Why Aggressive Women Cant Win at Work (and How to Deal)

Why Aggressive Women Cant Win at Work (and How to Deal)Why Aggressive Women Cant Win at Work (and How to Deal)Youre in an executive meeting. The guy to your left stands, pounds his fist on the table and barks about whatever he thinks matters. Hes so passionate about our business somebody comments, almost in awe. The next guy, the one across the table, adds his two cents, nearly shouting in disagreement. And the boss steps in to temper the team. No need to be so aggressive, he says, chuckling with a wink.Now its your turn. You dont agree with one of the initiatives for the upcoming quarter. So you speak up- just as equally passionate and aggressive as your male colleagues. But what you hear in response is something along the lines of No need to get so emotional, and in the hallway, someone whispers, Shes so bitchy.Can you picture it? I bet you can. Have you lived it? Chances are, you have- or something like it. Ive seen this double standard in every company, in every boardroom, in eve ry department When females speak and behave in similar fashion to their male counterparts, rather than earning equal accolades and praise, they often incur just the opposite. Boys will be boys, as they say, but women cant seem to win, dismissed as a girl or shunned because of perceived sharp elbows.So if you (through likely no fault of your own) are one of these women being perceived as rough around the edges, what are you to do?Well, in this girls opinion, when were called emotional, bitchy, or fill in the offensive blank, what were really being told is, Im feeling threatened. Its not fair, but its true. So, if you feel like youre in this situation- my advice is to engage in a bit of spit and polish Recognize what is and make some subtle changes that will work to your advantage. Heres how.1.Dont Be Aggressive, Be AssertiveAggressive is defined as being ready or likely to attack, while assertive is defined as showing a confident and forceful personality. When youre assertive, you ar e authoritative, you look people in the eye at their level, you use a respectful tone, and you calmly make declarative statements. You use a tone thats caring and non-destructive, not one thats dictatorial and my way or the highway.Basically, you bring the threat level down. Try it- no matter what tone everyone else is using- and you just might find that your point comes across even stronger.2.Dont Speak First, Play PiggybackPeople generally like to hear themselves talk. So let them. And when you have something to say, say it- but do so by piggybacking on what your colleagues just said. Use their words to get your own point across.Say you feel strongly about the ever-increasing budget of a project. Instead of fighting to get your message across as soon as possible, try listening first, then chiming in when it makes sense, with something like, Steve, Im really glad you brought up your concerns about the projects delivery dates. Im concerned about that, too, especially for the financi al implications.3.Dont Disagree, Agree (Even When You Really Dont)I know, I know. Sounds like a bad policy, doesnt it? But hear me out Everything anyone says will include something you will agree with. True, that something may be the fact that its English being spoken, but that doesnt matter. Always start out by agreeing, and then further your message by focusing on how that agreement equates to what you actually want to push forward.For example, Bob, I agree with you that our highest priority is increasing abverkauf leads right now. And I think youll agree that in Q4 we didnt quite deliver, which is why Im suggesting we move forward doing it this way 4.Dont Make Statements, Ask QuestionsThe person who asks the questions holds the power. How? She directs the conversation along without having to actually disagree with anyone. Next time someone says something you want to push back on, piggyback, agree, and redirect with a question So Charlie, when you said earlier that we cut the adve rtising budget by 30%- what are your thoughts on how to achieve our customer acquisition goals?One simple, harmless question, and youve gotten your point across without having to disagree with anyone.Is it fair that men and women are perceived differently in the workplace for doing and saying exactly the same things? Not at all. But do I see it happen all the time? Absolutely. And when you find yourself in this situation- when speaking your mind is going to get you nowhere- the best thing you can do is what you do so well in any other business rahmen Know what youre working with and play the game accordingly.Photo of women in meeting courtesy of Shutterstock.

