quality You Can Develop,” by Rebecca Newton
- “To Sound Like a Leader, Think About What You Say, and How and When You Say It,” by Rebecca Shambaugh
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Sexism is everywhere in workplaces, from people’s expectations about how women look and act to companies’ inadequate or unfair parental leave policies. Still, it can be shocking when you realize—or suspect—that you’re the target of that bias. Perhaps you sense someone is interrupting you over and over because you’re a woman. Or, you receive an end-of-year rating that just doesn’t align with your actual performance, and no one can (or will) explain the discrepancy.
Is there any way to know for sure whether something that a colleague or client did—or neglected to do—is sexism? When is confronting that person worth it? And if you’ll never know what drove their actions, how do you make peace with the uncertainty? Amy G talks through these questions with two professors who study perceptions and gender stereotypes.
Guest experts:
Katie Coffman is an economist and professor at Harvard Business School, where she studies how stereotypes impact our beliefs about ourselves
Michelle Duguid is a professor and the associate dean of diversity, inclusion, and belonging at Cornell.
Resources:
- “Dismantling ‘Benevolent’ Sexism,” by Negin Sattari et al.
- “Unconscious Bias Training That Works,” by Francesca Gino and Katherine Coffman
- “Why Most Performance Evaluations Are Biased, and How to Fix Them,” by Lori Nishiura Mackenzie et al.
- “Research: How Bias Against Women Persists in Female-Dominated Workplaces,” by Amy Diehl
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
It’s a question that so many of us are grappling with. Should I quit the corporate life that may not feel quite right for me, and pursue my passion project?
You may have worries about the financial risks, stability, and what your future looks like with less of a roadmap. Today we’ll help you think through the possibilities and trade-offs, as we learn from one woman’s experiences leaving corporate life to build her own business.
This episode is from New Here, a new podcast for young professionals from Harvard Business Review. Each week, host Elainy Mata shares stories, tips, and advice from trusted experts and the people who help her figure out career challenges—like her therapist and mentors. Season One focuses on those “big firsts” that happen in any new job—like your first big mistake or how to ask for a raise.
In this episode, we follow Jemma Sbeg as she leaves her successful consulting career to pursue her passion project—her now-hit podcast, The Psychology of your 20s. First we hear from Jemma on her first day of working for herself—to learn how she made the decision to leave her full-time job and what her hopes and fears are for her new work life. Then Jemma returns for a second conversation, after she’s been working on her own for five months.
You’ll learn which of Jemma’s fears were warranted, how she battled loneliness, managed her money, and whether or not she is actually happier working for herself.
You can listen to all of season one of New Here at https://hbr.org/podcasts/new-here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Being on a board is a chance to grow—your mind, your skills, your network, your impact. It’s also another time commitment to fit in, and, for some women, another environment where they have to fight to be heard. So, is the payoff worth the effort?
Yes, according to the eight women who volunteered to speak about their experience serving on boards of companies, nonprofits, and schools. They share how they landed a seat, gained confidence in the role, and found unexpected personal and professional benefits in the work. We hope that their perspectives and advice will inspire you to consider trying it yourself some day.
Ellen Zane, who runs a Harvard workshop for women interested in board work, provides further insight based on her years of experience as a director for nonprofits and private and public companies.
Guest expert:
Ellen Zane directs the Women on Boards: Getting on and Adding Value annual program through Harvard’s School of Public Health (here’s the application for the next one, April 18–19, 2024). She’s the former CEO of Tufts Medical Center, and she’s on the board of directors for several nonprofits and private and public companies.
Resources:
- “Research: Board Experience Is Helping More Women Get CEO Jobs,” by Catherine H. Tinsley and Kate Purmal
- “How Women on Boards Navigate the ‘Warmth-Competence’ Line,” by Tiffany Trzebiatowski et al.
- “Research: How Women Improve Decision-Making on Boards,” by Margarethe Wiersema and Marie Louise Mors
- “Are You Ready to Serve on a Board?” by Anthony Hesketh et al.
- “10 Proactive Questions Every Board Member Should Be Asking,” by Andrew White et al.
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
What if one of your first assignments at a new job was to fire people? What should you do if the person leading a project you’re on isn’t giving clear direction, demands that you work nights and weekends, bristles at your feedback—and leadership tells you to fall in line? These are two of the five situations that Amy B and Amy G talk through in this episode. They offer advice to the women who wrote in with their questions, with the hope that it will help them and anyone who’s been in a similar situation, or might be one unfortunate day.
Resources:
- When You Work in a Male-Dominated Industry, from Women at Work
- “Begin with Trust,” by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss
- “When You Have to Carry Out a Decision You Disagree With,” by Art Markman
- “A Tool to Help You Reach Your Goals in 4 Steps,” by Heidi Grant
- “Getting Along: My Coworker Is Sabotaging Me — and My Boss Won’t Help,” by Amy Gallo
- “How to Recover from a Toxic Job,” by Melody Wilding
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Holding in anxiety, anger, or despair for the sake of appearing professional can feel impossible. When the emotions are just too much—your boss’s dismissive tone infuriates you, a direct report unloads, you can’t hold back tears in a meeting, a tragedy happens and you’re leading an all-staff tomorrow morning—what do you do?
Liz Fosslien believes “the future of work is emotional.” The Amys revisit our 2020 conversation with her and fellow organizational consultant Mollie West Duffy about the good that can come from being vulnerable with colleagues, then Fosslien returns to help us reassess where the line between vulnerability and oversharing is today.
