Its getting Noisy in Here

I was talking to a Technology CEO early this week .We got into discussions on the Women in Leadership , and a conference I had organised a couple of months ago .

I am a great believer in this , he said, and we are trying hard to hire as many senior women as we can . But sometimes this whole inwardness of these women's events bothers me.

Too much biting about men goes on at these meetings . Instead of being a productive , positive experience , many degenerate into , 'we do more ', 'we are better', 'men are stupid', kind of rant and rave parties.

I thought about it , and although intellectually I disagreed , and I do realise that sometimes when women get together ( no generalisations here ) there are a couple of women who do just that . Its not politically correct , but it is heartfelt , and its honest . So instead of being open to what needs to be done , one sometimes ends up indulging in some male bashing . Being pro women is not being anti -men, but there are some who feel so. Neither is being pro women mean being patronising , or worse , anti - competent. Active women leadership itself has not evolved as much in this country as to look at this issue as working towards a larger pie , rather than fighting over getting a larger chunk of the pie. So sadly, these type of comments get a rueful echo and a definite laugh in an all women gathering . The situation is all too real , some of the realities of multitasking quite stressful , and I can understand, but we must behave ! We cannot want to bring men down , in order to climb up - surely there is a better way than that ?

However, lets face it , men are our biggest sponsor in the corporate world, so it seems silly to alienate them, especially when they are trying to cope and respond positively to the new business and corporate reality of Women Leaders.

My thought - public events are not a platform to vent frustration, get some laughts and jeer at the guys. That one can do at an all girls coffee morning . We need to ensure we do not alienate others , be inclusve, and to build on both genders , if we are to grow as we ought .

And the good guys need a pat on the back , and often.