Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace

by David G. Smith, W. Brad Johnson

Overview

The key to advancing gender equality? Men.

Women are at a disadvantage. At home, they often face an unequal division of household chores and childcare, and in the workplace, they deal with lower pay, lack of credit for their contributions, roadblocks to promotion, sexual harassment, and more. And while organizations are looking to address these issues, too many gender-inclusion initiatives focus on how women themselves should respond, reinforcing the perception that these are "women's issues" and that men—often the most influential stakeholders in an organization—don't need to be involved.

Gender-in-the-workplace experts David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson counter this perception. In this important book, they show that men have a crucial role to play in promoting gender equality at work. Research shows that when men are deliberately engaged in gender-inclusion programs, 96 percent of women in those organizations perceive real progress in gender equality, compared with only 30 percent of women in organizations without strong male engagement.

Good Guys is the first practical, research-based guide for how to be a male ally to women in the workplace. Filled with firsthand accounts from both men and women, and tips for getting started, the book shows how men can partner with their female colleagues to advance women's leadership and equality by breaking ingrained gender stereotypes, overcoming unconscious biases, developing and supporting the talented women around them, and creating productive and respectful working relationships with women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633698727
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

David G. Smith is a professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the US Naval War College. W. Brad Johnson is a professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. They are the coauthors of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.

You can find David G. Smith at:
davidgsmithphd.com/
twitter.com/davidgsmithphd linkedin.com/in/davidgsmithphd/
facebook.com/davidgsmithphd instagram.com/davidgsmithphd

You can find W. Brad Johnson at:
wbradjohnson.com/
linkedin.com/in/wbradjohnson/

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Men: The Missing Ingredient in Gender Equity 1

Part 1 Interpersonal Allyship

How to Show Up in Workplace Relationships with Women

2 Expand Your GQ (Gender Intelligence) 19

3 To Be Legit as an Ally, Start at Home 45

4 Everyday interactions with Women at Work 59

5 Trust and Reciprocity in Friendships with Women 87

Part 2 Public Allyship

How to Become a Proactive Ally for Women

6 Watchdog Skills 109

7 Meetings: Dangerous Places If You're Not a Dude 137

8 Sponsoring Women Loudly 153

Part 3 Systemic Allyship

Becoming an Advocate for Organizational Change

9 Organizational Change Starts with You and Your Leadership 175

10 Developing a Culture of Allyship 201

Conclusion: The Future in the World of Allies 215

Notes 217

Index 231

Acknowledgments 243

About the Authors 245

Editorial Reviews

08/17/2020

As long as gender inequality is a “women’s issue,” men aren’t going to feel any responsibility to fix it—and that has to change, write assistant sociology professor Smith and psychology professor Johnson (co-authors, Athena Rising) in this persuasive call to arms. They address “good guys,” or male would-be allies who want to help end workplace gender inequities but don’t know what to do, and provide simple instructions, including ready responses to sexist jokes (“Not cool” or “We don’t do that here,” among others) and questions to ask oneself to help gauge a meeting’s inclusivity (“Who is getting interrupted?”). The authors provide helpful advice on how to get past one’s misgivings and get started as an ally, deploy privilege appropriately by realizing its limitations for other people (such as how women of color might not feel comfortable adopting a white male’s brashness), and advocate for women at both the individual and organizational levels. Smith and Johnson also walk the walk—almost all their quotes are from women. The direct and useful advice should make this an obvious choice for men who appreciate the book’s central message: “You can do more.” (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Gold Medal Winner for Best Human Resources/Employee Training Book in the 2021 Axiom Business Book Awards

Named one of the Globe & Mail's "Best Business Books of 2020"

Named one of Behavioral Scientist's "Notable Books of 2020"

"…readers of all ranks and levels of leadership in the military will benefit from this important, timely, and welcome book on how to work with women and help them advance professionally." — Proceedings magazine, U.S. Naval Institute

"As long as gender inequality is a "women's issue," men aren't going to feel any responsibility to fix it—and that has to change, write assistant sociology professor Smith and psychology professor Johnson (co-authors, Athena Rising) in this persuasive call to arms." — Publisher's Weekly

Advance Praise for Good Guys:

"Men who care about gender equality often ask, 'How can I be a better colleague to the women I work with?' Good Guys is the playbook for how to do that, filled with practical advice and wisdom from leaders across many backgrounds. If you want to do your part to build a more equal and inclusive workplace, this book will help." — Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook; founder, LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org

"Thank you, David Smith and Brad Johnson, for giving us a practical, evidence-based guide for what men can—and must—do to support women at work, at home, and in our communities." — Stew Friedman, organizational psychologist and Practice Professor of Management, Emeritus, The Wharton School; bestselling author, Total Leadership

"An amazing how-to book to pivot equality in our homes, offices, and societies. Smith and Johnson offer indispensable advice for how to achieve gender parity—both because it's the right thing to do and it's the smart thing to do." — Dana Born, Codirector, Center for Public Leadership, and lecturer in public policy, Harvard Kennedy School

"Many men want to be better allies to women, but we aren't always sure where to begin. Look no further than this book by two excellent guides who draw on their expertise as social scientists, their experiences in organizations, and their interviews with women to show how we can all improve in our efforts to level the playing field." — Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author, Give and Take and Originals; host of the TED podcast, WorkLife with Adam Grant

From the Publisher