Resources:
- No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
- Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
- “Handling Negative Emotions in a Way that’s Good for Your Team,” by Emma Seppälä and Christina Bradley
- “How to Control Your Emotions During a Difficult Conversation,” by Amy Gallo
- “New Managers Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Express Their Emotions,” by Kristi Hedges
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
If you’re engaged, this question is probably going to come up. Have you ever thought about what you would do (if you have plans to marry), or reflected on the decision you made (if you’re already married)? To what extent did your professional accomplishments and aspirations factor into your decision to keep or change your last name?
Our associate producer, Hannah Bates, is engaged, and she talks out the rationale behind her decision to keep her name with three recently married women (one who kept her name and two who changed theirs), and they share what the decision-making process was like for them. Hannah and the Amys then join former co-host Nicole Torres, who first raised this question on our show and encouraged us to do this episode in the first place.
Resources:
- “How to Change Your Name and Keep Your Professional Identity,” by Dorie Clark
- “8 in 10 Women Married to Men Still Take Husband’s Last Name, Survey Finds,” from Pew Research Center
- “The Japanese Public Broadly Supports Legalizing Dual-Surname Option for Married Couples,” from the Stanford’s Asia-Pacific Research Center
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
ADHD can mess with a person’s ability to remember responsibilities and deadlines, start and stop projects, and show up as the on-top-of-everything employee that a boss expects. For women, these symptoms are also in direct contrast to what society expects us to be: attentive, organized, self-controlled. If you have ADHD, getting practical support from colleagues and emotional support from others in the same boat is essential to reaching your potential at work.
Two women who have ADHD—one’s a psychologist and the other a life coach—explain the many different ways that this chronic, brain-based disorder manifests, and how hormonal fluctuations factor in. They point out coping mechanisms that might actually be making your life harder, and give advice for creating the structure and accountability you need in your job.
Guests:
Kathleen Nadeau is a psychologist, the clinical director of The Chesapeake Center, and author of many books about ADHD, including her latest, Still Distracted After All These Years.
Kristen Carder hosts the podcast I Have ADHD and runs a group coaching program called Focused.
Resources:
- “ADHD, Neurodiversity, and Bias,” from The Anxious Achiever
- “5 Ways to Focus at Work, from an Executive Who’s Struggled with ADHD,” by Jack Kosakowski
- “Feeling Disengaged at Work? Find Someone to Hold You Accountable,” by Deborah Grayson Riegel
- “Is Your Company Inclusive of Neurodivergent Employees?” by Michael Bernick
- “How Women with ADHD Can Transform the Challenges of a Late Diagnosis,” from ADDitude
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
About one in 10 working women have a disability, whether it’s apparent or not. And how those women navigate the workplace is different from how the average neurotypical, fully able-bodied woman does, largely because of pervasive ableism. To learn more about that experience, we’re talking with Meredith Koch and Nicole Bettè. They’re engineers who both use wheelchairs and advocate for employees with disabilities.
In this episode, they reflect on their careers and times when they’ve felt supported—and when they haven’t, all with the hope that you’ll be able to better advocate for yourself and your colleagues. In their stories are also lessons for managers about how best to respond to team members’ requests for accommodations, and how to help accommodate employees who might not know what’s available or even what they need.
Resources:
- “People with Disabilities Are an Untapped Talent Pool,” from HBR IdeaCast
- “Make It Safe for Employees to Disclose Their Disabilities,” by Laurie Henneborn
- “Do Your D&I Efforts Include People with Disabilities?” by Caroline Casey
- “The Case for Improving Work for People with Disabilities Goes Way Beyond Compliance,” by Laura Sherbin and Julia Taylor Kennedy
- “Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage,” by Luisa Alemany and Freek Vermeulen
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Have you had something go wrong at work? Like really wrong? How much of it do you feel was your fault? And are you still trying to move past it?
The Amys and their former co-host Sarah Green Carmichael revisit times they majorly messed up, in hopes that you’ll feel better about your experiences with failure. We’re not talking about honest mistakes with simple solutions; we’re talking about larger problems that were difficult and costly to correct. They share what happened, how they recovered, and what they learned.
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
How do you recover from a failure? What’s it really like—and what does it take—to serve on a board? Do our career aspirations influence our decision, if and when we marry somebody, to keep or change our last name? How does going through a divorce affect us at work, and for how long? If we have a disability, how can we get the understanding and assistive technology we need to do our job?
These questions are at the heart of some of the conversations the Amys are having this season with women who’ve been there. As always, we’ll be bringing you expertise, stories, and advice.
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
When you see potential for your company to improve in some way—whether it’s to overhaul an outdated policy, round out benefits, or to make jobs more workable, how can you instigate change? Three women who saw that potential and carried it through describe what they did at their companies, the results so far, and how you can follow their lead.
Leadership development coach Muriel Wilkins talks us through communication techniques that meet you where you’re at mentally and emotionally so that you can rise to the moment (even when you’re worried you can’t).
Who are you now, who do you want to be, and how can you stretch without taking on too much? Jen Dary regularly coaches first-time managers on these questions. She shares advice for finding yourself anew at work, dealing with disillusionment, and setting priorities and boundaries. Then, a former guest who’s one year into leading a major project tells us about her aha moments. Finally, Kelsey answers the question of whether or not she’s ready to try management again.
