dispatches from the new world of work

The Difference Is Profound II

Been studying the M-F thing for close to a Decade. Reading Anita Shreve (see immediately above) revived my awareness that my professional language-approach, the words I use, the stories I tell, my pace, my mannerisms ... are in a Foreign Language for women. A thousand subtleties (not so subtleties!) of my language-approach-posture-tonality-etc. are ... All Male. (No matter how aware ... intellectually ... I am of differences. And I am Very Aware ... intellectually.) I am in fact fascinated at how incredibly little progress I've made ... or am capable of making.

And just think of how backwards the ones are who have not gone through my self-inflicted, decade-long "Awareness 101" tutorial.

I don't even understand how Ms and Fs get through the days together at work or at home. Well, I guess on second thought ... we often-usually don't.

Business implications: Again ... PROFOUND.

Tom Peters posted this on 12/20/04.

Comments

The "Apprentice" shows how cutthroat women really are in the business-world - easily as competitive as men. Maybe there is a new paradigm so that men/women are more the same in behaviors: metro/retro/catfightso.

Posted by Freeman at December 20, 2004 12:03 PM

Tom, your "Women Roar" credo has been vindicated. Over the past few days I've wondered where in the blog entries (about bad customer service) my recent visit(S) to Home Depot belong. The build-up all came together today.

I thought I'd make my wife think I know what I'm doing when it comes to minor handywork at home. Three different Home Depot stores in NJ had the pleasure of my patronage in preparation for the coming cold weather. Three different Home Depot locations managed to lose me as a customer because they take "Do-It-Yourself" to the hilt--from the moment you walk in the door you actually have to do everything youself. Long story short: The stores are way understaffed and each of the "associates" (fittingly, all were male) has a different plan for winterizing the humble abode. Twenty-two mintues later, I walked out of one of the stores with some crappy (but costly) polythene for the windows. That didn't work, nor did any of the other rocket scientry cooked-up by the knowledgable-looking Home Depot folks. Many visits, many minutes of wasted project time, and many returned items.

Here's your vindication, Tom. I went to a local Lowe's this morning and a woman in the hardware department (in fact, there were two women working in the department) suggested a few products. Next thing I knew, she walked away from me and came back with the products she mentioned; products she claimed to have used at her own home. Five minutes and $11.48 later, we're winterized (the rooms are, indeed, a heck of a lot warmer than they were). Thanks a woman employee at Lowe's, the wife and I can "GET COMFORTABLE & COZY... in the place/s I live." Thanks for the rant space!

Posted by Lee H. Igel at December 20, 2004 7:16 PM

TP (Tom Peters) writes:"Been studying the M-F thing .." I'm a Norwegian, and may have missed something, but..

What is this "M-F thing"? Is it Mother - Father, Male - Female, Marketing - Financial, or ...

May be it's a good idea to put an explanation to an abbrevation in brackets the first time it is used in a Blog?

Just asking..

Posted by sjakkmatt at December 21, 2004 7:51 AM