Inge Woudstra - Be Gender Smart

First published in 2015 by

Panoma Press Ltd

48 St Vincent Drive, St Albans, Herts, AL1 5SJ, UK

www.panomapress.com

Book layout by Neil Coe.

Illustrations by Des Campbell.

Printed on acid-free paper from managed forests.

The right of Inge Woudstra to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. Applications for the Copyright holders written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publishers.

This book is available online and in bookstores.

Copyright 2015 Inge Woudstra

Be Gender Smart shines a much-needed laser beam on the myriad benefits women bring to organisations while highlighting invaluable insights into what the most successful women have learned climbing the ladder. Her pragmatic, highly readable and fact-based book is a great addition to the arsenal of tools leading companies and ambitious women need in their toolkit. This book will be helpful to those companies and leaders of both sexes who recognise that more diverse teams and companies are more productive and innovative and will be where people want to work in the future economy.

We all like to think that the old gender wars are over, but unfortunately, despite the huge strides of feminism, were not living in an equality utopia yet. Inge Woudstras book is a useful guide to any woman setting out on a career in or out of the corporate jungle and is crammed with sensible, humane advice. I would recommend it and indeed her to anyone keen to progress.

How should women get on in the workplace? Do they need to lean in or is it employers or society that needs to change? The reality, of course, isnt that simple. Inge Woudstra has done a fantastic job of unravelling some of the complexities. She explains the science behind gender diversity in an engaging and readable way that you will find difficult to put down. Women, fathers, managers this book is brilliant and will help everyone who reads it.

The title says it all This book does what it says on the cover. It unlocks potential However, dont be fooled into believing this is a book just for women. Its about talent. If you are a current or aspiring leader this book is for you regardless of gender.

It is important for women to believe enough in themselves so that they feel able to play from their strengths. However, after 15 years of developing women leaders and hoping for change I can clearly see what a big job we all face. This is because I have now had the experience of watching my three daughters being socialised into the world of work and hearing about the struggles and pitfalls still facing young working women in a male-dominated world. I recommend Be Gender Smart to all women who want to succeed on their own terms, become aware of the challenges they may face and how to rise above them.

Be Gender Smart not only offers a fascinating insight into the differences between men and women and how these differences function within a corporate environment but also provides useful tips and points of reflection on how to use such differences to our benefit. Inges book draws you in from the start and helps explain many issues that both men and women face on a day-to-day basis. Be Gender Smart is a true light-bulb moment and I have no hesitation recommending this book.

I am loving your book; I think it is an excellent, informative, challenging and encouraging read! You should be proud of it.

You have opinions and ideas but feel you are not being heard at work.

You know you are good at what you do and work hard, but feel undervalued.

You are keen to get ahead, but have found you need to change your style in a mans world.

You are in exactly the right place at work, and are now looking for ways to confidently grow to the next stage in your career.

You feel full of energy and ready to take action for your next big career move but need fresh ideas on how to get there.

You would like to feel confident in your own approach and capabilities, and discover your personal unique value.

You want to build on your strengths, be authentic, and have the career youre looking for.

You have a vision for a new role for women in the workplace.

You ask yourself why its so hard to improve gender balance, especially as you have a good set of diversity and inclusion policies in place. You are now looking for new, fresh ways to make a real impact and get more women in key leadership roles.

Or

You are a man and have a sense it is harder for women in the workplace. You are keen to do your bit to remove barriers, help women progress, and create a business culture that works for men and women.

Be Gender Smart so resonates with me. Inge Woudstra identifies the key issue: men and women are different and if we embrace, not just accept, those differences we can build better, more successful businesses and teams.

The exciting reality is that right now, we have a great opportunity to have what Peter Thiel, Co-founder of PayPal would describe as a zero to one moment real progress that isnt simply an extrapolation of the past. The aptitudes needed in a world built on networks include collaboration, listening, building trust, thinking about the group, empathy and transparency. These have traditionally been viewed as female attributes of course, men can develop them too, but as Inge points out, neuroscience suggests that women are wired in a way that gives us an advantage in todays world. Ive seen this first hand in the journey of the 30% Club the members of the Club are board chairs who realised they were missing out by not having enough women in their boardroom and that they needed to rebalance masculine and feminine energies (even if they might not express it quite like that!).

Not only has this driven real change in the proportion of women on UK boards but its a breakthrough moment because it means that women not just