I have been a wee bit busy this week organising for a key-note speech that I am doing for JUMP Forum on Thursday 26th April. I hope that I will see some of you there!

I have had some very interesting experiences over the past year which has widened my eyes to the male ways  of working. Now I am not saying that all men are like this but some men who sit in positions of power appear to  have an almost obsessive need to control every detail and decision. Contrast this with the female desire to collaborate and you have a situation that is bound to end in tears. Usually the woman leaves or gets de-motivated.

I want to share more of my thoughts with you on this topic after my talk at JUMP Forum because I now feel, more than ever, that denying gender differences is the antithesis of promoting a true meritocracy. Women themselves often say that we shouldn't talk about gender differences at work because we want to be promoted on merit. Having personally experienced a real-life working situation where my female style wasn't appreciated or nurtured, I can tell you that it felt like outright discrimination, verging on bullying. This is not meritocracy and colluding with the 'hush hush' or the 'lay low' of feminine values in the name of 'inclusion' or personal advancement and security is, in my opinion, at the heart of gender bias.

I will be encouraging all the women at JUMP to take a stand and have voice for a wider variety of working styles and not to conform to the dominant masculine, formal, my-way-or-the-highway approach.

Otherwise, perhaps  the answer might have to be this!