When you manage people, they ask you for things: to extend a deadline, to make an exception, to give them a raise or more resources. Maybe they don’t even have to ask; you notice the need and start thinking about how to meet it. Negotiations professor Martha Jeong explains the mindset, framing, timing, and tone that’ll position you to get the most mutually beneficial solution.
People management consists of a fair amount of mediation and diplomacy, and you can’t expect to get the hang of it right away. You’re in the middle of a lot now, and holding tension and resolving disagreements takes planning, practice, and restraint. Amy G teaches us about different types of conflict, natural tendencies, and options for responding.
Becoming a boss is a step up and should feel like one, but for so many women it doesn’t, at least initially. Too often, the people we’re newly responsible for ignore our direction and question our judgment. We end up deflated and puzzled. Why won’t anyone follow my lead? Am I not cut out for this? Did my boss make a mistake in promoting me?
There are still a lot of biases in society against women’s leadership abilities, and it’s maddening how they can cause us to question ourselves. As difficult as defiance is to face—especially when you’re settling in yourself—we have ideas for making it clear that you’re in charge. McKinsey’s Lareina Yee recounts the actions that senior leaders took that affirmed her position. Kelsey reflects on the disrespect she felt as a first-time manager, as well as her discomfort with power, and Amy B helps her make sense of those experiences and feelings. If you manage a woman who’s a new manager, this episode is for you too!
Guest expert:
Lareina Yee is a senior partner at McKinsey and the co-founder of the Women in the Workplace report.
Resources:
- “‘Lean In’ Messages and the Illusion of Control,” by Grainne Fitzsimons et al.
- “How Women Manage the Gendered Norms of Leadership,” by Wei Zheng et al.
- “Ask an Expert: How Do I Deal with Upward Bullying as a New Manager?” by LeRon L. Barton
- “When People Assume You’re Not In Charge Because You’re a Woman,” by Amy Diehl and Leanne M. Dzubinski
- HBR’s 10 Must Reads for New Managers, by Michael D. Watkins
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
We’ve planned a half-day of learning, guidance, and inspiration—all virtual.
First, leadership development coach Muriel Wilkins will talk us through how to communicate effectively when you’re running on empty. Amy Bernstein will then ask business leaders about how they pushed forward policies and programs that made their companies better for women. Next, Amy Gallo will interview several researchers about the practical takeaways from their latest findings. We’ll end with an advice hour, where both Amys will answer your questions. Do you need guidance on leading a team, dealing with conflict, negotiating, or something else? Email your question ahead of time to womenatwork@hbr.org, and they’ll try to help.
Tickets are $60 for Harvard Business Review subscribers and $75 for everyone else. A ticket will also give you access to a replay of the event recording. Register here.
Interested in buying a bunch of tickets for your team, department, or entire company? Email hbrlive@hbr.org to learn about group discounts.
See you there!
Do you find it tough to make decisions? Do you get stuck coming up with options (or overwhelmed by too many of them)? Or maybe you worry about how people will take your decision and if they’ll disagree with it? Do you often grapple with guilt or regret after making a final call?
A dentist who directs a public health clinic wants to gain confidence in her ability to make sound decisions. Behavioral scientist Leslie John shares methods for not overthinking, preempting pushback, and making peace with a tough call.
Guest expert:
Leslie John is a behavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business School.
Resources:
- “Making Great Decisions,” by Women at Work
- HBR Guide to Making Better Decisions, by Harvard Business Review
- “How to Make a High-Stakes Decision,” by Amy Gallo
- “How to Deliver Bad News to Your Employees,” by Amy Gallo
- “How to Make Great Decisions, Quickly,” by Martin G. Moore
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
What do you do when no one will give you actionable and useful feedback? That’s the situation our guest, an aerospace engineer, has been in for years. And while she’s managed to move up within her company, she feels like she’s missing out on information that would clarify her standing there and secure her future success.
Ella Bell, an expert on interpersonal communication and organizational behavior, shares creative ways to draw out people’s perceptions of your performance and potential. She also offers advice on how to make sense of the feedback you do receive. It can be especially tricky if you don’t agree with what someone says or if their comments don’t align with your priorities. We talk through both scenarios and give suggestions for how to respond.
Guest expert:
Ella Bell is a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
Resources:
- “We Deserve Better Than ‘Attagirl,’” from Women at Work
- “Why Asking for Advice Is More Effective Than Asking for Feedback,” by Jaewon Yoon et al.
- “The Right Way to Respond to Negative Feedback,” by Tasha Eurich
- “The Right Way to Process Feedback,” by Cameron Conaway
- “You Need Tough Feedback—Here’s How to Get It – HBR Video,” from Christine vs. Work
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
We’re in a project economy, where so much of our work is developing something new — a product, a service, an event. That means that many of us manage projects, even if “project manager” isn’t in our official job title. And we’re typically doing this work alongside others, on a deadline, often with multiple stakeholders involved, while objectives and circumstances continuously change. It’s not easy, and it’s no wonder that people get certified in project management: it’s a discipline that’s surprisingly deep, from planning to close-out.
A former clinical social worker who recently pivoted to project management has already experienced several of the most common challenges, including uncertainty, interpersonal conflict, and lack of responsiveness from the team. She and Amy B talk with an experienced project manager who shares tips for motivating and influencing others, communicating effectively, and solving problems.
Guest expert:
Tamara McLemore is a project manager who is certified by the Project Management Institute to train others in the discipline, and the founder of the Project Business Academy, through which she coaches people on what it takes to pass the Project Management Professional exam.