Crowdsourcing 9-1-1 for the Developing World

Crowdsourcing 9-1-1 for the Developing World Crowdsourcing 9-1-1 for the Developing World Crowdsourcing 9-1-1 for the Developing WorldThe West Africa Ebola virus outbreak from 2013-2016 was a true human tragedy at a massive, rarely seen scale, killing more than 28,000 people over four years and all but crippling the countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, among others in the region. With a fatality rate of more than 70% among infected patients, the highly contagious virus is among the deadliest diseases on the planet, and the recent outbreak ranks as the largest Ebola epidemic in history.The incident also provided the perfect case study for what happens when a community doesnt have a centralized way to report and respond to emerging threats. It is, in fact, the textbook, worst-case scenario example, with large groups of highly contagious, infected peoplemany of whom did not even know they were infected until they got to the hospitalleft effectively on their own when it came t ime to find and access medical care.Had 9-1-1 emergency services, like those available in most of the western world, been available in those communities at the start of the outbreak, the result likely would have been very different, says Jason Friesen, the founder of TrekMedics, a New York City-based nonprofit that is working to improve emergency medical ordnungsprinzips in parts of the world where access to care infrastructure is either unreliable or nonexistent.As a former paramedic, I can tell you that if I walked into a house and somebody was bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth that would set off some flags for me he says. We never studied that in any book. If it happened twice in a row, Im calling up my supervisor. If we saw three patients like that, the whole distribution policy would be on lockdown.Road traffic injuries, among others, could become less deadly thanks to Beacon. Image World Health OrganizationThat kind of response, which he says is standard EMS prot ocol, may not have prevented the Ebola outbreak in the first place, but the disease certainly would not have spread as far and as fast as it did had it been quickly identified and contained at the start.A Modern SolutionThis type of thinking is informing Friesens work with TrekMedics, where he, a paramedic by training who has worked on EMS crews all over the world, and his team are working on a platform called Beacon, a new type of open-source, SMS-based emergency medical dispatching ordnungsprinzip. Designed specifically for communities where ambulance response is irregular or unavailable, the Beacon software leverages the low-tech solution of SMS text messaging to relay information directly from the scene of an incident to trained first responders in the area, all without the need for a traditional emergency response system or even a legacy phone network.After all, there are currently some 4.5 billion mobile phone users in the developing world, few of whom have access to any sort of emergency services system.The 9-1-1 dispatching technologies we use in the United States and Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and a couple other countries, we have been building piecemeal since the fifties, he says. But in low- and middle-income countries they dont even have landlines. Not like we do, but theyve all got mobile phones. I can tell you, when I was living in Haiti I had a better signal in rural Haiti than I do in Manhattan.That fact allowed Friesen and Co. to effectively start from scratch, rethinking the concept of an EMS dispatch system from the ground up. SMS emerged as the best solution.With the Beacon platform, a victim or someone with them can simply text their information to the system where it is routed to the nearest available EMS provider, who can then quickly locate, treat, and transport the victim to the hospital. The over-the-top system leverages software developed in partnership with Vision Point Systems, which mimics the dispatching technology used b y many municipalities, stripped down to function as a scalable, text-based solution. Capable of supporting both smartphones and more basic models, the freely available, open source system works with or without Internet access and all of the control features on the dispatch side are automated upon setup, eliminating the need for ongoing maintenance or oversight. And, by working side-by-side with existing civic networks, where available, the platform also enables communities to unite their divergent emergency services providers to provide better care across the board.In a city like Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for example, the fire department has a number and the police have a different number, Friesen says. You can call them and you can contact people if they are at the station and answer the phone, but they dont communicate with each other at all. They are like islands. We are building a software platform that you can use anywhere. So in a rural area that has nothing you can now coordin ate all the resources, all the vehicles and responders, whether they have an ambulance, or a bike, or are on foot, or quite honestly an animal. If people are using donkeys, its because thats probably the best way to access that particular community.First World ApplicationsSolutions like the software that TrekMedics is working on also open the door to new applications in the US and Canada, as well, including data mapping and analytics for emergency managers.As it stands right now, every time someone calls 9-1-1 in the US, the dispatcher marks their drehort on a map and calls for the applicable EMS provider. Typically, this information is siloed within each agency, where it sits largely unused. Once software is available to aggregate this data, however, the analytics possibilities could be significant.City managers could soon be able to track and identify where in their communities the most car accident injuries occur and then take steps to fix the problems at those sites. Or maybe a certain area is experiencing slower than normal fire department response times due to poor road design and a lack of nearby fire houses. Once identified, those problems could be addressed as well.The possibilities are very exciting, Friesen says. We dont even have this stuff in the United States yet, to be honest.Tim Sprinkle is an independent writer.The 9-1-1 dispatching technologies we use in the United States and Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and a couple other countries, we have been building piecemeal since the fifties.Jason Friesen, founder, TrekMedics

