Carrie Spell-Hansson

CEO of the Folke Institute

Title: Unbossed And Unbroken: Personal Resilience in Women Leaders Who Experience a Lack of Respect in The Workplace

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Biography

Dr. Carrie Spell-Hansson is the CEO of The Folke Institute and a Scholar/Practitioner. She is an experienced leader, speaker, researcher, facilitator, and executive coach. She has designed organizational and leadership development, Diversity Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) curricula, and trained and coached leaders and managers throughout the U.S. and globally. Dr. Carrie’s mission is to empower women leaders and emerging leaders of any age to become the architects of a new world order of multiculturalism and conflict-free coexistence.  Providing them with the tools they need to thrive and grow in the increasingly diverse and competitive domestic and global marketplace.

Abstract

 This research examined the phenomena of disrespect and resilience through a qualitative study of 24 high-performing women leaders in the United States. The study examined the participants’ experiences of disrespect and respect in the workplace prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the study was to explore the factors that impact the resilience of successful women leaders who experience disrespect in the workplace. The study probed the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contributed to participants’ resilience when confronted with disrespect from leaders, peers, or direct reports. Study participants identified four categories of disrespect: 1) not being listened to, 2) not being respected, 3) not being acknowledged, and 4) condescension. Participants specified how they identified respect as self-awareness, other-awareness, and allyship. Study participants reported that they developed resilience to experiences of disrespect through the factors of self-esteem and self-respect. These factors allowed them the self-control needed to be effective in difficult situations. The research suggests that these intrinsic characteristics of high-performing women are as important as the extrinsic systemic forces. Participants described how early developmental influences, circumstances, and experiences shaped their resilient responses to disrespect. The research concluded that women’s workplace resilience is a skill set that can be cultivated even as systemic barriers are being dismantled. A Respect/Disrespect/Resilience Model was developed to identify strengths and areas for improvement as women leaders relate to feelings of being respected. The model describes and makes accessible the dimensions of self-worth that women leaders use to overcome lifelong experiences of disrespect.