Resources:
- HBR Guide to Project Management, by Harvard Business Review
- Managing Projects, by Harvard Business Review
- “The Four Phases of Project Management,” by HBR Editors
- “Five Critical Roles in Project Management,” by HBR Editors
- “The Project Economy Has Arrived,” by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
- “Does Your Project Have a Purpose?” by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
- “Is Project Management the Right Career for You?” by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez and Yasmina Khelifi
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Everyone at work has their own priorities, concerns, and agendas, and knowing what those are allows us to navigate projects and meetings more deliberately and successfully. But how do you get the intel you need to achieve the results you want, especially if you’re the odd woman out in a male-dominated company and industry? What exactly does “political capital” mean? And how does one begin to change exclusionary and toxic politics so that they’re inclusive and healthy?
Organizational psychologist Madeleine Wyatt answers those questions and offers advice on how to become more politically savvy, in conversation with a transportation planner who’s determined to find a less tiring, more authentic approach to winning over clients and influencing others.
Guest expert:
Madeleine Wyatt is a professor at King’s Business School. Her research examines diversity at work and the role informal and political processes play in people’s rise into leadership.
Resources:
- “Office Politics Don’t Have to Be Toxic,” by Madeleine Wyatt and Elena Doldor
- “3 Simple Ways for Women to Rethink Office Politics and Wield More Influence at Work,” by Kathryn Heath
- “Navigating Office Politics When There Is No Office,” by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Dorie Clark
- HBR Guide to Office Politics, by Karen Dillon
- “Networking Doesn’t Have to Be a Drag,” by Women at Work
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Former co-hosts Sarah, Nicole, and Emily reunite with the Amys to discuss the insights and advice that most resonated with them from this season, from how they gained their team’s trust as a first-time manager to how they’re now thinking about retirement. They also talk about their related personal and professional experiences, and share how they’ve been doing since they left the show and HBR.
If you haven’t listened to Season 8 in full, this episode also serves as an overview so you can pick and choose what you want to go back and listen to. The episode ends with each of the hosts sharing what they want to see us covering in future seasons. If you have any ideas, please email us. We’d love to hear from you.
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Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org
Want to modernize a program or enact a policy that would benefit women in your workplace, but don’t know where to begin? Learn how to build a grassroots initiative, no matter your job title. Two experts in systemic, organizational change explain the many different roles critical to sustaining a movement. They also share tried-and-true ways to keep everyone invested in the cause, aligned, and on track.
Tending to a child’s mental health challenge is a critical job that deserves support from employers. Many parents, however, aren’t getting the understanding, flexibility, and paid time off they need. What can we do to make work more manageable for parents struggling to keep their children safe and well while trying to keep up at work? The executive director of a children’s mental health advocacy group shares ideas and advice.
The people we love have a great influence on our professional success. But when’s the last time you and your partner checked in about each other’s priorities and needs? Jennifer Petriglieri, an expert on dual-career couples, advises one woman on how to get out of the relationship traps she and her husband have fallen into as the parents of young children, and offers practical tips for how she can have more productive conversations with her partner to realize her career ambitions.
Two women who have studied weight bias at work help us understand the ways larger-bodied employees are stigmatized, as well as our role in reducing the stigma and creating a positive body culture.
Once you’re ready to retire, you’ll need a plan for how to spend your time. And once your job title is gone, you’ll need to figure out who you are now, not to mention what brings you joy. Finding purpose and a new identity are key to living a healthy, happy post-work life. Women who have very recently retired describe what they’ve been up to (it sounds rewarding!), as well as the unexpected emotions that the transition has brought up. They also reflect on the questions they asked themselves (or wished they had) before leaving their careers behind.
When managing other people for the first time, what should we expect, and how can we prepare? Three new managers describe their growing pains, reflect on what they find most rewarding, and talk through their latest challenges — with an assist from Amy B’s managerial wisdom. You’ll come away with a better idea of what becoming a boss means and confident that you can do it too.
To cap off our Getting Along series, Amy Gallo shares advice, in front of a live audience, on how to deal with all different types of “difficult” coworkers — from the tormentor to the know-it-all.
How do you bring about positive change — or just keep a workplace functional — when the person in charge won’t listen? Amy Gallo recommends tactics to try and phrases to use.
How do you interact with a senior person who should be mentoring you but is instead giving you every reason not to trust them? Amy G recommends tactics to try and phrases to use.
How do you stay in the loop when someone keeps kicking you out? Amy G recommends tactics to try and phrases to use.
How do you work with someone who’s encroaching on your job, bad-mouthing you, and refusing to acknowledge there’s any tension or problem? Amy G recommends tactics to try and phrases to use.
Our free-spirited, entrepreneurial co-host is applying advice from all our episodes on side gigs, freelancing, starting a small business — and quitting — to her own life. Emily reflects on her decision to leave her design job at HBR to fully focus on a long-time creative passion, as well as how she's thinking about her career going forward.
How do you address a falling-out with a teammate when they either won’t acknowledge you or just lash out? Amy Gallo brings her conflict management expertise to a coaching session for a woman whose project manager and former work friend went from helpful to hostile. The approaches that come out of the conversation are ones that anyone facing tension in a work relationship can use to find a way forward.
Let’s be real: You can’t do everything yourself. Delegating to others helps you manage your workload and helps your colleagues who take on the tasks, decisions, and responsibilities to learn and grow. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to do though. A leadership coach shares practices that will ensure the work gets done and will leave you and the person you delegated to feeling good about the experience.
