Your word choices can build you up or tear you down. Here’s how to speak in a way that won’t discredit your confidence or ability to perform.
BY ANDREA S. KRAMER AND ALTON B. HARRIS 5 MINUTE READ
For women in the workplace, fighting implicit gender biases is a constant struggle. Due to baked-in stereotypes, they battle against the unconscious assumption that women are less talented and capable than men. The problem is that when women conform to these stereotypical characteristics, they are viewed as likable but too “soft” for leadership; and when women flout female stereotypes and behave in agentive and masculine ways (such as expressing decisiveness and forcefulness), they are often viewed as too “hard” to be likable.