Everything About Business Except The Bottom Line: FunnyBusiness

And They Lived Happily Ever After

The English version of this brochure says

"One Day I'll Have to pay for her wedding.

It's part of a savings campaign at Wells Fargo. I contacted  Wells Fargo and wanted to talk to them about this particular message.

They graciously declined my invitation for an interview.

Is it me, or does this message sound like it's straight out of the 1950s? Do we really want to continue  the fairy tale that one day is going to be the happiest day in a girl's life? Think Princess Diana.

If a dad had to make a choice between saving for a wedding and a college education,would the good folks at Wells Fargo really say,

"Save for the wedding-- it is the most important financial gift you can give her".

When that young mother ,with a couple of kids and an ex-husband that doesn't pay child support, comes into Wells Fargo to get a loan so she can feed her kids and get a college education, will Wells Fargo welcome her with open arms?

Just  how much does Wells Fargo think a dad needs to save. A  lot. Amy Baldwin writes in her Out Of The Red blog that:

"The national average is $26,800, according to http://www.costofwedding.com/, which estimates nuptial costs by zip code. The average for my south Charlotte zip (28210): $34,036.

In my opinion, spending that kind of cash on a one-day party is crazy. But it’s the best day of your life, some say. Well, it better be.

My husband Jefferson and I spent about half the national average on our October 2003 wedding"

For those who want to spend their money on the wedding to beat all weddings, you may want to visit Best Wedding Sites News Blog  where you can learn that chocolate brown flowers are the trendiest trend and brides with a beach wedding are wearing foot jewelry.   If money isn't an issue and getting the brown flowers or the foot jewelry is important,than have a lovely day.

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The issue isn't whether weddings are or are not a waste of money. That's a personal decision. My gripe is with Wells Fargo. . Given that 50% of marriages end in divorce, it seems rather irresponsible for Wells Fargo to say to young girls...the highlight of  your life will be the day you walk down the aisle and your dad 'gives you away" to another man.  I'd rather see Wells Fargo say," plan so your daughter can stand on her own two feet."

Chances are , she'll need them.

Let Me CAll you Sweetheart aka Kibbutz Capitalism

The headline reads: The Best Company to Work for in the World-Period. Featured in this month's issue of The American Way, the magazine for American Airlines, this article will make you smile, create job envy, inspire you, and confirm and reconfirm that in order to have a successful company you do not have to operate as "business as usual."

This is the story of Motek( it means sweetheart in Hebrew) , a software company in Beverly Hills. It's founder and CEO is Ann S. Price. The article begins with a scene where Price is scolding her Marketing Director for taking a three week vacation to Europe. Price wanted her to take five weeks.

“I have had many talks with Amanda about why she isn’t taking five weeks off,” Price says. “It’s impossible to function at maximum productivity without at least a month away.”

Is this a PR stunt or the latest business-management gimmick? Hardly. Price offers her employees a $5,000-a-year travel benefit — for flights, tours, cruises, you name it — but only if they take at least a three-week paid vacation. She gives employees another two weeks off for paid holidays throughout the year and leases luxury automobiles for any employee who has worked at the company for at least 10 years. Then there’s the fact that Price sends employees home at five p.m. sans laptop and locks the doors on the weekend.

Motek's main product is Priya a warehouse automation software that is used by companies including General Electric, Heinz and ConAgra.Observers say Motek's success is not just based on its product but on its processes.

But it’s Motek’s business processes and how it interacts with customers that set the firm apart. Price’s business philosophy — which has been dubbed “kibbutz capitalism” — is enough to make most executives squirm. For starters, everyone at Motek — from executives to the receptionist — knows how much everyone else earns, and they can view the firm’s balance sheet at any time. In fact, Price makes sure that they understand how to understand corporate finances. Employees also vote on strategic decisions, including raises. “By sharing data, we share power,” Price explains.

It’s no idle rhetoric. Consider that every Motek employee has a designated backup available to provide cover while they’re out of the office. The only requirement is to check with the backup to make sure he or she is around before the employee leaves. This, says Price, ensures that “we’re focused on the process rather than on the person.” Employees also know when an employee isn’t able to keep up with the workload. The result? Price offers a financial reward to employees who ask for help in order to stay on schedule. “The goal is to get the work done, not establish a star system,” she says.

