Men as Allies Leading Change is a three-day program designed to give men a powerful awakening to the contribution Gender Partnership can make in their own lives and in their organization. This immersion experience creates a safe environment in which to explore the culture of growing up male and how that experience affected them both positively and negatively as a leader.
Discussions are led by male and female seasoned professionals who have a proven track record in facilitating useful and provocative conversations that illuminate how to build an inclusive culture at home and at work.
Participants are men, typically with significant organizational responsibility or high-level projects or initiatives, who can lead change within their organization to achieve Gender Partnership. The program culminates in participants taking on Breakthrough Projects of their own devising aimed at removing institutional barriers and blind spots to the full partnership of men and women at work.
Participants report that they achieve deep clarity and commitment to a compelling future in which they and the people they care about can achieve results far beyond what would normally have been predicted.
What Top Male Executives
at a Fortune 20 Company Say About This Program
“As a male, and having grown up in an all-male household, I assumed that everyone’s experience was just like mine, where the most talented person was always selected for a promotion or next assignment. One of the things that sticks with me is that men are conditioned to take risks, where women are not. This honestly blew me away.”
“There’s a greater level of awareness and much more openness to what we’re trying to accomplish. We’re talking about moving women up — it’s spoken of at the forefront of meetings. I’ve seen a pretty substantial change in strategizing on getting women candidates to have greater influence or a seat at the table.”
“I have been more deliberative when I recruit and conduct talent reviews to ensure that we are not unknowingly missing the best talent. I take this beyond simply checking a box to have a diverse slate. I push our teams and recruiters to identify highly talented females and minorities when looking for roles. In the end we hire the best qualified, however we do so by exercising patience and deliberately recruiting top diverse talent.”
“Our focus [on Gender Partnership] has kept this front and center, which has become part of the fabric of my day-to-day thinking. This influence sets the tone in my day-to-day management of expectations of my team and how important diversity is for our company.”
“[Our company] is taking every effort to ensure that women candidates: 1) are represented in the pipeline of candidates; 2) are given stretch assignments, and 3) are being promoted and retained. I see that it has become natural for hiring managers to think through a diverse slate and to think through creative ways of retaining talented women.”
“Many men didn’t think that developing and advancing women was their concern, and now they do. I hear men saying they’re going to approach women to ask if they’re interested in a job. Their awareness is up that they need to seek women who are interested for positions proactively because qualified women may not step up for opportunities… We’re beginning to see more positive financial results by putting women into stretch projects. Regardless of all the other reasons, the real tangible one is there’s a lot of business value to it.” – Director, Strategic Planning/Execution
“I have seen a number of instances where men are asking instead of assuming what a woman’s aspiration is for her next role. I have seen the beginnings of change in how some men are motivating women and inviting them into discussions and decisions. I have also seen more openness to dialogue that leads to preventing unconscious bias during talent discussions.” – Product Portfolio President