The wave of outrage online by women, described in Yahoo Shine Article “Does Less Housework Really Equal A Larger Waistline” , to today’s NYT article “What Housework Has To Do With Waistlines” points out a sore spot in the female psyche. And a knee jerk reaction that is related to a common “button” that can be pushed to take a woman off her game.
These authors are looking for readers. It’s easy to see the motivation behind the titillating title of their articles. The wave of outrage was the result that was desired, it generated readership, and some of us women provided it for them.
Really, who cares if waistlines are larger because women do less housework?
In the workplace, sometimes certain people will try to find buttons to push inside of you, to push you off your game. It’s hard to concentrate when strong emotion is flowing through your veins. And the longer it takes to recover, the better for them. That’s what they are hoping for! While you are busy being outraged, focusing your energy on that, you can BET they are off doing something they HOPE you don’t see.
A perfect example of a female leader who does this beautifully is our own @FLOTUS First Lady Michelle Obama. When criticized about appears on the Oscars, according to an AP article “First Lady: Not suprised by reaction to Oscars”, Mrs. Obama’s savvy reply was:
“Shoot, my bangs set off a national conversation. My shoes can set off a national conversation. That’s just sort of where we are. We’ve got a lot of talking going on,” the first lady said only somewhat jokingly Thursday before an appearance in Chicago, her hometown. “It’s like everybody’s kitchen-table conversation is now accessible to everybody else so there’s a national conversation about anything.”
So, find the sore spots and flash points in your psyche; that is - discover what can make you instantly upset. Don’t let that sneak up on you. Then, use your thoughts to control your emotions when these topics come up.
REALIZE IT ISN’T PERSONAL, IT”S DONE FOR EFFECT. It will provide you with greater emotional control, and that will help you be a better leader.
Hello and Welcome to Her Career Story. I'm Jan Tramposch, and I'm an experienced career professional with a lot of stories to tell that can help you find your way in your career. We are going to encourage everyone to share their stories as well, so please, join in the learning and teaching!