This article is so motivating that I want to just copy and paste the whole thing. Most of all, I want to print it out and keep it as a reminder  to myself that the status quo doesn't have to be.

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What's all this fuss about Transparency

Here's the challenge. How long can  you go without hearing ,saying,or reading about some one, some company, some country, some program that is committed to being transparent?

A week? A Day? A couple of hours? The word seems to pop up everywhere. However, a little research seems to indicate that I haven't been listening very well because as  buzzwords go -- it's been a top 10 buzzword  since the  20th century.

Where have I been? Why has it taken me so long to pick up on this trend? Perhaps its because half the time I have no idea what people are talking about when they say there is a need for transparency.

It's taken me until 2006 to fully understand how business and the media use the word.  That's right for nearly a decade I've  been suffering from Transparency Confusion. As a result, I have avoided incorporating it in my corporate patois.

So in the spirit of public service I thought I would take a closer look at Transparency...just in case there is anyone else out there that is not quite sure what people are talking about when they say 'It's transparent".

According to Buzzwhack

transparent, transparency: A favorite in business and government. It can mean open, visible, accessible, publicly accountable, etc. -- without privacy or secrets. "The computer age is moving society toward greater transparency." Not to be confused with the less admirable definition of transparent -- to have obvious selfish motives. Of course, we would never think of business and government in that manner.
Nominated by Tim Blankenhorn

If that were the end of it, it would be fine. But of course, Transparency has become an entity of its own.

There's Transparency International-- a global coalition against corruption. Their definition of Transparency is:

"Transparency" can be defined as a principle that allows those affected by administrative decisions, business transactions or charitable work to know not only the basic facts and figures but also the mechanisms and processes. It is the duty of civil servants, managers and trustees to act visibly, predictably and understandably. "

Then there's Transparency: the website-- which includes a collection of essays from former journalist Ken Sanes .The website that began in 1997 promises  "to make things clear".

And then there is this history of Transparency written in 1999 by Sarah Boxer and printed in the Strait Times of Singapore.

Transparency does seem to be an ideal in all sorts of ways at the
moment," said the literary critic Peter Brooks. And it might have
something to do with a confessional culture. "People don't think they
exist unless they have something to confess."

Lear sees just the opposite: The passion for transparency is an
attempt to repress hidden meaning. He takes his lessons from
Sophocles.

"Oedipus thinks that the only realm is what is transparent to the
human mind," Lear said. He hears the oracle and thinks he knows
exactly what the prophecy about killing his father and marrying his
mother means -- Get out of town.

The only problems for him are practical problems. What he does not
realise is that the gods' real message is hidden and opaque. He is
blinded by the apparent transparency.

The article goes on to say that diplomats 'shudder ' at having to say the "C"word (corruption) so instead they speak in code.

If someone is corrupt, the diplomats say " they are not transparent.' transparency has become a code word for "not corrupt."

IAnd so in diplomacy instead of saying someone is corrupt...you'll hear them say 'they are not transparent.'

And in case you're wondering how the whole transparency phenomenon started. We can thank the French Revolution.

The Jacobins believed that if you were not transparent, you had
something to hide. You were an enemy of virtue. They sent people to
the guillotine because they were opaque."

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You Can CAll Me A Manly Woman. Just Don't Call Me A Bitch

Just a few days after Harvey Mansfield announced during an interview with Naomi Wolf that men distain working for women, The NY Daily News published a preview of the book, The Girls Guide to Being a Boss (without being a bitch). It's will be available in early April.

"Leigh Ann Ambrosi, the director of marketing and publicity at Sterling Publishing, said that at the beginning of her tenure she was a lot friendlier. "Now I am a quote-unquote bitch. I set more structured rules. I set meetings and deadlines that I didn't set at the beginning. I couldn't take charge being wishy-washy and being everyone's friend." Further complicating the problem is the unrealistic level of emotional expectation that doesn't come into play as much with a male boss. "A lot of the women we interviewed for the book," says Friedman, "thought if their female boss wasn't being 'nice' she must be being a 'bitch.' There is a lot of emotional language that surrounds this issue."

