W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith tackle becoming courageous watchdogs for equity, dignity, respect and fairness in the workplace. They share the essential need for active confrontation of other men for sexism, bias, harassment and all inappropriate behavior.
Public allyship, they say, may be the toughest part of male allyship. Allyship is hard work. Excellent allies have the courage to get comfortable doing the uncomfortable work of disrupting the status quo.
Source: Harvard Business Review, October 16, 2020. Link. Johnson and Smith share six confrontation strategies men can apply in interactions at work:
- Use the two-second rule
- When you say something, own it
- Use Socratic questions as a confrontation device
- Share what you’ve learned through a personal experience or relationship
- Use humor now and then
- Show him that you’re on his side
INSIGHTS: Perception is often reality. Note that 77 percent of men believe they are doing all they can to support gender equality, while only 41 percent of women agree.