Names matter — that’s why the husband and I combined ours to signal the egalitarian approach we hoped to take in our family. And Kamala’s quest to break the ultimate glass ceiling by becoming the first woman president of the United States could herald a deeper shift in what female leadership is all about.
When I was coming up, most of the focus for women in the workplace was on ensuring we had access to the executive suite. And most of the women who succeeded in jobs typically held by men did so by leading like the men who occupied the office next door.
But after the #MeToo scandals, the conversation shifted. The question of how meetings were run was suddenly as important as who was running them. And that was not just about women, but also about men of color, queer people and others who did not fit a traditional executive profile.
Maybe, as some feminists had been arguing for a long time, if women were in charge, the world would be run a little more like a family — and maybe that would be a good thing.
I remember when my kids were small, and our friends debated what their little friends should call us adults. We settled on Mr. and Ms. First Name, like, “Ms. Jodi,” since “Mrs. Rudoren” sounded too stilted — sounded, frankly, like someone else.
It was a cute idea, but it never really took. Now, the teenagers that my twins bring to hang out in our basement or do homework in our kitchen call me Jodi. They say it with respect I earned by talking to them and listening to them, not through honorifics.
I write all this as a female executive who was once told by a millennial, feminist employee — the gender editor of The New York Times — that I lead like a man (she meant it as a compliment). I never really understood what she meant. Yes, I set high expectations and say what I think, usually in a loud voice and with plenty of confidence. I also urge everyone to bring their whole selves to work, ask every job candidate about her superpowers, and compliment employees’ footwear.
What leading like a woman looks like, of course, depends on the woman leader. What was remarkable about this week’s Democratic convention was how many were on display, particularly women of color. I didn’t do a count of the 100-plus speakers from the podium, but the overall vibe was definitely pink, even before Pink’s electrifying performance of “What About Us.” | 