As women wonder why we have not succeeded in breaking through the glass ceiling, could one of the key reasons be our acceptance of how we allow ourselves to be described in the workforce? Could it be that the use of this emotionally imbued, gender specific word to describe women with authority is having the greatest impact on women's ability to succeed? Could simply changing our corporate patois...simply eliminating the use of the word bitch from the workplace help to shift mindset? While there is plenty written about the subject "Are Women Bosses,bitches?",There is very little written with the title " Is your boss a Dick?"--which in my mind is the male equivalent to bitch. The question then becomes, What is the appropriate word to use instead of bitch? That would be,(thank you) Harvey Mansfield, " A Manly Woman." By substituting bitch with , " A Manly Woman." we are imbuimg our behavior that is now described as "bitchy", with the positive characteristics that men have for Manly Men. Over time, when a woman in power is described as , " A Manly Woman." instead of overlaying the negative connotations that bitch implies, the connotations will be positive. There is plenty being said and written to reinforce the image that women can't manage as well as men and when they do they revert to bitchiness. In The Guardian's blog, Esther Ranzen writes

And too often it's the women who are doing the bullying. In my experience, a lot of the men have learned to treat people better than their predecessors did. The male tyrants who once barked out orders liberally spattered with the f-word left the television companies, presumably to take charge of restaurant kitchens or become tabloid newspaper editors. They were replaced with kindly, collaborative "new men" who displayed pictures of their babies on their office walls. But, at the same time, many "new women" seemed to move in the opposite direction. Whether it was to compensate for a perceived feminine weakness, or because they were modelling themselves on the worst of the men, or just because there resides in many women the capacity to turn into the Wicked Witch of the West, too many have adopted the hectoring style of The Weakest Link.

Almost eight years ago, in the days prior to blogs, Kathleen J. Wu wrote about women managers for the Andrew Kurth website. The title of her article " Are women really bitchy bosses?"

But the complaints I hear most often about women bosses have less to do with being too nice than being too demanding. Actually, demanding isn't the word most people use. It's "pushy," "bossy," or, worse, "bitchy." From where I sit, the person to blame for this perception is more likely to be the employee than the supervisor. I'm sure there are women bosses who throw their weight around for the wrong reasons, just as many male managers do the same thing. And truly outlandish behavior is usually seen as such whether the supervisor is male or female. Where women managers are treated unfairly is when they are neither cream puffs nor tyrants, but somewhere in between. Nobody holds it against a man, for instance, when he's curt and doesn't spend much time asking how his associate's weekend was or inquiring about her family. In fact, his "businesslike" demeanor is likely to be respected and may be a reason for his success. But a woman who keeps her professional distance from those who work for her is likely to be labeled a "bitch."

And then there was this press release Women Bosses From Hell?a> from the Behavior Sciences Research Press who survey 150 managers in Fortune 500 companies

Fifty-four percent of the managers surveyed said it didn't matter to them whether they worked for a man or a woman. But those who expressed a preference had an unexpected opinion. Seven in ten said they would rather work for a man than a woman. Why? Their reasons varied, but their comments on women managers had a common thread: "Backstabbing," "Gossip-focused." "Not as supportive as men." "Crisis creator." According to Donia, "There may be more bitching than bonding going on among aspiring career women."

The irony,of course, is that there is plenty of research indicating women make fabulous bosses. In an article published in Human Resource Executive Magazine the research puts women bosses in a positive light.

In what they say is a first-of-its kind study, three academics reviewed 45 published and unpublished studies conducted between 1985 and 2002, all of which examined whether men and women manage differently. Based on this analysis, they concluded women bosses are more likely to be "transformational" leaders - defined as bosses who mentor, inspire and foster innovation and teamwork. In contrast, male bosses were more likely to be categorized as having a "transactional" style - defined as appealing to subordinates' self-interest and using reward and punishment as incentives. Men also dominated another style of managing, which they called the "laissez-faire" style - i.e. managing by not managing - the researchers said.

