Execution trumps stereotyping

In the world of sports, I am usually the only woman in the room, behind home plate, on the sideline or on the driving range.
I often get the question, "Is it a disadvantage being a woman sports agent?" Or sometimes they ask it like, "How much harder is it for you since you are a woman?"

Rarely, someone will follow up with, "I bet it helps."
You bet it does, if you handle it right. It is easy to tell women in work environments filled primarily with men to just be great. Be smarter, work harder, execute better and more consistently. I would add that awareness is paramount: Be aware of the messages you send.
My advice during gender diverse moments is to avoid stereotyping others. My experiences have demonstrated that that, in turn, supports connectivity.

Awareness: Who is in the room? Or on the call? Earn their respect, just as they must earn yours. You might walk in with it because of your reputation, but walk out with it because of how authentic, smart, collaborative and solution-oriented you are --- and because of your ability to connect. I would argue that awareness enhances your ability to connect. Awareness requires preparation. Know your audience. I've been the only woman in the room full of men on thousands of occasions, I'm aware but unfazed at the same time.
Jason Heyward, a CSE client, broke camp with the club in the big league and made the All-Star team --- he was aware but unfazed --- he expected it. And, it's working.

Authentic and productive visibility: Know the others' business, from their clients, to their competition, to their jargon.
And contribute communicatively. It matters --- a lot. Early in an encounter with a player, I'm aware I'm the only woman, but when you speak their language you connect. "Why the double switch in the 8th last night?" "Were you sitting fast ball on that 3-2 count in your second at bat?"
Adapt, connect in an authentic and genuine way.
Be great and better: One of our coaches tells his guys, "You better be better than your problems."

I have seen athletes who are not better than their problems, they are dismissed (T.O. among the most well-known). Tiger was better than his problems to Nike, but not for Accenture, Gillette and plenty of others.

Execute: When you execute, you can lead and influence others. Some are leaders because of their title, but to be a person of influence you must execute --- and do so consistently.
Our client John Smoltz was a leader in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse for years, because he did a lot of intangible things well --- he is involved in our community, he represented the organization well, he was available to the media.

But if he didn't do one of them well, if he didn't execute year after year on the mound, would he have been a leader in the clubhouse? I would argue not. It is his ability to execute consistently that has made him one of the best and a promising future Hall of Famer.

Can we utilize these ideas to enhance productivity and improve results?