Having a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship with your boss doesn’t require accommodating their every quirk, demand, and weakness. We discuss respectful, constructive ways to meet in the middle, set boundaries, and help them achieve their goals while making your competence known.
We all need to sell others on our ideas and offerings. Oftentimes that requires planning, perspective taking, and patience. A social psychologist highlights principles and tactics that’ll help you preempt colleagues or clients from doubting your expertise and get them to start or stop doing something.
Advice from a manager at Google whose full-time job is finding solutions to the problems that make employees want to quit. She shares what to say and do when a valuable team member seems to have one foot out the door. We also discuss the types of proactive conversations about career paths and compensation that managers should have with their people to keep them from being poached.
Entrepreneurs Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson share hard-won lessons from starting and running three companies together. They reflect on what makes their long-term partnership work and how they manage self-doubt and guilt. They also give tips for networking, hiring and retaining employees, learning the ins and outs of finance, and developing an exit strategy.
A satisfying career requires that we make thoughtful decisions, through self-reflection and strategic planning. But sometimes (like in 2021) plowing through our jobs day after day is the only thing that feels manageable. A reunion with three guests starts a conversation about the tension between wanting to fulfill our potential and needing to conserve what’s left of our energy.
What are the psychological and social skills freelancers need to achieve the self-made career they envisioned? Two researchers break down the common existential and interpersonal challenges that come with working in the gig economy. They share routines and practices that help independent workers keep themselves motivated, productive, and developing professionally.
Which feelings (and shoes) are work-appropriate these days? An expert on authenticity joins us to share impressions of how professional behavior and dress are changing, plus advice for deciding how transparent and comfortable to be.
How can you be seen as a leader, especially when you’re not even “seeing” the people you work with? We revisit an interview with two leadership development experts — essential listening for any woman who’s ready to step up — and share an update on how their advice applies in the context of remote and hybrid work.
How are women who started a job remotely during the pandemic faring? We hear from several new hires about the hurdles they encountered and how they overcame them with the support of their managers. Then, HR executive Amelia Ransom and management professor Beth Schinoff share advice for onboarding, whether you’re starting a new position yourself or supporting a new member of your team.
One way to help close the gender earnings gap? Deliberate redundancy at work, according to economic historian Claudia Goldin. Claudia expands on this idea and shares other insights about the U.S. female labor force. Emily and the Amys reflect on the career-family decisions they’ve made (or plan to make) and imagine what it would be like to have a colleague who could fill in for them whenever they needed time off.
How can you be confident that quitting your job is a good move for your career? And how do you handle the feelings — guilt, fear, anxiety — that come up? These are questions we’ll all face at some point, so we talk through which factors to consider before making the decision and best practices for giving your notice when it’s time.
Managers are told that when an employee resigns, they should be professional, reassure their team, and wish the person well. But we also know that resignations bring up a lot of feelings: panic, loss, self-doubt. Five managers acknowledge those emotions and share how they’ve learned to cope.
In leading their teams and organizations through a crisis, women have repeatedly stepped up to the plate. We celebrate four of these women and highlight the ways they’ve been resetting priorities, demonstrating resilience and agility, and communicating effectively. Then, leadership coach Muriel Wilkins gives advice for taking care of yourself while taking care of the people you manage.
If you’re looking to upgrade your work life, know that it’s possible, manageable, and worth the effort. Two women reflect on the actions they took that ended up elevating not only their careers but also their all-around satisfaction.
Starting October 11, a new collection of perspectives to learn from, advice to act on, and takeaways that buoy you up.
How can we get better at negotiating? We hear from a butter maker and entrepreneur about a sensitive deal she recently navigated and then use that experience to draw out the principles and practices essential to any negotiation. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, a professor who studies and teaches negotiations, gives advice on achieving our objectives in a deal, no matter the context.
Alice Boyes, a writer and former clinical psychologist, shares the principles and practices that keep her creative and productive, but not busy. She gives Emily and a social worker guidance on where to focus their energy, as well as paring down their (and your) to-dos to what’s feasible? and actually worth doing.
A nurse practitioner joins Amy B and an expert on workplace well-being to discuss different aspects of stress, plus principles and practices for managing it.
Giving feedback is critical to being a good manager, somebody people look up to and not just report to. But very few of us actually like to do it. So how can we get better at this essential skill? Amy G is joined by a school principal to interview a feedback expert.
As more and more people get vaccinated against Covid-19, how do you lead your family through this safer but not coronavirus-free new world? Two parents in Israel — a child psychologist and an infectious disease doctor — describe the approach they’ve been taking with their three kids. Because when only one child is old enough to receive the vaccine, making your way out of lockdown is even more of a process.
We get inside the head of a woman whose due date is just days away. She shares with Erica her worries, hopes, and questions about how having a baby will change her career. Erica offers practical advice for managing a new identity and new work-family demands.
Everyday joys can boost our energy and productivity, so long as we’re able to notice and appreciate them. Kevin reflects on the presence of joy in his life and what keeps him from feeling it. Then, leadership development coach Amy Jen Su gives advice for getting into a mindset that primes us to experience joy and function better all around.
Erica and Kevin show snapshots of life for them these days — basically, frantically working when not giving their all to childcare. They discuss how they’re handling the latest challenges working parenthood has thrown at them, highlighting tools and tips that are helping them cope.
Amy Gallo introduces Erica Truxler and Kevin Evers, two HBR editors hosting a series in which they confront the challenges of managing everything and everyone.
