Male Leaders Are Less Likely to Mentor Upcoming Female Leaders Post #MeToo; NextGen Orgs Can Reverse This Disturbing Trend

San Jose, CA, March 27, 2018 --(PR.com)-- A recent study conducted by LeanIn.org and Survey Monkey found that in the wake of the #MeToo movement, male executives are three times less likely to mentor women than they were before the movement. Almost half of the male managers surveyed reported that they were uncomfortable engaging in common work activities with a woman, like mentoring, working alone, and socializing. That number has doubled since #MeToo hit the scene. “Senior men are 3.5 times more likely to hesitate to have a work dinner with a junior-level woman than with a junior-level man - and 5 times more likely to hesitate to travel for work with a junior-level woman.”

In what was surely an unintended consequence of the movement, male leaders are backing away rather than leaning in. This will certainly have a negative impact of the rise of women in the workplace: the exact opposite of the intended impact of the movement. “The problem is being exacerbated by employee trainings that merely address the symptoms and not the root cause of the problem. This leaves men feeling unsure about how to behave, so they’re backing away,” according to NextGen Orgs CEO, Johanna Lyman.

There is a way to ensure safety, inclusion and equity in the workplace. Leaders must learn how to address the tensions (polarity) within themselves and between themselves and others. This is a form of self-management that leads to self-awareness. Learning to manage tensions has the benefit of reducing or even eliminating unconscious biases. It allows men to be confident that their words and actions won’t be taken the wrong way. It’s the “secret sauce” to great leadership, which includes equity and fairness in the workplace, that nobody’s talking about.

Johanna Lyman, founder and CEO of NextGen Orgs, is available for in-person and telephone interviews.

Editor’s notes:

NextGen Orgs helps companies overcome the challenges on safety, inclusion, and equity in the era of #MeToo. We focus on training and coaching for conscious communication skills, polarity, presence, and purpose. These are the four cornerstones to making companies great places to work. Statistically speaking, companies that are rated great places to work significantly outperform other companies. According to one study, the 100 Best Places to Work (as rated by Fortune) outperformed the general market nearly twice over. From 1998-2015, Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work returned annualized returns of 11.4%, versus the general market (Russell indices) of 6.4%. Being a Great Place to Work gives companies a strong competitive edge not only in the markets, but with the ability to attract and retain great talent.

NextGen Orgs is located in San Jose, CA. Call 774-262-4211 or email johanna@nextgenorgs.com for more information.