Brooke is the VP of Marketing for an auto parts manufacturer. She is the only woman member of her company’s senior management team. Brooke has worked in the company for 5 years prior to being promoted to VP and has held the job for the last six months. Everyone seemed to welcome her on the team, however she feels very isolated despite the fact that she is comfortable with each co-worker individually. The guys on the team all seem to be friends, and have side conversations about sports; a hobby Brooke does not share. Brooke works really hard and has a long history of showing bottom line results. Good results, however, don’t seem to help overcome her feeling like an outsider when the group gets together for management meetings
- What can Brooke do to improve her comfort level during meetings?
- What conversation topics can she spark with the team other than sports?
- Is there anything Brooke can do outside of the meetings that would help?