And,from an Australian Study,

Women bosses are more caring and sharing - it's official. But only if there's no queen bee. New research shows women at the top make a difference if workplaces have enough of them. The queen bee, or token female boss, can make little impact on workplace culture, because they are more likely to act like a man, pull up the web of opportunity so other women cannot climb it, and make male colleagues feel uptight. But put a critical mass of women into senior roles, and men start to relax and management culture starts to change for the better. There is less shouting and table-thumping in the executive suite, more nurturing, and team-building.

,/p> So, if you happen to hear someone calling another woman at work "a bitch," today. Just smile, and suggest instead, that they call her , " A Manly Woman." In the immortal words of lyricist by Johnny Mercer

You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mister In-Between

Homage to Countdown's WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD- THE GREYHOUND BUS COMPANY

All I wanted was an explanation. My son Noah is taking the Greyhound Bus home today for a weekend visit from Madison Wisconsin. He had asked for me to purchase the ticket online.

Not a problem. But when I was about to finish the transaction I saw a Gift Service FEE of $15. Now, the cost of a Greyhound Bus ticket from Madison Wisconsin to Minneapolis, MN...a trip of less than 300 miles is $47.00. Add to that a fee of $15 dollars and the cost is now $62.00 an increase about 30% .

So I called Greyhound customer service. To their credit they told me it could be an extremely long wait. 34 minutes later I reached a Mr. Camerillo( not sure of the spelling). I asked for the explanation.

He said if my son had called and the credit card was in his name then there would be a 4% handling fee. But they charge the $15 whenever someone  purchases a ticket for someone else aka "a gift:

"WHY?" I asked, " How could the cost of handling my credit card be any different then handling the credit card of my son?"

That's when he said, " Well how much would it cost you to wire your son money to pay for the ticket."

Okay, I have never wired my son any money. and I have no idea what the fee is. But  I also have no idea what the business practices of Western Union have to do with Greyhound processing my American Express card.

I pressed him on this point. But he kept on going back to what it would cost me to wire him the money for the ticket.

I asked to speak to his supervisor. He gave me a different number. Again, the message that it would take a long time. 1 hour and 1 minute later ( it is now 6 pm central) the call center picks up my call. Guess who answers?  My good buddy Mr. Camerillo.

At this point I was not amused. Forget the fact that Greyhound has one person in their customer call center  When I identified myself in a less than cordial manner, Mr. Camerillo offered to transfer me to his supervisor's line ( why you ask didn't he transfer me the first time? Because the first time, their offices were still open)

When I reached their executive offices I got a voicemail. I left a message. I will follow up.And, no I didn't purchase the ticket. I'll transfer the funds (free of charge) into his bank account and he can use his debit card to make the purchase.

Their policy is hideous. The only explanation I can come up with ( and I welcome a different explanation) is that they are gouging the poor. What other explanation can it be?

A 30% service fee on a bus ticket is unconscionable. If Keith Olbermann heard about this he would definitely name them  today's ' THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD".

You can't make this stuff up.

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You want me to add what to my toolbelt?

It had been a tough couple of years for Kate. For most of her professional career she had worked at one company. She was a star. She had been recognized as a top performer.

Her job was to think of new products and bring them to market.  It was exciting, challenging, demanding. There were huge budgets. Big presentations. Some travel.

Kate loved it.

She was very good at it. It was a big job. She had won lots of awards for excellence.

Then, during  the last two years, everything seemed to change.First, there was tension with a boss. Kate tells a story about a time her team had spent weeks preparing for a major presentation on the new product. Typically in these situations, the head person will listen, ask challenging questions and have the team defend their work.

Instead, her boss listened said "thank you." stood up and walked out the door. Not another word. Just thank you.

Then, not one but  two multi -million dollar product launches  were canceled at the last minute.

In Kate's world, having a product pulled is not a good thing. It means you don't have any work to do. Kate was spent. Once her second  product was pulled, she found herself with no immediate work and not eager to campaign to join another team.

" I was fried," said Kate. "So I went to my boss and suggested I take a leave of absence for the summer. I promised her I would come back in the fall rejuvenated and ready to work."

