CREATE YOUR OWN PLAYBOOK

It is useful to have a set of tactics to help you navigate problems when they happen. I call it the playbook. I think men have a playbook – even if they don’t call it that – and if men are doing something in the workplace, then women should consider doing it, too. It could be something as simple as getting out of the office and taking a walk around the block when the atmosphere is tense, it could be learning one new skill to add to your CV every year of your career, or it could be a phrase that you recite when someone says something a bit demeaning. I’ve got a set of lines I can use when a male colleague or business associate calls me darling. It can be hard to be witty or clever in the moment, particularly if you are feeling belittled. But if you have some rehearsed lines up your sleeve, then you have your comeback, and you will be back in the position of power.