Oh-so-many years ago, when I was a Youth Education Officer in a secondary school, I participated in a Lifeskills professional development program.  One of the great messages I took away from the program was that kids only learn from people they like.  I remember sharing that with a school principal and being right-royally shot down in flames - 'liking', apparently, was a euphemism for allowing kids to chew you up and spit out the bones and signalled a lack of respect, not to mention a complete disregard for the preferred maxim of 'obey me just because I'm older than you.'

Undeterred, I continued to believe and prove that kids did indeed respond better to being treated with respect, dignity and empathy.  It's not then rocket science to extend that to we big people, who also appreciate being treated in the same way.

Listening to many successful women leaders,  I keep hearing the same message - knowledge of the operational side of the organisation/business is not nearly as important as the interaction and relationship-building with colleagues and staff.  And it appears that they can still be very effective leaders, even with all those people 'liking' them.

I recently asked my favourite bloke how he would describe his leadership style and he said that, basically, he treated his workers as he would like to be treated.  Pretty simple, really, and it works a treat - he assures me that they all love him to bits, even when he's grumpy!

And so I wonder why there still exists a penchant for the leadership style based on a blatant disregard for people.   How personally and professionally destructive it is for someone to be sidelined for being unwilling to compromise workplace ethics and values.  I'm sure that more energy has to go into generating misery and that the side-effects are far less attractive than in the harmonious, mutually-respectful workplace.

As some probably-famous person said, "it's nice to be nice." 

One of the most wonderful men I know asked this question of me -  'don't you think it would be better to treat everyone as individuals and not as a gender class?

I agreed that that would be ideal, however not that easy. The fact is that women and men are different and need different forms of support. I commented on my forum the other day about when I went away on business, I worried if my family would eat properly and look after the house.  There are not many men who would consider this at all. Men have the wonderful ability to compartmentalise their thoughts, which means they can close off their home from their work lives. I am yet to find a woman who can do this effectively.

The fact is that women need programs to help them deal with their own issues and challenges. I do agree however that we need a forum for helping men understand women's issues and vice versa. That is why Project U is launching a new program called 'Working with Women'.

This program goes through the difference in work styles, demonstrates the differences in thought processes and helps both sexes to understand how those differences can be leveraged to the company's advantage.

Click here to register your interest

I have just had a fantastic business trip around Australia working on one of my greatest passions - the development of young people. For those who don't know,  as well as Project U,  I run a number of other companies, the most prominent of which is the Australian Experiential Learning Centre (AELC).  We are at the moment engaging with universities and businesses Australia-wide in the bid to bring on board an all of government and industry internship program.

Why would I do this you ask? Well my reason is this - students in universities need a way to apply the knowledge they acquire within their degrees and the only way to do that is with work experience. The only problem with this is that most businesses don't know how to work with students and most universities can't find the resources to monitor the process. So I devised a program that gives students, industry and universities a guided process within which to work and a guaranteed method of success without a high cost.  The AELC then keeps all records of the internship on file for the students for 2 years after graduation, making it a fantastic way for the student to obtain a reference.  We also have a personal training system online and run events, seminars and a range of community projects all over the world.

In America nearly all students have access to work experience - it is the culture.  However in Australia we just haven't been able to find the right model.

The AELC is the only one of its kind in Australia and a leader in the world having won multiple awards both nationally and internationally. Imagine if all businesses got involved with the program and took on an intern. Imagine if all government departments took on interns as a matter of course. We would be the only country in the world to have a fully cooperative government/industry internship system.

I truly believe that we all need to take on the responsibility for working with the young people coming through our university systems. These young people are the future leaders in our country and right now many leave and don't come back.

If anyone out there is interested in mentoring a student, taking on an intern or just being involved with something truly inspirational then email on tracey.hodgkins@advantage.edu.au . The program is available in all states of Australia.

The website is:  www.advantage.edu.au

By Carol Scott

At a recent networking function, I was privileged to talk with some fabulous women, one of whom posed the very interesting question: Who gets the biggest chop at your table?

How many of us grew up listening to our mothers saying that the biggest chop (aka the largest serve, the juiciest steak) was reserved for dad/brother/any bloke who had dropped in for dinner? And how many of us have done the same thing? I know I have!

And yet, as women, we have just as much claim to that afore-mentioned chop, trimmed of all unnecessary fat, needless to say. In claiming the chop, we are acknowledging, first and foremost to ourselves, that we have earned it as much as anyone else.

We are also saying to others that the chop doesn’t have to belong on the same plate all the time, just because that’s the way it has always been.

The small steps that we take towards achieving equity are the strongest. Next time I serve dinner, I’ll think very carefully about where that big, fat-free chop belongs and why.

I am thrilled to introduce the new National Manager for Project U, Carol Scott. Carol is a fabulous lady with an amazing range of experiences and interesting stories to tell. Add to this her expertise in dealing with the issues of professional  women and you can understand why I brought her on board. Carol will be a great asset to Project U with a lot to contribute.

I have invited her to chat away on my blog and can't wait to see what she has to say.