Her boss thought it was a great idea and gushed, " While you are off I want you to visit our stress management consultants and gain some new tools for your tool belt to handle stress better."

As Kate was sharing her story she said, "She really said that to me...'gain some tools for your tool belt.'"

At the time, Kate thought that she needed some new tools and diligently called for an appointment with the stress management folks.

But when she got to the stress management folks, they weren't interested in giving her a 'new tool for her toolbelt".

Once her counselor  heard Kate's story she said, " Your issue isn't stress, Kate, and you don't need any tools to handle stress better. You handle stress just fine. You have different work issues."

It was a life changing meeting. Kate says that until that very moment it had never occurred to her that she might be unfulfilled at work.

Looking back she says she was so focused on the tasks at hand that she didn't do much reflective thinking at all. So when her boss indicated she didn't handle stress well.She believed her boss. And, felt disappointed in herself that she was allowing the stress to get to her.

But with three months with no work tasks to do she  took the time to be introspective. By the time she went back to work ( and she did go back to work) she knew she wasn't going to be there for long because like many talented, creative, smart women she came to the conclusion that she would  never get what she wanted at a large company.

She planned her escape and when the time was right,left the company to start her own firm.That was about 10 years ago. Kate is still working hard.

Like Kate, I too had one of those life altering meetings very early in my professional life. I was a TV reporter making about $5.00 an hour. At that time, the weekend anchors earned a $20 talent fee for each newscast. Just doing the 6 and 11 p.m. news on one night of the weekend would have increased my lifestyle significantly.

In all ,about eight people in the newsroom decided to audition for the spot--we were all broke. When my boss posted the audition list, I was the last one ( I got the message) but was determined to put in a stellar performance ( I was still young and naive enough to think that  hiring decisions were based on performance)

On the Friday before my audition --I was scheduled for the Sunday show--- my boss announced he had hired someone from out of town. Her name was Angel.She looked like a sexed -up  blond version of  Shirley Temple( we became good work friends).

After I calmed down, I asked my boss if we could talk. I questioned his timing of the announcement-- saying that I had been promised an audition and even if he knew he wasn't going to hire me, couldn't he have at least waited to make the hiring announcement on Monday?

That's when he said, "Elana, your hair, your makeup is all wrong. You don't look like someone we want as an anchor."

I didn't quit that day. I did anchor the Sunday Show. My news director didn't bother to watch. People called in to say what a great a job I had done.

It didn't matter. I knew from the moment that I left his office, that I was leaving TV news because the tool that I needed to add to my tool belt was one I could never add. A face like an Angel.

NOTE: Kate is a pseudonym .The amount of time she has owned her business has been slightly altered.

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Six Degrees of Blogher aka The Busines Girl and the Sanitary Pad

Some days you just feel like you've hit the jackpot. That's exactly how I feel because I found AD ACCESS ( a project at Duke University) which I found by way of  Gingajoy where I landed by way of ZeldaFest which I  visited because of Mocha Momma which I found on Blogher.

It was this ad on Gingajoy's blog that caught my attention.  The Headline Reads "Don't Be a 'Fraid-Cat, Mother,There's No Danger."  It is an ad for Modess sanitary pads circa  the 1920s. Many of us who came of age in the 1960s have very definite memories of Modess and their every wedgy sanitary belt that used to be a real pain in the butt.

"Life is so much more fun when one is not afraid. It is her happy
courage—the zest with which she welcomes every new delightful freedom—which is
the charm of the modern girl. What mother can bear to stay in the drab
shadows of middle life when such a daughter beckons back to
youth?

Youth—which will not tolerate senseless drudgery, the
slavery of old-fashioned ways. "

If you love this ad, there are about 7,000 more where this one came from.

"The Ad*Access Project, funded by the Duke Endowment "Library 2000" Fund, presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II, providing a coherent view of a number of major campaigns and companies through images preserved in one particular advertising collection available at Duke University. The advertisements are from the J. Walter Thompson Company Competitive Advertisements Collection of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising, and Marketing History in Duke University's Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. "

And with that I bring you another sanitary ad from the 1920's. It's headline:

"If Only I Could Tell This To Every Business Girl" 

It"In offices throughout the country-in offices all over the world-women are realizing the full value of every working day, free from problems which once retarded their progress. Kotex has not only meant new comfort and better health but it has brought a priceless mental relief.