Leadership coach Muriel Wilkins has shared her wisdom on our show multiple times. Now you can listen to and grow from it regularly through Muriel’s new podcast, Coaching Real Leaders. The show takes you inside real-life coaching sessions with executives who’ve hit a bump in the road. In this episode, Muriel speaks with a VP who’s been passed over for a promotion and needs help figuring out how to overcome the setback and get to where she wants to be.
We talk through questions from listeners seeking advice on the challenges they’re facing early in their career — from being excluded from meetings to how to be more assertive.
Coming back to work after parental leave, after having a baby during a pandemic, when you and your colleagues are still working remotely — is complicated. Our colleague describes how she’s approaching remote reentry, and we turn to an expert on all things career and motherhood for guidance on handling childcare, boundaries, and professional relationships during this transition.
After a team member of ours faced a serious medical problem, we recognized how little guidance there was for communicating a health crisis or chronic illness. We talk through common decisions, fears, and conversations.
As we wait for company leaders to make good on the anti-racism commitments they made earlier this year, we check in with four Black women about how their work lives have and haven’t changed. Then we talk with an expert who helps us understand how to keep pushing forward and supporting our Black colleagues while we wait for long-overdue change.
Sometimes you want to make a career change, like a big one. We hear from a woman who is in the process of navigating a bold transition. Then we talk with an expert about how to clarify your goals and ask for what you need to make your next move.
With the help of an expert in side gigs, Emily confronts the hobbies, projects, and pursuits that she’s neglected, in hopes of helping herself and others invest in interests outside of a full-time job.
We’re wiped out and finding it tough to stay focused, present, and optimistic. So we decided to revisit conversations that explore how and why we get worn out and that have advice for building ourselves back up.
Three women who’ve lost work because of the pandemic open up about how they’re processing what's happened and finding a way forward
As offices — including HBR’s — carefully reopen after being closed for months because of the pandemic, we describe what it’s like there and discuss the risks and rewards of being back in person.
One woman’s struggle with shyness prompts us to explore the seeming conflict between being shy and being a leader. We offer strategies for overcoming anxieties that may be keeping you from going after your career goals, as well as advice for supporting socially anxious colleagues. Guest: Alice Boyes.
We continue tracking the ways the pandemic is impacting women’s lives and careers, and discuss how to not only manage the challenges but also shape a more equitable future. Guests: Kathleen McGinn and Katherine Goldstein.
Women don’t always feel entitled to ask for help at work — even when we need it the most. But Heidi Grant says asking has psychological benefits for you and your colleagues. She explains how to approach your request strategically and why lending a hand to others can be good for you too.
Women at Work returns October 5 with candid conversations and practical advice that’ll help get you through the messiness of 2020. Plus, we have a new host!
Young women who are wrestling with the impact of the coronavirus crisis on their early-stage careers share how they’re managing the unfamiliar and unexpected. Plus a career coach gives advice for young women striving to establish themselves at work in less than optimal circumstances. Guests: Rachel Bronstein, Nina Jones, Hana Ayoub, and Alex Hemmer. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We reflect on what moving ahead means now and give advice on when and how we should be pushing ourselves, as well as ways to protect a job you love. Guests: Kathleen McGinn and Daisy Wademan Dowling. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
To push for a racially just workplace, white women must put in the effort to understand black women’s experiences. We talk about what has historically driven women of different races apart at work and about how we can stick together and support one another. Guests: Ella Bell Smith, Stella Nkomo, Tina Opie, and Verónica Rabelo. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We get an update on what men are doing or should be doing to support the women they work with. And we talk about our role in helping them help us. Guests: Brad Johnson, David Smith, and Lily Zheng. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We talk about why menopause shouldn’t be a taboo topic at work, how managers can be supportive, and what to say when you’re having a hot flash in the middle of a meeting. Guests: Dr. Heather Hirsch, Jeneva Patterson, and Tina Opie. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We talk through questions from listeners seeking advice on dealing with the challenges they’re facing right now—from how to handle pandemic-related burnout to how to increase their company’s diversity in hiring. Guest: Alison Beard. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We talk about the different professional setbacks women are facing because of the coronavirus crisis and offer advice for dealing with a promotion, project, career move, or entrepreneurial endeavor on hold or lost forever. Guests: Alexandra Kalev and Daisy Auger-Domínguez.
A nurse who’s risen to CEO talks about the leadership skills she’s learned through her experience managing global health crises and how she’s applying those skills to the Covid-19 crisis. Guest: Sheila Davis. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
There’s often pressure to keep it together at work. But is that even possible right now when we’re all feeling so many intense feelings? Understanding when and how to express fear, anger, sorrow, and stress isn’t easy, but it’s crucial. Guests: Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
A behavioral scientist gives advice on how to better muddle through working from home during the crisis. She also points out the long-lasting positive changes in women’s personal and professional lives that may come from having to reset expectations and boundaries right now. Guest: Ashley Whillans. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women from around the world tell us how the coronavirus crisis is impacting them both professionally and personally. We share how we've been coping and give advice for handling all of this extra stress. Guests: Aliya Hamid Rao and Ruchika Tulshyan. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women at Work is back April 13 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about being a woman in the workplace. Expect to hear from us every Monday through the spring.
