Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels sparked online fury in April when he claimed that women’s football teams concede more goals because “women are more emotional than men”. But from those who spoke up, we saw allyship in action.
Former Arsenal men’s striker Ian Wright was quick off the mark, writing on Twitter: “Kenny Shiels talking foolishness! Talking about emotional women! Didn’t that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH!’”
Women in Football’s Chief Executive, Yvonne Harrison, commented: “It’s something women have had to face for years and years right across society, not just sport, and the comments are very unhelpful and not particularly inspiring to young girls and boys.”
Shiels has since apologised, but the toxic effect of gender-based norms – what ‘femininity’ or ‘masculinity’ should look and feel like – persists on the pitch and in the workplace.
I recently had the privilege of sitting in on a coaching session between our founder René and a business leader called George, who was being carefully invited to let go of what he had been conditioned to bottle up for his whole life – his emotions.
He couldn’t stop crying, and it was clear that this was the first time George had opened up whilst at work.
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This vulnerability was not a sign of any weakness, but a sign of strength. George felt he was (finally) able to express how he was feeling, which every other day before had gone unseen and unheard in his company.
In many parts of the world, men are still brought up to be ‘brave’, and women to be ‘perfect’. This dangerous social construct manifests in numerous unhelpful ways in the workplace. Most commonly, colleagues struggle to bring their full authentic selves to their place of work, for fear of what others might think of them.
However, when leaders create a psychologically safe environment, it invites colleagues to be truly honest both to themselves and to those around them – just like Ian and George.
Safe spaces have the capability to look beyond differences or social pressures to behave in a particular way because they are a “man”. They create environments where colleagues, no matter their background, can feel the freedom to honestly express their voice and feelings on matters that are important to them without any judgement.
For inclusive workplaces, creating this safe space for all is essential. When more colleagues feel that they will be treated with compassion when being authentically themselves – emotions and all – everyone wins.
Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels sparked online fury in April when he claimed that women’s football teams concede more goals because “women are more emotional than men”. But from those who spoke up, we saw allyship in action.
Former Arsenal men’s striker Ian Wright was quick off the mark, writing on Twitter: “Kenny Shiels talking foolishness! Talking about emotional women! Didn’t that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH!’”
Women in Football’s Chief Executive, Yvonne Harrison, commented: “It’s something women have had to face for years and years right across society, not just sport, and the comments are very unhelpful and not particularly inspiring to young girls and boys.”
Shiels has since apologised, but the toxic effect of gender-based norms – what ‘femininity’ or ‘masculinity’ should look and feel like – persists on the pitch and in the workplace.
I recently had the privilege of sitting in on a coaching session between our founder René and a business leader called George, who was being carefully invited to let go of what he had been conditioned to bottle up for his whole life – his emotions.
He couldn’t stop crying, and it was clear that this was the first time George had opened up whilst at work.
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Boris was the perfect example of a leader not knowing when to change
After what seems like forever, Boris Johnson has resigned [...]
This vulnerability was not a sign of any weakness, but a sign of strength. George felt he was (finally) able to express how he was feeling, which every other day before had gone unseen and unheard in his company.
In many parts of the world, men are still brought up to be ‘brave’, and women to be ‘perfect’. This dangerous social construct manifests in numerous unhelpful ways in the workplace. Most commonly, colleagues struggle to bring their full authentic selves to their place of work, for fear of what others might think of them.
However, when leaders create a psychologically safe environment, it invites colleagues to be truly honest both to themselves and to those around them – just like Ian and George.
Safe spaces have the capability to look beyond differences or social pressures to behave in a particular way because they are a “man”. They create environments where colleagues, no matter their background, can feel the freedom to honestly express their voice and feelings on matters that are important to them without any judgement.
For inclusive workplaces, creating this safe space for all is essential. When more colleagues feel that they will be treated with compassion when being authentically themselves – emotions and all – everyone wins.
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