Piler, Tossers, &Filers

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The "survey" is a beloved PR tool because the media adores reporting on surveys --it doesn't matter who the source is, surveys are fun. They have numbers. They categorize people. They are easy to report.

Often whey a company wants to promote a new product, service , program or organization they will conduct a survey on a related topic and then hope the media will credit them a the "source" of the survey.

And so Kudos to Pentaflex for coming up with a fun ( who knows if its actually factual) survey about people's organizational styles. What I really like about Pentaflex is they are being very transparent that the survey is part of the launch of  a new product.

According to the survey there are three styles Pilers, Tossers & Filers. More on that in a little bit.

As it turns out the largest group is Pilers --48% strong. So here's the thing. Pentaflex is a company that makes filing products. If 48% of the potential market fesses up that they don't file then to some folks, Pentaflex has a big fat problem--an untapped market share.

But marketing folks don't see problems they see "opportuntiies" and so someone came up with the idea that if you can't take the filing system to the worker, create a faux desktop filing system that doen't require getting out of the chair, swiveling over to the filing cabinet or bending down to insert the files in the cabinet.

Here's the product.

It's called the PileSmart Label Clip. Here's how Pentaflex describes is on their special PileSmart Label Clip Campaign Page.

"Documents are piling up.  Stack upon stack.  Everything looks the same. No Problem.
The new Pendaflex® PileSmart™ Label Clip allows you to quickly clip and label documents in one easy step. "

Did they actually talk to any pilers? Did they observe pilers in action? This is what a pilers desk looks like on a good day .

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Their website provides "tips" on how to use these clips.

TIP #1Label the files in your piles clearly. ( I'm not going to include the entire tip but the last sentence says " Remember to write legibly on your labels to avoid confusion.

If a real piler was going to make the effort to organize their papers, write on a clip, they would probably be willing to file them-- I actually looked for a file the other day.  I considered putting a group of papers in that file. I drilled down through the random pieces of free will that occupy my desktop looking for a manilla, puprle or orange file. Couldn't find one. So, I cleaned up my desk and created three key files. That lasted about 10 minutes until I needed a piece of paper and completely merged the separate piles back together.

TIP 2  Color-code your piled files  ( that would require using the PileSmart Label Clip) The benefit they say is you'll save time.

Tip 3  Keep your desktop piles straight and orderly  Are you jokin' me?

Tip 4  Leave room between piles   Please tell me this is supposed to be funny!

Tip 5  Keep same-subject files to their own respective piles.  I've already addressed this issue. That just isn't going to happen.

Now to the survey. You know who you are. Did Pentaflex nail ya?

"POPULAR PILERS (48 percent)

“Pilers” are commonplace in offices, encompassing nearly half of the workforce.  Apparently, the office isn’t the only place they let clutter accumulate, as 59 percent describe their house as ‘somewhat messy.’  They are ‘workaholics’ and ‘sophisticated,’ but loosen up by watching their favorite sport, baseball.  Besides enjoying the company of man’s best friend, “Pilers” relax in natural surroundings, such as parks.  They are intellectuals, holding the most master’s and doctorate degrees. 

FAITHFUL FILERS (38 percent)

Unsurprisingly, enigmatic “Filers” allow their organizational habits to extend past the office, with a majority (63 percent), deeming their home to be ‘neat.’ They manage to be both ‘conservative’ and ‘easy going.’ Using their education from bachelor’s degrees, “Filers” boast office management titles.  In their spare time, they love tropical island vacations, swimming and listening to R&B, as well as jazz. 