Top Ways People Sabotage a Job Search

Top Ways People Sabotage a Job SearchTop Ways People Sabotage a Job SearchRecruiting an employee is arduous for an employer as recruiting eats up hours of staff time and energy. From planning the employee recruitment to interviews and the selection of a superior employee, current employees invest time and energy to select the right employee. A well-prepared, qualified job seeker can increase their likelihood of landing the job by avoiding the following behaviors employers hate. Applying Indiscriminately for Jobs Employers are spammed by unqualified and marginally qualified people who apply for each posted job. Yet, reviewing every resume, hoping for a gem, the interesting applicant who doesnt quite fit the hiring profile is critical to find superior employees. So, the employer is stuck evaluating them all and this means - they are all gone - in 30 seconds. Not Following Instructions on How to Apply for the Job If the job seeker fails to follow instructions, their application may never reach the people with the power to hire. Failure to answer questions about salary requirements, for example, may relegate their application to the no pile. Worse? A job application that fails to follow directions is not considered a valid application and need not receive consideration for the position. Employers must evaluate whether the job seekers behavior will be acceptable in their workplace. Presenting Their Credentials Unprofessionally Their resume and cover letters contain typos, grammatical errors, incomplete thoughts, portions copied and pasted from prior applications to different employers, and details not requested for the current job. Recently, a governmental employer added the caveat that applications mailed in stationery belonging to the current employer would not be considered. The same applies to emailed applications from the current employers address. Lying on a Resume In a recent SHRM study, 64% of HR professionals did not extend a job offer to a potential employee because their background reference check showed inaccurate dates of previous employment. Liesthat are purposeful or lies that omitfacts and blur detailswill haunt a job seeker. Commonly, employers consider lying on application materials grounds for dismissal even years after the employee was hired. Employers may dig deeply to check the accuracy of applicant credentials such as claimed degrees. Being Unprepared to Fill out the Job Application This makes the job seeker seem unprepared. It holds up the employers background checking process if the job seeker is a viable candidate. Companies often use the application as a literacy screen so taking the application home is not an option. In any case, employers can take no action until they have a completed and signed application that gives permission for reference checks. Plus, the job seekers signature attests to the veracity of the information provided. Especially if you have been asked to arrive early to fill out the application and most employers do this lack of preparation is unacceptable. Failing to Research the Company In one recent interview for a software development company, the job seeker hadnt visited the company website or become familiar with the products. How can a job seeker tell an employer how well he or she will fit the job and the company when the applicant didnt even visit the website? In fact, how can the job seeker even apply? This is hardly the face to present to a potential employer. And, it speaks volumes for potential job performance. Trying Circumvent the Hiring Process Ignore this advice provided by supposedly informed career professionals. Applications sent straight to hiring managers to end up on HRs desk. Usually with a note saying, I dont know this applicant. Or, the note says, I cant vouch for this person, but someone I know recommended him. Rest assured, if a current employee is enthused about a candidate, the right people know. And, the job seeker do esnt risk irritating HR staff who move qualified applicants on through the review process. HR has a name for candidates whose calls, emails, and visits interrupt work and steal time and attention from overworked staff. They call them stalkers. unterstellung job seekers gain no points with the hiring decision-maker. Indulging in Unprofessional Interview Behavior Why would any serious job candidate blow their chances so badly when their foot is already in the door? Job searchers arrive late, dress improperly, reek of cologne, and sport dirty fingernails. They are unprepared to answer predictable questions. They chew gum, take calls on cell phones, and forget the items they need in their cars.One interviewee asked the employer the name of the company where he was interviewing he said he forgot to read the sign on his way in. Another asked an interviewer if she wanted to see his belly scar to verify a boat accident as the reason for his unemployment. Smart employers notice and make appropriate hiring decisions. Failing to Practice Common Courtesy They arrive late, fail to follow instructions, bombard employers with emails and calls, and talk down to lower level employees. Employers should consider courtesies such as thank you letters when making a hiring decision. Candidate behaviors do reappear in the workplace.