Dealing With Sexism Even After Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Have you ever been the woman boss - the head honcho - and still been ignored or disrespected by an underling?

Join the club.

On a recent episode of the TV show “Shark Tank” a man pitched his health food business to the five zillionaire sharks. Lori Greiner, one of the sharks, is a health food enthusiast and the most obvious investor for him to have pursued.

This man did just the opposite. Twice Lori said, “I have two questions for you.” Twice he ignored her and spoke only to the men.

When the other four sharks went “out,” Lori was his only hope. I crossed my fingers that she would turn this into a learning moment for him and millions of TV viewers.

She didn’t disappoint.

Lori calmly called out his sexism. Then came the fatal blow. She told him she would have made him an offer otherwise.

He left with nothing.

Lori’s experience is familiar to women everywhere.

Women law partners watch as the male client talks only to the male associate.

Women executives watch as the male job interviewee only addresses her male staffer.

It’s not easy to call out sexism.

Do you disrupt the meeting and speak up?

Do you wait for the meeting to end to say something?

Do you do this publicly or privately?

This is hard, but it’s necessary. Without pounding our fists on the table, we can speak the truth clearly without apology.

“Your qualifications for this job are outstanding, but your obvious disregard for me puts you out of the running.”

“I would’ve given my business to your firm, but your ignoring me makes that untenable.”

Direct. Simple. Honest.

Lori Greiner showed us sharks can strike without a single bite.

Be that shark.