Seeking Advice as a Woman at Work? HBR’s New Podcast Has Got You Covered

I’ve been listening to NPR for more than 20 years, so when Podcasts started to become a trend, I was in heaven. From the early days of This American Life, I’ve always loved to listen to stories aloud. But for years I looked to podcasts as just a form of entertainment to pass the time of a long drive or accompany me during the many hours I like to spend cooking. I was never drawn to podcasts as sources of advice or business (outside of Startup, but that’s really just a story telling podcast masked as a business podcast). That all changed when a former colleague sent me a link to Harvard Business Review’s Women at Work.

Hosted by Amy Bernstein, Sarah Green Carmichael and Nicole Torres, all editors at various stages of their lives and careers, the podcast is as much focused on conversation between the three as it is on guests discussing their research and ideas about the workplace.

The podcast covered many issues that resonated with me: how to advocate for yourself and make your voice heard; navigating the difficult waters of being a working mother and being a compassionate and understanding partner; the gender wage gap and how to handle salary negotiations; balancing being your authentic self while also being a professional woman at work who can lead with power and authenticity.

My two favorite episodes are “Couples that Work” and the “Advice We Get and Give.” In Couples that Work, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD, Jennifer Petriglieri, talked about how the psychological support we receive from our partners impacts our performance at work. One interesting finding from her work is that partners who don’t just sympathize and coddle their spouses during challenging times in their careers, but push them back out into the world to solve their own problems are happier and more successful.

The Advice We Get and Give features a bunch of short segments on the best and worst advice women receive at work. The podcast refers to a piece called Connect Then Lead which details how we look for two characteristics in leaders, “how lovable they are (their warmth, communion, or trustworthiness) and how fearsome they are (their strength, agency, or competence).” The piece explores how a growing body of research is showing that we should lead with warmth, empathy and connection first.

No matter your industry or job title, excellent and applicable pieces of advice abound in this podcast. Have a listen: https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-women-at-work

Jennifer Toole
Account Director, Healthcare Practice

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