Google “anti-diversity” memo
that recently went viral is the latest example of why companies need to change their narrative as well as their leadership models to reflect the full range of talent in today’s workforce, focusing less on gender differentiation and more on individual capabilities. Highlighting gender differences rather than gender-neutral leadership competencies is a significant sticky floor for many organizations—a sticky floor that has perpetuated the type of gender-based stereotypes seen in the so-called “Google Manifesto.” This memo adds to the evidence that calls out how hardwired this sometimes conscious, sometimes unintentional bias is in both business cultures and society.
Leading inclusive leadership strategist Rebecca Shambaugh says it’s time to move away from leadership models that in essence separate men and women, and instead adopt a gender-neutral leadership model that leverages a unified voice of leadership along with a broad spectrum of thinking styles via cognitive diversity.
The uproar at Google gives corporate leadership the opportunity to use this as a teachable moment, helping managers and employees alike start to pivot away from deep-seated mindsets that cause people to think certain ways about what men can do versus what women can do. To avoid seeing this “manifesto mentality” repeated at other firms in Silicon Valley and beyond, Rebecca says the solution isn’t simply putting women in a training room thinking the issues will go away. It requires an integrated approach where organizations are intentional about creating a culture that values and taps into the best knowledge, skills, and abilities of all leaders and managers. That calls for leaders take the following steps:
- Ensure hiring and advancement practices focus on the unique experience and insights that people bring to the table—not on gender.
- Recruit, recognize, and reward cognitive diversity—a wide range of differences in how employees and managers think and solve problems.
- Engage men and women in rich dialogue that explores ways they can tap into each other’s unique strengths and styles, while fostering cross-collaboration and productive partnerships.
- Stop defining leaders based on gender stereotypes and assuming certain leadership competencies (positive or negative) are gender-related in order to create more inclusive, unified teams.
Rebecca says the reason that the type of gender-biased thinking that’s revealed in the Google Manifesto is still so widespread in Corporate America is because companies are continuing to repeat the same gender-based narrative when creating and executing leadership models—and these are not working. Until we can move away from focusing on men’s and women’s strengths and weaknesses, and instead take a gender-neutral approach to leadership to bring all voices on deck in a unified way, we risk reading this same memo again and again at different companies.
As an internationally recognized leadership expert and speaker, Rebecca’s organization provides best practices for creating inclusive cultures while providing targeted solutions to overcome gender bias and accelerate gender balance at all levels of an organization. SHAMBAUGH’s consulting practice works with major companies in Silicon Valley and nationally, providing organizations with a roadmap that is designed to make the invisible visible, drilling down into the core of what’s holding organizations back from achieving gender balance and unified leadership. Rebecca also coaches women to help jumpstart their voice for change and take the lead for building an inclusive workforce.
Rebecca is available for interviews or to discuss how to create a more inclusive leadership culture while accelerating the advancement of women executives in technology and other industries, contact us.