How to Earn Respect as a First-Time Manager
1Digest
This podcast episode discusses the numerous obstacles women encounter when entering and progressing in management roles. It features Lorena Yee, a McKinsey Senior Partner, who sheds light on the "broken rung" phenomenon – the disproportionate number of women who aren't promoted to management. The episode details the impact of bias and microaggressions, such as having decisions questioned or authority undermined, and the resulting emotional toll. Yee offers valuable advice for aspiring women managers, emphasizing the importance of proactive preparation, building strong support networks, and developing strategies to handle microaggressions and imposter syndrome. The discussion highlights the need to prioritize competence and respect over mere likability and the crucial role of allyship in creating psychologically safe work environments that support women's advancement.
Outlines
Challenges Faced by Women in Management & Lorena Yee's Insights
This section explores the difficulties women face in management, including having their decisions questioned and authority undermined. Lorena Yee, a McKinsey Senior Partner, discusses bias, microaggressions, and the "broken rung" phenomenon, providing data-driven insights into career advancement barriers for women.
Advice and Strategies for Success in Management
Yee offers practical advice for aspiring women managers, focusing on anticipating challenges, building support networks, handling microaggressions and imposter syndrome, and leading with competence rather than solely focusing on likability. The importance of owning mistakes and seeking allyship is also emphasized.
Keywords
Microaggressions
Subtle acts of discrimination hindering women's career advancement.
Imposter Syndrome
Feeling like a fraud despite success, common among high-achieving women.
Allyship
Active support from colleagues to help women navigate workplace challenges.
Broken Rung
The disproportionate number of women not promoted to management.
Psychological Safety
A workplace where individuals feel safe to take risks and express opinions.
Women in Management
Challenges and strategies for women succeeding in leadership roles.
Bias
Unconscious or conscious prejudice affecting women's career progression.
Career Advancement
Strategies and obstacles women face in climbing the corporate ladder.
Q&A
What are some common challenges women face when transitioning into management roles?
Women face having their judgment questioned, authority undermined, and experience microaggressions, imposter syndrome, and lack of allyship.
How can women prepare for and overcome these challenges?
Preparation involves anticipating barriers, building support networks, developing strategies for handling microaggressions, leading with competence, and seeking allyship.
What role does allyship play in supporting women in management?
Allies advocate for women, challenge biases, and create psychologically safe environments, providing crucial support and mentorship.
What is the difference between likability and respect in the workplace?
Likability is about being well-liked, while respect is earned through competence and effective leadership; respect is more valuable for long-term success.
Show Notes
Getting taken seriously as a new manager is challenging for anyone. You can go from being friends with your peers to suddenly being their boss. It’s easy to make missteps, like playing the part too much—acting the way you think a manager is supposed to act. On the other hand, you may feel you have nothing to offer your direct reports, some of whom may have more experience than you. You may even fall back too much on what you already know well. These are common challenges in anyone’s first rodeo as a manager. But bias can make overcoming them especially difficult for women.
In this 2023 episode of Women at Work, as part of the “How to Manage” series, McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee discusses these challenges—and how to overcome them—with host Amy Bernstein and former HBR editor Kelsey Alpaio.
Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, management, personal growth, resilience, communication, gender
HBR On Leadership curates the best conversations and case studies with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.
- Listen to the original Women at Work episode: How to Manage: Being Taken Seriously
- Find more episodes of Women at Work.
- Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.
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