2 for one day, must be a topic of great import to warrant a second posting. Well, as most of you who read this stuff know, there is rarely a topic of great import to cross the lines of this blog.
But i was reading this (Ways Women Can Hold Their Own in a Male World) the wall street journal online. and I read it and thought. What the hell are they talking about. Some of them are good tips some are silly, the join the softball team, is silly. unless your good at softball, what men don't want are people (men or women) forcing themselves into a situation that they don't want to be in.
If you suck at softball, your better off not playing than causing a team to loss. Unless you lucky enough to have a team that is really focused on the experience rather than winning, but those guys are playing disc golf or ultimate Frisbee.
Anyway, you want to know the secret into dealing with men if you're a woman? Here it is. Know something about sports. Most importantly football, as it is by far the most popular sport in the country, but don't be faking it. About a year after I got my current job, my boss told me he dropped a football question into the interview, to see how i answered it. That got me the job, he said he was tired of no one to talk football with.
That is the big secret men talk about sports, if i go back to my home town and see a friend I've not seen since college, the conversation will go something like this, stammer, stammer, how are you, how are the kids stammer, mumble, mumble, how about those broncos have you gotten to any games since you live in Denver? blah blah blah, but with much more enthusiasm. Men have football. It is our great societal discussion. We don't talk about feelings, or stuff, so much as we talk about sports.
If you work in a male dominated office there is going to be some bond the males in the office have, football, basketball, kids soccer. Showing a genuine interest in it, will get you into conversations that ultimately turn to work projects. Being part of these conversations is where you can get first crack at getting more responsibility delegated to you. I mean what boss isn't going to think, lets give Sally a shot at the quarterly projections after all she does know the single wing formation.
4 comments:
i find talking to blokes about utes/cars interests them too. =)
hate footy.. but i will talk the hind leg off a donkey if you want to talk about cricket!!!
My husband, I think, barely knows how football is played. He is not a fan of ANY sport. I, however, love me a good football game. I was raised on Penn state Joe Paterno-style football as a kid. Now I love my Wildcats (NU) and Eagles (Philly) and occasionally Da Bears. Oh, and whoever is playing against Notre Dame!
I have really gotten into baseball, too, but only at the end of the season. It seems more interesting to me when something is on the line (like a playoff or championship) because there are SO many games thoughout the season.
Have a peaceful Thanksgiving.
You know, in my previous line of work, we girls were largely outnumbered by the men. I learned more about football stats than I care to remember. That and lawnmowers and vasectomies.
When I worked with a bunch of women at the elementary school, they mostly gossiped about whomever was not in the room. I'll take sports and lawnmowers and vasectomies over gossip any day.
I'd give it a shot, but I need a coach.
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