My boss is excluding me & another female from meetings – I want to raise it in my appraisal but don’t know how
APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions.
Here, Karren gives advice to a reader who is being excluded from meetings by her manager.
Q) As a senior leader in my company, I think it’s important to contribute strategically and ensure I have a meaningful impact.
However, both I and another senior female colleague have found we’re being excluded from discussions.
When I raised the question with my manager, he said he was in these meetings and could pass on our ideas, so we didn’t need to be there.
However, I think being directly involved in conversations would allow me to build relationships with stakeholders and ensure that decisions are informed by those closest to the work.
I want to raise this in my next appraisal, but am not sure how to navigate the conversation while keeping a positive relationship with my manager.
Do you have any advice?
Jade, via email
A) I understand why you’d want to be directly involved in these meetings – and I agree it’s essential for building relationships and ensuring good decisions are made by the people who know the work best.
When raising this, framing the conversation around your ability to add value will be key.
Emphasise that while you appreciate your manager representing your ideas, being present in these discussions will help you stay aligned with the business priorities.
Keep the tone positive and solution-focused.
Let your manager know you’re not questioning his approach, and that you don’t expect to be in every meeting, but being involved in the conversations specific to your role will allow you to contribute at a higher level, which ultimately benefits the company.
However, be open to understanding your manager’s perspective, too, as there might be factors at play that you aren’t aware of.
This could help you find a middle ground you’re both happy with.
- Got a careers question for Karren? Email bossingit@fabulousmag.co.uk.