Is That A Chip On Your Shoulder?

The best advice I ever received, and frequently give, is for women in the workplace to be cautionary of the inevitable chip on their shoulder.

Some people refer to it being an edge, or being calloused; but either way it is a defensive shell formed due to a predisposition many women and minorities have to believe that everyone is doubting their ability.  As women are gaining more equality in the workplace this edge can be a true hindrance.  It can also be harmful when meeting new coworkers or being in new situations.  While when a man shows anger and emotion at work he is seen as strong and passionate women tend to be seen as emotional, incompetent, and more often then not, bitches.  And if a women cries at work, that just opens a can of worms.

While prejudice obviously still exists in the workplace, it is being overcome thanks to the path that older women have paved for us.  Women are becoming a stronger economic force world wide.  Many of the current workforce believe that in the end how you do your job is more important then the fact you have to sit down to pee.  That is evident in a recent report about young professionals in New York City which shows that women tend to make more then their male counterparts.

So how exactly does one excel beyond the glass ceiling imposed by the good old boys club?  I believe that in order to become really succeed at business (and life for that matter), one must overcome this chip.  It is a hard road to take, but worth it.

What it really comes down to is when you are faced with adversity will you just become more calloused and bitter, of will you grow from the situation?

Penelope Trunk advised, on her blog, to not report sexual harassment because, in effect, it is highly unlikely that the case will win in court and in most cases retaliation will be brutal.   Why should young women go into the workplace believing that they should keep their mouth shut and not report illegal activity that is hindering their work experience.  Maybe I am alone in believing this, but if every woman in the United States just sat back and took inequality as the norm, where would our society be.  Where would our society be if minority groups throughout time hadn’t looked inequality in the face and stood up for their rights?  We would still be controlled by the British.

By not reporting sexual harassment at work you may be avoiding retaliation, but you aren’t preventing anything.  You aren’t preventing the fact that you will be harassed again in the future, you aren’t preventing the under estimated number of sexual harassment cases which occur every year, and you aren’t preventing the glass ceiling which is closing over your heard.  Did you go to college, work your rear end off to get a degree, and incur more debt then you thought possible to not be treated with respect.  Do you want to represent a company that doesn’t agree?  If you don’t stand up for yourself who is going to, the guy down the hall you thinks you’re a secretary and asks you for coffee every morning when you’re walking to your office?  Pick your battles, but I believe that it is irresponsible to completely write off filing a sexual harassment complaint.

It is important to maintain your ethics, your beliefs, and your integrity in the face of adversity.