I know very few strong female
leaders who haven’t faced some level of bullying in their career. I’ve
certainly received my fair share. It often took the form of undermining,
attempts to belittle, spreading untruths, and even being accused of bullying
for simply standing my ground. Most, find
ways to overcome and often earn the respect of the ‘bully’ in doing so. In my
case, two men who bullied me at one point ended up becoming two of my strongest
allies and supporters. Few, use bullying as a tool to gain sympathy or gain. Whilst
we have shared our experiences among ourselves and even used experiences and
our solutions when teaching other woman how to deal with bullying, few make a
big ‘song and dance’ about it.
With the above
mind, it disappoints me (and to some degree surprises me) that Julia Gillard
has once again chosen to accuse another man of bullying. This time, she has
used the opportunity in a documentary airing on ABC. Julia has a history of
accusing men of bullying her; Tony Abbott and now Kevin Rudd to name
two. Julia always struck me as a strong and forthright woman. Strong and
forthright women do not devalue themselves in admitting men bully them. You
would never hear Margaret Thatcher or Angela Merkel do that.
Ms Gillard
achieved the highest position in the land, that of Prime Minster. Whilst her ascension
to the position was clouded with controversy, the fact that she was in a
position to be considered and that she was eventually appointed by the Labor
party speaks volumes. It indicates she
is as they say ‘no wilting flower’. So why is she constantly pushing the misogynist
bullying line. To me, it indicates she only got the position playing the weak
female. That may be unfair but I suspect I’m not the only one who thinks
that. Particularly those of us who have
reached senior positions within big business and who have faced all sorts of
barriers (including misogyny and bullying) but who have dealt with it quietly
and not used it as a crutch.
I do not support
Julia Gillard’s political party being an avowed middle of the road conservative.
I also think she was a very poor Prime Minister which is a huge disappointment
for many. Those two things aside, she had a superb opportunity to be a great
role model for young women endeavouring to build their careers. I am always looking
for inspirational women to use as examples to help motivate young women to be
the very best they can. Unfortunately, those women who seek to play the misogyny
card demotivate rather than motivate. Certainly, those women who play that card
to excuse their failures are automatically dismissed. Sadly Julia is in that group. What an opportunity we have lost as a result.
