Jul 17, 2022
Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars
Do you have a “brilliant jerk” (or two) in your workplace?
A Brilliant Jerk, also known as a Toxic Rock Star, is a person,
typically in a position of power who has awful toxic behaviours
that negatively impact colleagues. Their toxic bullying behaviour
“evades consequences” because they’re typically high performing in
another metric. The brilliant jerk has a particularly [negative]
impact on women with Women of Colour reporting significantly higher
rates of bullying than their white counterparts.
Mel and Michelle share their experience of Brilliant Jerks and
issue a strong call to action for leaders to eliminate the
Brilliant Jerk from workplaces once and for all!
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Resources
- Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
- Download: The Inclusive Leaders Guide to Listening https://www.theadvancingwomenformula.com/the-advancing-women-5x5-method
- Read: Do You Have a Brilliant Jerk Or Two In Your Workplace? https://michelleredfern.com/do-you-have-a-brilliant-jerk-or-two-in-your-workplace/
- Read: Leaders, Stop Rewarding Toxic Rock Stars https://hbr.org/2022/04/leaders-stop-rewarding-toxic-rock-stars
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Bio for Michelle Redfern
Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.
Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Day and Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.
Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.
Bio for Mel Butcher
Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.