Magnetism
Posted: January 26, 2005 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »My oldest son is in 4th grade. His teacher, Mr. Soskil, knows my family is in the magnet business (magnets for education, science & industry) and took me up on my offer to teach a class to the kids. What struck me is the questions. And the excitement in the children’s voices. They weren’t bad or disruptive – they were fascinated. When I asked questions (and I asked hard questions – like why does a rectangular ceramic magnet pick up 10x more weight if you sandwich it between 2 steel plates?) the kids were willing to take a stab at it. Willing to guess wrong. To stick their little necks out and try.
I’ve been in lots of meetings lately with grown-ups. And I don’t see much of that. When does that happen? Why are we so afraid of being wrong in front of our collegues? Are we just too concerned about our career tracks or our image to others that we stop taking risks? I, for one, am going to reassess this behavior and start taking bigger risks in meetings. I really believe there is more to gain than lose.
I’m with you! What happened to all that excitement about the world and it’s infinite possibilities that, as kids, allowed us to innocently express, share, guess, brainstorm, create…and learn in a group…without fear of being judged for what we didn’t know. As grown women, are we struggling with the grown up cultural expectation that supports men in aggressive behavior and women in deferent ones? When we stick our necks out in meetings, take a stand, a risk and become assertive, and are crushed by others…do we pull into our shells for fear of further disapproval? And how often do we get cast as “bitch” (by not only men, but other women)? I agree with you, there’s more to gain than lose in risk taking and I’ve been trying to find my own assertive voice that will help me be stronger, less risk adverse and at the same time kinder. BTW Great Blog!
Great post Wendy. In our shop I can honestly say we’re not afraid to say what’s on our minds — most of the time. When I first came here, I admit I was a little floored by it. I had come from a more measured, subdued environment. Not too much risk. Don’t say that — you might be noticed. But here, if you have an idea, say it, because it just could be the next big idea for a client.