TART TOSSERS (14 percent)

Although some might describe throwing away documents as careless, cutting down on clutter clearly has its benefits – “Tossers” have the highest probability of describing their living area as ‘perfect,’ with everything in the right place.  Besides throwing around papers, “Tossers” toss hoops, with 37 percent hailing basketball as their favorite sport.  These social butterflies are drawn to big cities for vacation and enjoy going out on the town with friends.  ‘Young at heart’ “Tossers” work as team leaders and are most likely to have only a high school diploma.  "

To support this campaign, the company has created the "I hate filing club"--it's a place where organizationally challenged people can ask for organizational advice. My favorite was from a freelance writer who wanted advice on how to manage his "mound of paper. He wrote that he had paper everywhere. The response was simplhy this :Any ideas? Welcome to my world. Technical note: the "embarassed" smileys are supposed to sandwich the question any ideas? I can't seem to get that to happen. But hopefully you get the idea.

"Are you saying you need a penis to have authority?" she asked. "Well, it helps," he deadpanned.

That exchange was part of a conversation Naomi Wolf had with Harvard professor and author Harvey Mansfield on C-Span's Book TV.The link is to the  podcast for the program, After Words---this particular interview should be available as a podcast on 3/27.

A lot of oxygen is being sucked up on Mansfield's (not his real name)book, "Manliness"  It was reviewed in the Sunday NY TIMES in which the blog, Pink  Is The New Black, "The bitchiest book review ever". His favorite excerpt from the review:

"After a section on the history of "the great explosion of manliness that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries"(an image that gives even me, a straight man, erotic chills), it's time for Mansfield to stop preheating the oven and cook up the geese he's already got trussed and cleaned: the feminists. Remember the feminists? These would be the late Betty Friedan and the even later Simone de Beauvoir..."

Mansfield was interviewed in The New York Times Magazine by Deborah Solomon and opinions about his book are available in lots of lblogs.
According to  Technorati, as of this morning ,more than 500 blogs are either praising or scorning Mansfield's book.

Now, back to that comment about authority and penises. It came near the end of the hour when the conversation sidetracked to women and men at work.

Mansfield was saying a Manly Man looks down distainfully at women. He added, " I think they will chafe under a woman boss. Women don't inspire the same sense of authority"

Mansfield tried to explain his point that while women can act authoritatively, manly men don't see them as  having authority for the simple reason they are not men. If I'm getting his point it doesn't matter how competent, capable and hard working we are. Manly Men will never accept women in an authoritative role unless they are  manly women ( he mentioned Margaret Thatcher.)

Confused? it has to do with his definition of manly which he says,

"My quick definition is confidence in a situation of risk. A manly man has to know what he is doing."

Returning to the conversation with Wolf, Throughout the hour, Wolf attempted to refute every single point that Mansfield made. Yet, on this one, she struggled and seemed to support his point by saying,

"Women sense that men have contempt for us and think we are not as important. Women will comment that they try to make a contribution in a meeting and are ignored but when a man says the exact same thing he's recognized ( not the exact quote --I was typing as I was watching the program)"

The exchange stopped me in my tracks.Probably because it spoke a truth to me that I wish weren't true. I see it. I experience. For many years I simply wished men would grow up and get over it.

They may respect me for my talent, but what they are  really thinking is " you aren't really the boss of me."

If Mansfield is correct ( and there is a nagging part of me that believes on this he is) then despite everything we do, women can knock our heads against the wall for as long as we want...but it won't change the fundamental barrier to success in a traditional corporate environment  --men would prefer we bring them coffee then lead them.

There is a lesson in Mansfield's book. Many of us have found that trying to play in their sandbox is an excruciating experience. Because no matter how hard we work, how smart we are, how competent we are,they really don't want us there.(and there is a part of us that has realized this for a long time)

That's why there are more women starting their own businesses then men and that's why a little more than a year ago a group of women bloggers were frustrated that the men weren't recognizing and including the contribution of women bloggers.It was maddening. What was their problem?

Their problem created our opportunity --Blogher.

Note: This is cross-posted at Bogher where I am a contributing editor on Business & Careers.

Name

"Ir's an Alien Concept in America"

cross-posted in Blogher

Something to think about on a Friday as you plan your weekend "break". In the UK, employees have gotten way beyond getting excited about a two- day or even three-day weekend. They are planning their Career Break.

