As a tribute to Mother’s Day, I wanted to share what I have learned about how men in positions of power are eager to learn the vocal strategies women have been using for years.

Over the past 30 years, women have been struggling to establish themselves with undervalued skills in workplaces that have been mostly male dominated.  The power of their voices had been less adequate for upper management than that found commonly in male energy.

The habits of men over workplace history has been to be loud, refuse interruption, general eye contact or look down on their subjects, non-interactive and maintaining attention and control by force.  This was considered effective, and taught was a way to control employees, but it doesn’t serve human relationships today, as it did years ago.

Women used their female energy and natural habits of reassurance, listening, supporting, sharing emotional experiences, and bringing out the best in others.  These were irreplaceable skills in the lower levels of a company in the past, but today are being sought in the balance of good human communication and emotional intelligence.

For example, women in business have the ability to surrender, give way, and allow things to unfold, rather than feeling the need to control every outcome.   They are influential with others by inviting them to contribute and express themselves, rather than lecture.

A balance between male and female energy is a place of absolute strength and absolute vulnerability.  This is the middle way. What this means is to have power when appropriate, yet vulnerability when necessary.  It’s like having a velvet glove, over an iron fist.

Today men in positions of power are eager to learn the vocal strategies women have been using for years.  There is definitely a place for motherly love in the workplace.

Happy Mother’s Day,

“To recognise fear in yourself and have compassion for it in others.  To have CHOICE, to have STRENGTH, to have GRACE” ~ Patsy Rodenburg, director of voice at the National Theatre.

For an in-depth look into her work, read her book, Well-Tuned Women