Stepping into a leadership role doesn’t always require permission — but it can require some soul-searching. We speak with leadership development experts on how to be seen as a leader by others and feel like one yourself. Guests: Muriel Wilkins and Amy Su. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
For women in male-dominated fields like engineering, there are lots of stressors, both subtle and overt. As a result, many end up leaving the field altogether. But the ones who stay develop strategies to survive and to even challenge the status quo. Guests: Jessica Townsend, Ana, Elena, and Teresa Cardador. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
As we grow older, we have to deal with not only sexism at work but ageism too. Still, age has its advantages. We talk with an expert on aging, and then we share personal experiences and answer questions from listeners. Guests: Nancy Morrow-Howell and Maureen Hoch. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Conflict at work is inevitable, and resolving conflicts can lead to higher job satisfaction, stronger relationships with colleagues, and innovation. But dealing with conflict becomes especially difficult when we feel pressure to be likeable or accommodate others. In this live show we talk through a general plan, as well as common situations. Guest: Linda Hill. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Going from full time to part time is a complicated career move. First we talk with a woman who’s made part time work well for her about how she set expectations and boundaries. Then we get advice from an expert on work-life balance on how to manage the risks of being part time. Guests: Kristin McElderry and Linda Duxbury. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
At work, self-care might mean asking for a deadline extension, going to the gym in the middle of the day, or blocking off a few hours to prioritize tasks for the week. But that’s all easier said than done. We speak with a happiness researcher about how to find the time we need to take care of ourselves (and then actually do it). Guest: Ashley Whillans. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Anxiety comes up in our conversations on the show from time to time, and we think it’s important to think about and talk about mental health. That’s why we’re recommending you listen to The Anxious Achiever, a new podcast by HBR Presents that’s all about dealing with anxiety at work.
Having a close friend at work feels great. You have someone to laugh with, confide in, and exchange glances with during a meeting. But we often fail to anticipate how the conflicting demands of work can occasionally strain that relationship. We talk through common tensions and how to handle them, either to maintain the friendship or to ease off of it. Guests: Nancy Rothbard and Julianna Pillemer. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Sponsorship is when someone influential in your organization advocates on your behalf to get you where you want to go. But the sponsor-protege relationship isn’t always clear-cut. We talk about what sponsors really do and what the protege’s role is. Guest: Rosalind Chow. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Building relationships that benefit our careers isn’t about exchanging business cards at work events; it’s about getting to know people we can learn from. We discuss how to develop a strong network and what the very best women networkers do. Guest: Inga Carboni. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Talking with colleagues about how much we earn can help us figure out if we’re being paid fairly, but sharing those numbers is stressful. With the help of experts, we discuss the tricky practicalities of salary disclosure and what to do with that sensitive information once we’ve got it. Guests: Zoë Cullen, Gaby Dunn, and Amelia Ransom. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women at Work is back Oct. 14 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about being a woman in the workplace. Expect to hear from us every Monday for the next couple of months. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
High-quality relationships with other women at work, and the productivity and creativity those connections bring, are built on trusting one another with our emotions. Two researchers share findings from their recent survey about emotional vulnerability in the workplace. Guests: Beth Livingston and Tina Opie. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Many companies are still sorting out the right policies to put in place around sexual harassment. But even where good policies exist, we all need the skills and confidence to respond to and prevent inappropriate behavior at work. Guests: Marianne Cooper and Sarah Beaulieu. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women are responsible for most eldercare, and it’s often an exhausting, isolating job that has to be done on top of your paid work. We talk with a researcher who’s gone through it herself; she shares coping strategies and advice on how to support the caregivers on your team. Guest: Anne Bardoel. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Thinking of gender as man/woman and masculine/feminine leaves out a lot of people. We talk about the problems the gender binary causes at work and get advice on how to support transgender and nonbinary colleagues. Guest: Lily Zheng. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We discuss how women think about and approach competition at work and get advice on how to keep our disagreements — and people’s perceptions of them — from turning negative. Guest: Leah Sheppard. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Do women really apologize more than men at work? We speak with a psychology professor and a leadership consultant about the impact that saying “sorry” and using other minimizing language has on job success, and what words and phrases to use instead. Guests: Karina Schumann and Sally Helgesen. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Just because some of us are single and childless doesn’t mean we don’t have problems at the office or responsibilities outside of it. We talk with a woman who’s been writing a series of essays about her singlehood, as well as a researcher who studies this demographic. Guests: Shani Silver and Tracy Dumas. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
There are a lot of reasons women should feel optimistic about having both a career and children. Two professors tell us about the takeaways from their research on working motherhood and from their experience raising three kids each. They give advice about managing expectations, transitions, and difficult times. Guests: Danna Greenberg and Jamie Ladge.
Visibility at work is important for our professional advancement — and tricky, especially for women. In this live episode, we talk about navigating the risks and rewards of being in the spotlight, as well as the best ways to increase our visibility. Guest: Muriel Maignan Wilkins. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Stress can enhance our performance at work, but not if it leads to burnout. We talk with an expert on workplace well-being about how women experience burnout and how to manage its causes, symptoms, and repercussions. Guest: Mandy O’Neill.
Women at Work is back April 15 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about being a woman in the workplace. Expect to hear from us every Monday for the next couple of months.
Amy Gallo is a contributing editor for HBR, an expert on conflict and difficult conversations, a prolific giver of advice — and now she takes up the baton of co-hosting the show from Sarah Green Carmichael. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
In this special live episode, we share stories, research, and practical advice for strategic self-disclosure, and then take questions from the audience. Guest: Katherine Phillips. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women will be a stronger force against sexism and racism at work if we know and trust each other. We talk through best practices for listening to, learning about, and advocating for women who are different from us. Guests: Tina Opie and Verónica Rabelo. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We bring you three stories about parental leave, from listeners whose experiences with it changed them, for better or for worse. They talk about having to fight for more time off, go back to work before they were ready, care for sick babies, and try to hide their exhaustion and stress. Ultimately, they’re stories about how inadequate leave policies hurt families and companies.