In fact about 6 million Brits have taken a career break (an unpaid sabbatical) -- that's from research provided by Direct Line, a British Insurance Company. The concept is so popular in the UK that

"One in five companies polled offer career breaks, and another 10% are thinking of introducing a career break policy."

Source: the Confederation of British Industry 2005 Employment Trends Survey, quoted in Wanderlust Guide to Career Breaks"

That's right 20% of UK companies include Career Breaks as part of the employee benefits package -- more about that in a minute.

Career Breaks, which CareerBreak Guru Rachel Morgan-Trimmer says is " an alien concept in America.", typically last from a month to two years. "Six months is about the average," says Rachel who started the first independent  Career Break Website last June and now writes two blogs,Pachey's Mildly Humorous Stuff and the Career Break Guru to drive traffic to her website.

On Thursday, by way of SKYPE, Rachel talked about Career Breaks and  her strategy for using her blogs to drive traffic to her website.

Rachel explained that  one reason why Britons have embraced the concept is that the GAP year( taking a year off between high school and college to travel or do community service) has long been a rite of passage.

"A lot of career breakers are people who took a gap year and enjoyed it so much that they want to do it again," says Rachel. Then she added, " there's also those who didn't take the GAP year  and now want to do it." ( In other words, there's a big market for Career Breaks)

So just who are these people who are taking career breaks?

Rachel says, "60% are women.The majority are in their late 20s and early 30s."
When I expressed some surprise at the young age of the Career Breakers( I think I said,'they seem awfully young to be sick of working') Rachel said, " most of these women have been working 10 years and want to take their break before they settle down and have children."

Rachel also explained how career breaks work as an employee benefit, " Usually you have to be in your job for at least two years before you are eligible for the break. As part of the package you are guaranteed a job when you return."

While it may not be their same job, Rachel says most companies guarantee a job at the employee's same level. There are some other considerations. "It's best to try to take a break during your company's slow period and career breakers need to remember that if they are on break when pay raises are given, they will have to skip the entire year."

Rachel says it is also very common for people to include the Career Break on their CV (resume). " HR Directors says listing a Career Break on a resume can help someone get a job because it indicates you are willing to learn something new and as Rachel says,"demonstrates you have get up and go."

The Top Ten Career Breaks, according to a survey conducted by the organizers of the  Daily Telegraph's Adventure Travel and Sports Show held in London last January are:
Top 10 Career Breaks
1. General volunteering (eg community or humanitarian work)
2. Paid employment (eg ski guide) 
3. Animal conservation
4. Teaching (eg Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
5. Environmental conservation
6. Studying (eg learning Spanish)
7. Professional volunteering (eg engineers, business administration)
8. Marine conservation
9. Charity Challenges (eg raising money by hiking the Inca Trail)
10. Special interest (eg drama courses)

Some of the companies offering Career Breaks as part of their employee benefits package include:

Accenture (management consultancy)
KPMG(professional and financial services)
PWC(accountants)
Lloyds TSB (bank)
Marks & Spencer's (department store)
BT (telephone/internet)
Barclays (bank)

As the first independent online Career Break business in England,(she provides information but doesn't arrange the financial and travel aspects of the break) Rachel is using her blogs to drive traffic to her site.

"Career Breakers are often people who are bored at work and are spending time surfing the internet.About 1/3 are thinking of quitting their job," says Rachel who decided to create blogs that would be entertaining to those bored employees.'

"The goal is they will see something entertaining on my blog, forward it on to friends and then click on the link to my website."

One of her entertainment strategies worked a little too well. She posted a paraody of a BBC story which they didn't take kindly to.

Crikey. When I created the newsmash  about the whale I had no idea it would go viral.

I originally posted it on B3ta just for fun, and also as an excuse to post a link to my career break site as well (board etiquette dictates that you can only post a link to your site under a picture you've made, or if there's something new and fun on your site). I also posted it on my other blog and sent my friends a link to it, but I didn't actually send out the picture itself, so I didn't tag it. Silly me.

Rachel says she has gotten some inquiries from American and Canadian journalists but so far there isn't enough interest from Corporate America for her to think about expanding her services here.

Have a nice weekend.