Redefining the meaning of ‘Man Up’
The world is changing. The pandemic, coupled with influential political movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo have instigated seismic shifts across the corporate world and beyond, crushing outdated attitudes in their path. People are now feeling a much deeper need to understand what is essential in gender and race equality, and HR leaders will benefit from acknowledging and acting on this.

News earlier this year suggested that an increasing number of organisations have successfully created an inclusive leadership culture in terms of gender. According to the government-backed Hampton-Alexander review, the percentage of women on FTSE 350 boards has risen from 22% to 34% since 2015. The target for at least a third of board roles to be held by women has been met. It is progress, but we still have a long way to go.

Building on the momentum
I’m convinced that for gender equality to be successful, men need to be involved and open to change.

I have seen first-hand from countless coaching sessions with very senior men in male-dominated industries, such as tech and finance, they have real trouble accepting that the current system is flawed. There is too much reward for “bringing in the business” which is linked to excellent client relationships and sales. There is too little reward for building successful teams, people management and communication skills which will increase creativity, productivity and return on investment fulfilling client needs.

They all understand the world is changing, yet so far they haven’t adapted their behaviours.

In order for this new culture to be established, the old, outdated one must be broken. We are experiencing a generational clash where high-powered men had matriarchal mothers who didn’t work for money and wives at home doing the major part of childrearing and homemaking. They don’t necessarily have role models in their lives of anything different. Moreover, this model worked from their perspective, so they don’t recognise a need for change.

So, how do we tackle this?
First, men need to engage and be actively curious. Both men and women need to develop more empathy and understand what it is like in each other’s place. The pandemic’s effects have helped with this, as we find the world has evolved to align the goals of women and men far more closely.

We saw reports last year that in many cases, where couples were, and still are working remotely, the woman juggles her career with the household chores and shouldering the burden of her family’s emotional well-being.

In these situations, its apparent gender equality has not been achieved.

However, the pandemic did provide women with the ideal opportunity to ask for help and reconfigure the system at home. In many cases, men have witnessed homelife pressures and been sympathetic towards this. As a result, men experienced a shift in their personal priorities, embracing their role in the family more fully. This is really positive.

From a professional perspective, commonality of purpose is also important. Engagement surveys within companies are effective ways to decipher what men and women’s priorities are and where there is a lack of alignment. From this a new culture can be structured and implemented to suit both genders.

Imagined threats
Another aspect which I see a lot when coaching men is fear. While they do understand that gender equality needs to happen, they harbour a huge worry that this will result in women getting their jobs. It’s important to emphasise that, when you embrace and implement gender equality in businesses they become more successful. If they’re more successful, there will be more jobs. It is not a zero sum game.

Hosting these conversations in the right way to create positive change can be really tough. It takes time to break down the barriers and implement new ways of thinking. Using basic people skills and encouraging more open conversations will garner trust and build engagement. My advice is to flex your leadership style in relation to who you’re speaking to; teach women to call things out in the right way; and ensure male colleagues don’t feel undermined or judged.  In these conversations it’s also crucially important to increase empathy and appreciation in your feedback.

Men need to get curious, get engaged in the conversations, and get active. This will help them appreciate that gender equality is a solution rather than a problem. This will ultimately create a truly human environment and help them to see that when women thrive, men thrive, business thrives, and so does the world.

It’s time for us to redefine what ‘man up’ means.