I’ve been a member of women’s networking groups, women’s sports teams, women’s business groups and women’s therapy groups. And while they have all been incredibly beneficial, I realize that 10 years later, some of those groups leave me wanting more. This is most evident in business.
I had the opportunity to sit at the table with the Presidential members of The Wealth Building Annex during their mastermind recently. The energy was electric as our business owners were giving and receiving mind-blowing ideas on how to deal with challenges and revolutionize their businesses. In one of our most vibrant moments, I thought about a woman with whom I had recently talked to about joining the Presidential mastermind. “Is it a women’s group?” she asked. I responded no and that gender didn’t matter, that the ideas and sense of community generated were incredible. Although she was impressed by the mastermind, she made it clear that she was not interested in a group that was not women-centered. And in that vibrant moment of the Presidential mastermind, I thought about how much she had missed out on because of her female-only focus.
At this point, you might be tempted to list off statistics that show women’s disadvantages in the business world (women still make about $0.75 for every $1 a man makes, women are still a minority in high level management positions, yadda, yadda, yadda). BUT, as part of a community focused on abundance, I have shed the finger pointing and statistic giving for an undying belief that I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to. That YOU can do anything you put your mind to. No matter your gender (or age, race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or spiritual beliefs for that matter)! And onceyour mind gets wrapped around that, the important thing becomes surrounding yourself with brilliant and phenomenal people who can help you get to where you want to be (and whom you can help as well). Gender becomes a non-issue.
By no means do I want to imply that groups bringing women together are bad. They are wonderful and can be magnificent community builders! Especially when they’re revolved around experiences that are specific to women – like pregnancy groups, mothering groups or menopause groups. And, of course, there’s an entirely unique element of sisterhood that is created in women’s groups that is fantastic. But in business, surrounding yourself by as many points of views, experiences and cultures as possible actually strengthens your business!
So for all you wonderful women out there who may feel anxious about being the only woman in a boardroom full of men, remember that each of those men have the capability to enhance your business…and you have the capability to greatly enhance theirs! The more diverse your business community, the more powerful you and your business are!
The Wealth Building Annex is a premiere business Mastermind group in Tampa, Florida. This group brings in knowledgeable and accredited individuals to speak on a wide range of topics to help grow one another’s businesses in a positive and abundant way.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I personally had the opportunity to attend one of their Mastermind sessions at The Centre Club in Tampa and I’ll be honest. I really thought I would be wasting precious “work” time, but by the end I was so motivated. Everyone helps one another with issues that they may have with their business. No one tried to sell anything to me. It was super nice to not have to worry about the best way to say “Sorry, I’m not looking to buy your product”
In business world, both men and women excel in their own fields. They have different ideas and different ways of dealing with business issues but their common goal is to succeed. Joining organizations will surely enhance one’s ideas by listening to each of the sharing.
I guess the best result can be only in collaboration between women and men. And the fact that women earn only $0.75 in comparison with $1.00 of men proves once again that women are not given the full chance to realize themselves.
There is always a reason for anyone to interact with the opposite sex.
Paul@diabetics´s last [type] ..How to detect diabetes on an indiviual
Nowadays, equality between men and women is not questioned but widely accepted.
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I cant help but think that setting up groups such as women only networks and so on only enhances the professional divide between men and women. I think so long as there are groups such as this then pay will never become equal as its making a point of the differences.
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It’s weird because, i do believe that women’s ability to be inclusive is an advantage, but they lack clarity, sometimes, that good, strong leadership brings, which is a cliche man-characteristic. I also think that men are more willing to accept leadership, whereas women expect a co-operative leadership.
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Some topics are better off as for women-only, as you have stated in your article. Pregnancy, menopause, motherhood – groups centered on these would obviously be more efficient with more women in them. But for other non-gender specific topics like business, it does make more sense to include both men and women. The bouncing off of ideas would probably be a lot better with both present.
I’m going to come at this from the perspective of a black male; talk about being the “only” in a business group often enough!
I tend to believe that when you’re the “non-majority” that having specific groups for you aren’t a bad thing as long as you can get out of them what you need. For instance, locally for women there’s the WISE conference, which invites men but makes sure everyone knows it’s for women. They way they promote each other and bond during that conference is supposedly inspiring; I’ve never gone, but I had my wife go in 2009 and she came back juiced more than I’d ever seen her before.
Sometimes you need to talk to people who can identify with your own set of issues; sometimes you don’t. It’s still not an equal world, so it’s up to every person to find what they need for inspiration and commiseration.
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In the UK, positive discrimination has greatly increased the number of women in some professions, to the point where men are notable for their absence! Most librarians for instance are women – the majority of primary school teachers are women. I’m all for equal opps, but policies have created an imbalance – it would be better in my opinion to see an equal distribution over the whole range of professions.
I have to agree with this. I think in the UK we spend so much time trying to be politically correct and equal that the balance gets tipped to far.
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We must not under estimate the ability of a women because they are not a hindrance in our economic health, but instead they help our economy to be more stable.
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Women are not hindrance but instead they are very useful.
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Women empowerment is very important especially in a male dominated society. Men can be pretty clueless with equality.
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There are some women that feel they have been done wrong by a man or men in their life and sometimes they associate that negative feeling about what happened to them in the past by a man with every man. Of course, I think there are many other reasons I think a woman would not want to interact with men on a certain level, but I think the one I stated is the one of the most common. Everyone should interact with everyone regardless of race, age, or sex, because it’s just good business.
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It’s true. once you’re in an organization you have to act as one no matter what your gender is. There were certain things that men and women can’t do without each other’s help.
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Women offer a different point of view on many things and it is very useful to listen to what they have to say. So, it is a very helpful idea for men and women to work together as one.
Nice suggestion..I like to follow.I enjoy to manage the business in women too..because the concentration to work women among the public will be reflect high level in the life cycle.keep sharing
locally for women there’s the WISE conference, which invites men but makes sure everyone knows it’s for women. They way they promote each other and bond during that conference is supposedly inspiring;
Costa Mesa Chiropractic´s last [type] ..Costa Mesa Chiropractic
I have remembered once a friend had a daughter . SHe also had a son , her daughter is an average type of a person technically but because she is a girl and that there is an assumption that she won’t do anything but just marry, have kids her father did not give her a single cent to continue to go to school because her father was thinking that his son is far better..It ended up her working on a reputable company without any support and her brother just staying at home and nothing great to do…I believe that even if this is how “women”is structured to be doing or eventually ends up doing we shouldn’t be biased with them just because “she is” a “girl”. There are a lot of great women out there.