We hold ourselves back when we let differences like race or class divide us from other women. We talk about the very different experiences and professional relationships black and white female managers had in 1970s and 1980s corporate America, and how workplace sisterhood is still in short supply. Guests: Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
If you’re your family’s chief breadwinner, research suggests that the pressure you’re feeling is different from what men have been dealing with for eons. We talk about the highs and lows of being in this role and examples of support at work and at home that can make it more manageable. Guest: Alyson Byrne. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women have to work harder to be recognized for our ideas. And that recognition is essential for getting the assignments and the promotions we deserve — for moving our careers forward. We talk about how to present an idea in a group so that you come out owning it. Next, we cover how to respond when someone takes credit for your work. Guests: Amy Jen Su and Amy Gallo.
Perfectionist tendencies are a trap that can be difficult to avoid, but we’ll be more productive and advance faster if we don’t worry so much about making the occasional mistake. We talk about how perfectionists can get out of their own way, and how to effectively manage a perfectionist. Guest: Alice Boyes. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Both male and female managers tend to give women low-quality feedback. And when we don’t hear how we’re really doing at work and what we can do to improve — and men do — we’re put at a disadvantage. We talk about how to get high-quality feedback that is direct, specific, and focused on behavior we can change. Guests: Robin Ely and Ella Bell Smith.
Being a great decision maker is uniquely challenging for women. It’s not us; it’s sexism. Stereotypes about the way we make calls can be insulting and distracting. Knowing that we’ll be judged more harshly than men when we make mistakes is discouraging. We talk about how to make informed decisions that stick, despite gender bias. Guest: Therese Huston.
Women around the world have access to vastly different amounts of paid parental leave. In some countries, they can take a year or more. In the U.S., they’re not guaranteed any paid leave at all. We talk about how to manage your leave, or someone else’s, no matter how long it is. We also hear from a woman in Washington, DC, who had the rare opportunity to take a year of paid leave. Guest: Daisy Wademan Dowling. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Women are expected and asked to do thankless tasks — order lunch, handle less-valued clients — more than men, and research shows that doing those tasks slows down our career advancement and makes us unhappy at work. We talk about why we wind up with so much office drudgery and how to get some of it off our plates. Guests: Lise Vesterlund and Ruchika Tulshyan.
Women at Work is back Sept. 17 with stories, conversations, and practical advice about women and work. Expect to hear from us every Monday for the next couple of months. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
We’re delighted to be making more episodes for you. And we’re asking you to help shape this next season to fit what you’re dealing with and needing guidance on. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
Professional women get all kinds of advice — some of it helpful, some of it really unhelpful, and some of it nice-sounding but pretty impossible to use. We question some of the classic advice women get (and give) on asking for more money, achieving more by doing less, and not burning out. Guests: Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, Arianna Huffington, Tiffany Dufu, Susan Orlean, and Alison Beard. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network. For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.
While once accusations of sexual harassment would be met with — at most — a monetary settlement and a non-disclosure agreement, today they are more likely to be publicized and investigated. Now, the challenge is, how do we harness this new attention to sexual harassment to make work a safer place for women? Guests: Joan Williams, Amy Gallo, and Michael Kimmel. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network. For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.
The gender wage gap is the lifetime financial curse that punishes so many of us. What’s going on in women’s careers that causes us to earn so much less? Guests: Claudia Goldin and Margaret Gullette. Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network. For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.
As leaders, we know we’re supposed to be authentic, but for women, that can be tricky. For one thing, it can be hard to even know what our “true selves” want with all the demands competing for our attention. For another, there are different expectations about how women should look, and behave. In this episode, we talk with an expert on authenticity, as well as a woman trying everyday to bring her best self to work and help others do the same. Guests: Tina Opie and Candice Morgan.
Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City in Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.
Simmering resentments over whose career comes first. Bickering over household tasks. Arguments over who should pick up the kids this time. This is the portrait of two-career coupledom in much of the popular media. But for a lot of couples, the reality is much rosier. Mutually supportive relationships let us take career risks, help us be more resilient to setbacks, and even “lean in” at work. In this episode, we talk with three experts to help us paint a picture of what a truly supportive dual-career relationship looks like, and understand how to get our own relationships closer to that ideal. Guests: Jennifer Petriglieri, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, and Stephanie Coontz.
Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.
Have you ever been in a meeting and shared an idea, only to have it ignored? Then, 10 minutes later, a guy shares the same idea, and your boss says “Great idea!” (Grrr.) Or maybe you’ve been told you apologize too much, don’t speak up enough, or that you need more “confidence” or “leadership presence.” (Ugh.)
In this episode, we tackle three aspects of communication: first, how and why women’s speech patterns differ from men’s; second, how women can be more assertive in meetings; and third, how women can deal with interrupters (since the science shows women get interrupted more often than men do).
Guests: Deborah Tannen is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. She is best known as the author of the bestseller “You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.” Jill Flynn is a founding partner at Flynn Heath Holt Leadership. Amy Gallo is an HBR contributing editor and author of the “HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict.”
Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.
For links to the articles mentioned in this episode, as well as other information about the show, visit hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work.