How You Can Contribute to the Show

Before I get into our requests for input, I wanted to thank everyone who has written in previously. Your emails are always warmly welcomed, and they play a big role in shaping our episodes, from the experts we bring on to the questions we ask to the insights we share. 

Here are some of the episodes we’re developing that we’d love to hear from you about. There are a few repeat requests because they relate to ongoing series. As always, feel free to email us at womenatwork@hbr.org. 

What helped you get to the top of your organization? For those of you who are executives, what do you think had the biggest impact on getting you there? Was it switching to a fast-growing industry? Pushing for P&L responsibility? Finding the right company—or moving around within one? We’re going to be talking with the authors of an article called “How Women Can Win in the Workplace.” They argue that women need more “experience capital”—the skills and savvy built on the job—to make it to senior leadership. So, what did you do to build that capital? Email us and let us know. Also, if you’ve put in the work but still haven’t landed the executive role you’re aiming for, we want to hear about your experience, too. 

Are you struggling to work with a challenging colleague? I’ll be doing a few more Getting Along episodes this year, where I coach a listener through a difficult situation with a colleague and how they might respond (and ideally improve the relationship). Here’s an example of the most recent one with “Maria,” who was dealing with a boss who continually undermined her, even after she stopped reporting to him! If you want help figuring out how to work better with a pessimistic, know-it-all, or passive-aggressive coworker or boss and you’d be willing to come on the show to talk through the situation anonymously, email us. 

Need advice on a workplace issue you don’t know how to solve? We just recorded our latest episode of Ask the Amys (which will be out this summer) and are already planning our next one. This is where Amy B and I answer questions about your workplace conundrums, on everything from leading teams, dealing with conflict, making decisions, and communicating to managing stress and uncertainty. Do you have a workplace issue you’d like us to weigh in on? Email us your question, and we’re happy to keep it anonymous if you’d like. 

Here are two of our latest episodes and a recent article from HBR.org that I suggest you check out: 

Podcast: The Difference You Can Make in a Recent Grad’s Career: Speaking up in meetings. Asking for what you need. Collaborating with those in charge. Setting boundaries. Did you learn these skills in college? I didn’t! In this episode, recorded live at SXSW EDU in Austin, I speak with professor Neda Norouzi (University of Texas at San Antonio) and career center director Aimee Laun (Texas Woman’s University) about the gap between what colleges teach and what workplaces expect—and more importantly, what we can do as mentors, professors, and managers to support this next generation of women professionals.

Podcast: What to Share, What to Hold Back: Research has shown that self-disclosure at work plays a role in building trust and connections, but for women and people from other marginalized identities, it’s complicated. In this episode, we revisit one of our earliest (and most meaningful) episodes with the late Columbia professor Katherine Phillips, whose research focused on inclusion and authentic relationships. To honor Kathy’s legacy and update the conversation, Amy B speaks with two of Kathy’s longtime collaborators, professors Tracy Dumas and Nancy Rothbard. They explore how expectations around vulnerability at work have shifted over the years—and what hasn’t changed. Then Amy B and I reflect on our own experiences with sharing personal information at work, including when it’s helped and when it’s made things harder.

Article: To Make Your DEI Efforts More Effective, Challenge Outdated Models: Amid the ongoing debate about DEI, I appreciated this article written by eight professors about what’s not working and how to move forward. They argue that rather than ending DEI initiatives entirely, leaders need to rethink their approach and more closely align efforts with their company’s unique context, needs, and strategy. They offer three ways to do that. 

As always, thanks for reading, listening, and contributing—

 
Amy G