Curb stores and women in the workplace

*First appeared in the April 23 edition of the Laurel Chronicle

This week I considered writing about the changing face of convenience store customers after reading an insightful study on the issue. Did you know that there are a few major themes that determine whether a person visits a convenience (or, as my family and I call them, “curb”) stores?

See if these themes resonate with your own experience: “Differentiators” (like cleanliness and safety, speed and ease, friendliness, and fuel price); “essentials” (like brand trust, paying at the pump for fuel, and item pricing); and “delighters” (like low prices and deals, loyalty programs, and the availability of coffee).

But I digress. This column will focus on the completely unrelated topic of women in the workplace.

Now before you groan, let’s remember two things: I am a woman. I am in the workplace.

About half of you are interested in this topic; the other half of you who will quit reading about now. (Sorry, guys, but I did try to lull you in with that curb store stuff.)

I’ve always said and more recently began to believe that if you want something done effectively and efficiently, give it to a woman. Yet a woman’s aptitude for getting things done hasn’t always translated into workplace success.

There are various reasons for that, but I’d rather focus on what’s next for women…not what has happened up ‘til now.

Looking ahead, major think-tank and business strategy firms believe women’s natural abilities may mean more of them in leadership positions in the 21st century. According to BCG Perspectives, leaders who will thrive in the 21st century world will be able to navigate global uncertainty and chart a clear course; empathize and achieve influence and authority through networking; self-correct through unlearning outmoded success models; and win by delivering sustainable success to company and stakeholders.

This “new adaptive leadership model seems well aligned to some of the skills that women typically possess – [such as] the ability to influence multiple stakeholders, be they employees, investors, suppliers or regulatory bodies.”

One important new development in the foreseeable corporate culture is the need for leaders to engage stakeholders across diverse groups. It’ll be more important to listen and empathize; that is, to see the world through the “stakeholders’ eyes and connect their purpose to…business objectives.”

BCG Perspectives makes a great point in the following statement: “There is a lot of training available for leaders on how to make people listen, be it presentations or pitches, but real communication is about dedicating a large proportion of time listening to others. It is only through listening and engaging that a genuine connection occurs between two people who each have their own objection.”

That struck me as especially poignant: We all instinctively know that women are better listeners than men. And that’s good news for my gender. I wonder if any guys are listening?

If I had to bet, I’d say no.

The evolving face of the 21st century workplace may undergo a makeover in the figurative (and nearly literal?) sense. Women of the world, unite!