Women in Business don’t support each other, and we are here to change that!
Women do not support each other in the business world. We all know this is true. When a group of women is put together or put in an office together, the result is often a lot of backstabbing. I know women that will smile to your face and bad-mouth you behind your back. I know women that are ruthlessly climbing to the top of whatever imagined ladder they see, and they don’t care to make friends along the way.
Global2Local has been a part of a group called “Bad Girl Ventures” in Cincinnati, which is an invited class of some of the top women in business in Cincinnati. We have recently launched a Cleveland chapter and a Columbus chapter is soon following. I appreciate Bad Girl Ventures so much because of the networking opportunities there are among other women business owners and because there is a sense of community when we meet. I plan to be a part of Bad Girl Ventures for the long term and mentor other small business owners as they grow their businesses.
The first meeting of Bad Girl Ventures consisted of one of the founders standing up and pointing out the elephant in the room. She, a lawyer named Candice Klein, said, “Women in business do not support each other, and we are here to change that.” I knew from that moment I was in the right place. I, like most of you women readers, have an inherent distrust for other females.
One of my observations is that an office or a company works from the top down. If the person in charge is negative, unprofessional, or quick to point out faults, this trickles down through management and makes the environment difficult to work in. People catch on to a company’s aura fairly quickly, both contractors and customers. I can often hear it in people’s voices when I call a company……..do they sound enthusiastic or do they sound like they are about to kill someone? Watching the way a company’s employees behave can tell one a lot about how the owners or managers behave, and watching an owner interact with employees can tell one a lot about the health of an overall company.
The idea that someone else has to lose for me to win has always baffled me, and, again, I see this attitude prevail in women more than men. We wonder why women have not advanced as much as they should, but, when a women gets some kind of control, she acts as if she did it all by herself, and try to push down anyone that comes near her level. We don’t try to help each other; we make it more difficult for each other.
The only thing I can control in this world is me, and I know that to change the world, I must first change myself. Do I look at a woman who has done well for herself with suspicion? Do I hesitate to spend time on a project that may not put me or my company in the limelight? There are many situations in which I could do better. And I will do better! I do not think “real” leaders are the kind of paranoid people that get to the top quickly but fall quickly. We as women have to do better. Most of all, I vow to not say negative things about people I really don’t know. If we could all vow just that little thing, I see women taking great strides.
Do you have an example of a situation where a women helped or harmed you? Why can’t women in business support each other? I would love to hear from you.
-GB
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This is so true! And good of you to point it out. I have seen this a lot myself and am glad to know that again, we have similar feelings on these things.
Bad Girl Ventures sounds like a wonderful organization. Any idea when it will start in Columbus? I would love to be a part of it!
Dear Madalena-
You would be a great candidate for Bad Girl Ventures and I have already pointed out your company to the group in charge of the Columbus arm. Since we are planning to meet next week to look for ways our companies can collaborate, we are already breaking the chain!! Please let me know what I can do for you!!
GB
Will do. Please feel free to do the same. Let me know when you would like to meet and where. Really looking forward to it! Send me a message when you have a moment and we’ll work it out!
As I read this I realize every professional career woman should read this. I enjoy this blog so much that I’ve included links to it and also heavily quoted the author, Grace Bosworth.
I find it so interesting that some of my friends who rather support big businesses than support mine.
It would be no different if I had a coffee shop and they would visit the coffee shop next door even if I had the best coffee in town.
For me, if they offered a service or product I could use, I’d be happy to support them especially if they were starting out.