Journalist and Author Joanne Lipman Fosters a Frank Conversation Between Male and Female Co-Workers

Too many men in the workplace have no idea of the subtle and not-so-subtle biases that their female colleagues encounter daily.

“That’s What She Said,” the bestselling book by journalist Joanne Lipman, aims to remove the blinders – especially from male owners and managers – and prevent the awkwardness and the fear that many men have when it comes to discussing gender issues with their female co-workers.

Lipman is the exclusive guest on this week’s edition of the Monday Morning Radio podcast, available for free at tinyurl.com/MMR-iTunes or directly from MondayMorningRadio.com.

As Lipman tells Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart, leveling the professional playing field for women – as well as those employees who face discrimination due to race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or physical handicap – is not merely a matter of serving political correctness.

“Every piece of research shows you that when you have a gender-balanced workgroup and gender-balanced leadership that you are more financially successful,” she explains.

Lipman has had a storied journalism career, serving as the first woman to become a deputy managing editor at The Wall Street Journal; founding editor-in-chief of Condé Nast’s Portfolio magazine; and most recently as editor-in-chief of USA Today and Chief Content Officer of Gannett, which employs 3,000 journalists at 110 newspapers.

Yet, as Lipman notes on this week’s podcast, throughout her 35-plus-year career, she never felt that the professional playing field between her and her male colleagues was level.

During the three years that she worked on That’s What She Said – recently updated with new tips and cheat sheets – Lipman discovered that she is far from unique: millions of women in the American workforce share her on-the-job frustrations.

Lipman’s goal for That’s What She Said is anything but to shame men. She writes that many of the male executives who are guilty of fostering – or merely allowing – a gender-biased workplace aren’t even aware of it.

“All that will change once men read her book,” predicts host Rotbart.

Monday Morning Radio, now in its 8th year of production, features business owners and experts, including distinguished authors such as Ken Blanchard, Charles Duhigg, Jen Sincero, Skip Prichard, Henry Mintzberg, Carl Schramm, Daniel Burrus, Steve Strauss, Dudley R. Slater, Jack Quarles, and Lindsay Pedersen.

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