JESSICA MORRISSEY
I think for people to be truly comfortable in a role they have to show their authentic self and that can sometimes seem like the opposite of assimilating. I encourage female leaders to be authentic, but know their audience and their audience’s goals. Use their skills to partner with others and help them to also achieve their goals. Assimilation does not have to mean cookie cutter.
GERALD JOHNSON
Female leaders do not have to assimilate to be successful. It is about showing the expertise that this person brings to the organization. Therefore they will be successful based off of merit and not having to relate to their counterparts in a certain way.
AGGIE COOKE
I find there is not one simple formula for success in a work environment. Whether it’s necessary for female leaders to assimilate to be successful, I’d say it depends. I strongly believe it’s crucial to have an awareness of existing dynamics. You need to know the rules to navigate in the environment. And sometimes you follow the rules, and sometimes you break them, or in other words – sometimes you assimilate and sometimes not – but always be conscious of which one you are choosing. Pay attention to the impact it has on your goals and don’t lose sight of your own identity and values. Embrace your unique strengths, use your experiences, share your perspective. Be authentic and empower others to do the same – there is so much potential in our diversity!
LISA MAY
I think it is important to “adjust” to a new group you may be joining as a leader but not to conform…..hold your ground and your individual style / voice.
RAPUNZEL AMADOR-LEWIS
This is a tough question because I’ve tried assimilating early in my career and I ended up leaving two places of employment. There were many times where I would assert myself and have been called “arrogant,” while my male counterparts exhibiting the same behavior would have been called “confident or competent.” Yet, when I stay true to myself and submit or yield to male counterparts, I’ve been perceived as “less competent” and lacked what others would perceive as leadership quality. Where I am now, my assertiveness got me promoted to my current leadership role as an Engineering Manager (a role I held in another employment 17 years ago). So assimilation has been a two-edged sword for me. It’s like a “box of chocolate…you never know what you’re gonna get.” But one thing I’m not afraid of is taking a bite of whatever chocolate is in front of me, LOL!
MELISSA CARDENAS
If assimilation means doing something against your will, no one should ever have to assimilate to be successful. Ultimately, whether woman or man, every human has the power to do what they want. As a leader, it is crucial to establish an open culture for everyone to grow in their unique way, ultimately making us stronger. Having an open culture is often a challenge in the Navy because of time constraints in operational demands. However, I will always treat every person with dignity and respect.
SHARON LIU
I think for any leadership role it is important to adapt to the culture of what you believe in, i.e. collaboration, community, and aspire higher are a few that comes to mind.
BETH TETRO
I have some really fascinating cases I think you would be really interested in that speaks to this specific issue. First is Ezold v. Wolf, Block, Schorr (disparate treatment). This is in regards to a law firm not promoting the female partner (Ezold). The basic story is that the partners didn’t like Nancy because she was female and didn’t think she could handle her work. They never assigned her complex cases because of this bias. Then evaluated her partnership promotion based on the fact that she did not take on complex cases. While the court did not find sex discrimination, the take away is that it’s difficult to prove sex discrimination in a more professional setting because the criteria is much more subjective.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/758/303/1808839/
Compare this to Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins (Mixed Motive). When you ask if women need to assimilate, this is the case I immediately think of. This is another situation where a female was up for promotion and was denied based on not showing feminine qualities. She didn’t wear makeup, no jewelry, used foul language like other men etc. but was also praised by clients and outshined her male counterparts by 22 million in billing (or something along those lines). One of the partners said that he could never take a woman seriously. Again, the court did not find sex discrimination but Congress passed new laws to remedy this and passed the Civil Rights Act of 1991. If anything, its an interesting read.
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/490/228/
To answer your question, historically yes. Currently, I don’t think so as much. I think a lot of the issues stem from availability—whether it’s a child sick at home, ability to go to a team happy hour, or even staying past 6pm for additional assignment leaves women in a spot where they can’t leave their home responsibilities
LISA STOCKMON
As a leader, I think it’s important that you lead with integrity and purpose.
SAMANTHA BOTKIN
Yes, I think female leaders need to assimilate into their existing work environment to be successful.
SARAH WIDDOP
I feel that to some extent, everyone must assimilate if they want success. When one assimilates they take in ideas, culture, and information and apply it to their own learning. Anyone entering into a specific work culture, must assimilate to that culture if they intend to have success within that culture. When assimilation begins to harm an individual is when that individual sacrifices their own morality for success.
EMILY D. SHRUM
No, I do not feel like it is necessary to assimilate to be successful. I believe you can be successful if you are true to yourself. I have seen some women who try to assimilate and their subordinates can see it’s an act. They act “masculine” and tough but I do not think it makes them more successful. I am usually the only one in a conference wearing my military skirt. I don’t tend to take the back seat and sit quietly as some other females feel they have to do. I believe I earned my commission the same as my male counterparts, so I have earned the right for my voice to be heard.
Dr. KRIS OTTEMAN
No, I think it’s important to learn the current culture, policies and procedures and then make fair minded and well thought recommendations for change. It’s not necessary to accept the status quo in order to be a good leader. It’s actually important to do the opposite.
Unfinished Business 