It’s out! My new book, “Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business,” is now published and available wherever books are sold. You can get your copy here. I am thrilled that it’s now out in the world, telling the stories of 11 women, myself included, who refused to believe the myths that (male-dominated) society was telling them about their capabilities and what they could and couldn’t do. Today, women all over the world are stepping out, taking the lead, and pursuing their dreams and ambitions, not allowing gender biases to stop them.
Ready to RETHINK your journey?
To give you a sample of what I talk about in the book, I offer here a synopsis of a few key paragraphs from the Introduction. I’d also like to invite you to join our Rethink Facebook group, and consider participating in our new program called Rethink Your Journey with Andi Simon, coming soon. Created with and by women, it’s designed to help you Rethink your life and make sure you have the one you truly want. Learn more on www.andisimon.com.
Imagine you were in the savannah 75,000 years ago
The men have had an arduous day hunting gazelles, but without the women’s foraging, the camp might not have ever survived waiting for the guys to catch their game. But on this day, the men outran the gazelle and brought it back for their family, clan, or tribe to share.
What does everyone do that evening? Sit around the campfire, sharing stories about the day’s hunting, where the game was found, how they shot it with their arrows, and how they followed it after it was hit. Together they sang songs and spoke about what they had learned and how their skills had improved. The men were always the heroes in the stories, and their journeys were always filled with challenges and successes. Where were the women in those stories?
Then as now, in the process of telling their stories men created great myths
In their mythology, the men put into place the way they wanted women, children, the elders, and themselves to see their world and to live in it. Humans have evolved into who we are today in great part because of times like those, sitting around the campfire sharing stories. Of course, technological innovations, from fire to software, have spurred our progress. But the most important part of our development was our ability to be great storytellers. Humans are herd animals, and we like to be with others like ourselves. We share our stories to affirm our place in society, our culture, and our tribes.
Equally important is how storytelling enabled us to develop the skills needed to adapt to particular environments. Unlike other creatures that diversified to fit their environments, humans evolved by continuously improving our tools and creating collaborative methods for problem-solving.
There is great power in the stories we create and the way we share them
People tell stories that tend to feature a hero who has a challenge to overcome and the journey that takes him—or her—forward on their quest, with metaphorical dragons to vanquish, travails to endure, and obstacles to get past, ultimately to rise again, triumphant.
Only problem is, all too often these Odyssey-like stories relegate women to the sidelines, as bit players rather than heroines just as clever as their male counterparts. But guess what? Today, women are rewriting those stories, creating their own tales of heroic accomplishment. They’re going into fields once considered to be male-only like law, STEM, geoscience, finance and aerospace, and becoming great successes and great leaders. They’re starting their own companies and selling them for big bucks. And along the way, they’re smashing glass ceilings and hurdling over barriers that dare stand in their way.
As that old Virginia Slims slogan said, You’ve come a long way baby. Now keep going.
From Observation to Innovation,
Andi Simon, Ph.D.
Corporate Anthropologist | Author | CEO Simon Associates Management Consultants
Andisimon.com
Info@simonassociates.net
@simonandi
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