Vive la difference

Last Friday was the last full-time workday for Wendy, a hard-working and gifted woman who has worked for me for over twenty years. She has moved to another city, to be closer to her son and grandchildren. She will still be doing some work for me remotely, and will also be spending a week or so each month here, in London, Ontario, where I have my office. I'm glad that she is willing to do this for me.

For many years, three out of four managerial positions for my courier company have been held by women. Wendy was General Manager, Lori is one of two Operations Managers (the other is male) and Sharon is our Office Manager. Women do the job, do it well, and I am lucky to have had this crew in my employ.

I have railed often about the thirty-year (or so) trend to try to mold males and females into something so similar as to be ridiculous. I don't want to be like a woman. I don't want to be feminized. I don't want to be a 'metrosexual.' I want to be a good old, masculine, manly, male.

Any woman who is comfortable in her skin doesn't want to be like me, or any other male, either. Thank goodness. I like the differences between the sexes. I have no problem interacting with women as equals in the world of business, but I don't like it when they feel they have to compete with men by being pushier, louder, and more obnoxious than anyone by whom they feel threatened, especially males. Women like that do themselves, and other women, a great disservice.

My crew isn't like that, and I am grateful. In fairness, I haven't really encountered women like that in business lately. It shouldn't make any difference whether we deal with males or females in our commercial endeavours and mostly, these days, it doesn't.

I think things are turning. I open doors for women, (and men, too) and have taught my son to do the same. It is simply common courtesy, folks. It has been several years since a woman has given me a dirty look for opening a door for her. For a while, back in the eighties especially, many women were combative and quite obnoxious. It puzzled me why someone would be so insecure as to become angry when someone simply did something nice or considerate on their behalf.

I think the war between the sexes is mostly over. There have been many wounded, on both sides. Has anything changed? At the elemental level, no. We are still what we are, either male or female. Those things that have changed for the better would have changed anyway, even without all of the hostility and hatred.

Yes, we're different from each other. Vive la difference.