How to be Machiavellian Without Being a Machiavellianne

Here’s the episode at a glance:

>> 01:26. Why I say the ugly stuff out loud.

>> 4:04. You know who has surprising ways of advising women in the workplace? Machiavelli. Yep, that guy. And our guide for understanding how Machiavelli can help us at work — protecting ourselves and elevating those around us, without all the brutality and bloodshed — is Stacey Vanek Smith.

>>05:17. To lead, we have to stare truth in the face and be unflinching about what we see. Then we can strategize our workdays, our careers, our professional relationships, our career tracks.

>> 05:40. Here’s why: Gender discrimination is real. The gendered wage gap is real. The mommy tax is real. As real and as unfair and awful as all this is for straight white women in the US, it is so much worse for women with brown and black skin; for lesbians and queer, bi, and trans women; for women whose first language is not English; and for women who are entering professions as the first in their families or social circles and don’t have allies to support them. 

>>07:15. Learn about the four archetypes Vanek Smith identifies: The Highlander, The Queen of Hearts, the Machiavellianne, and the Darth Mentor.

>> 12:00. Here are a few actionable strategies you can try this week as you practice being an ally and mentor.

>>17:45. My challenge for you this week: Find one situation where you can extend support to another woman by making space for her to be herself. I am, sadly, quite confident you’ll have multiple chances to see women being silenced, unappreciated, underutilized, or unacknowledged. Simply do one thing to correct that when it happens. This may feel uncomfortable at first. It will get easier with time. I promise.

Extra reading and information:

Machiavelli for Women, by Stacey Vanek Smith. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Machiavelli-for-Women/Stacey-Vanek-Smith/9781982121754

Great Mentors Focus on the Whole Person, Not Just Their Career. https://hbr.org/2019/08/great-mentors-focus-on-the-whole-person-not-just-their-career