According to Jaime Hansen, Expanding the Conversation started as a book, “but it’s really a much broader theme. It’s a call-to-action to get more people involved in the discussion around entrepreneurial ideas, leadership, women in business and bringing together different perspectives in business ideas. Hansen has built a website that is becoming a central portal for anyone interested in business and the dissemination of ideas to gather, learn and discover.”
In today’s rapidly changing business atmosphere, it is more important than ever that women stay one step ahead of the conversation. Working with Jaime and helping to spread the word about gender differences in the workplace was inspiring and energizing. She spoke to us about her book, her business and the future.
Tell us the story behind the story. How did EXPANDING THE CONVERSATION come to be?
Most of my career I’ve worked in male-dominated industries. I’ve been very fortunate and never found this to be a problem; if anything, I felt it gave me an advantage in standing out. That said, I’ve always been very aware of the gender imbalance in business.
In the last five years or so, I’ve watched this subject heat up in the media. I think all talk on this topic – good, bad, and ugly – only helps bring more light to an issue that certainly needs to be fixed. The problem for me is that the rhetoric has become very angry, and accusatory, and . . . one-sided. Consequently, I feel like it has fallen on deaf ears. People only seem to be talking (and listening) to like-minded people. There has also been a lot of talk about fairness and equality – which are great in principle, but sort of irrelevant in business. For all these reasons, I think the last few years of heavy attention have actually brought about very little change to women in business.
So the idea behind the book, was as simple as the title. I really just wanted to expand the conversation – honestly and objectively – and get more people (women and men, current leaders and future ones) included in the dialogue. A big part of the problem, from my perspective, is that we don’t incorporate different, sometimes unpopular, points of view to some of these age-old challenges. My goal for this book was to start to do that in a thought-provoking, data-driven, and collaborative way.
What was the most challenging aspect of writing EXPANDING THE CONVERSATION?
The most challenging aspect of writing Expanding the Conversation was probably around keeping my ‘voice’. I don’t write like a conventional business genre writer nor, to be honest, do I speak like one in real life. But while it’s acceptable to be different in this way once you’re an established author, for a first-time writer – an atypical voice is not necessarily a selling point. There were many times I thought about (and was often advised to) switch over to write with authority and die-hard conviction, in other words to use a more ‘professional’ voice.
But ultimately those parts always sounded fake to me, and felt sort of like the antithesis of my entire premise. Expanding the Conversation is NOT an expert account or a how-to manual of any sort. It’s intentionally about opening up the dialogue to include new – sometimes opposing – points of view in an effort to look at things differently. So in the end, I’m glad I stayed with my genuine voice, as I personally think it’s one of the biggest differentiators for this type of book.
What is the message you want readers to take away from your book?
There are actually a few messages in the book, including: leading with intent, taking the time to reframe perceptions, and maintaining authenticity. But I think the biggest take-away is that leaders need to actively start seeking opportunities to leverage different characteristics for a competitive advantage.
People have started to see ‘equality’ as ‘sameness’ and that is a huge mistake. Men and women are equal, for sure, but not for a minute the same. Gender differences should be embraced and exploited – meaning made full use of and applied strategically for complementary, competitive advantages in business.
Describe your background.
After graduating from Northwestern with a degree in the mathematical methods of the social sciences, I started my career as an economic consultant with an incredible firm in Washington, D.C. A few years later, while earning my MBA at Duke, I “discovered the Internet,” became enamored with the technology sector, and moved to California immediately after graduation.
I got a job at Yahoo and found I was really good at business development – building relationships with strategic partners and collaborating with cross-functional teams. I worked in digital media for a while (first at Yahoo, then for a stint at Fox), before switching over to software technology and a company called Cornerstone onDemand, doing similar business development and strategic alliances, but this time on a global scale. I’ve worked with so many great people, with different leadership styles and teams, and after a while I decided it was time to take a pause and write this book on expanding the conversation.
Describe your writing schedule. Do you outline? Any habits?
Ha! Although I’ve read countless books proclaiming that the most successful people tend to be early risers, my life – and my mind – just simply do not work that way. I spend the early morning with my kids before school, then a couple hours reading news and social media feeds, with the rest of the day dedicated to research (books, articles, podcasts, and sometimes live interviews). Then it’s back with my family for dinner and early bedtimes (I have young kids). Almost all my creative work – brainstorming, outlining, and the actual writing etc. – occurs at night. The two notable exceptions are that I find myself doing some of my most creative thinking while driving and in the shower. The driving is less intentional, but I often find myself taking very long showers in the middle of the day when an idea starts to brew and I want to flush it out a little.
What books are on your nightstand? What are you currently reading?
I recently finished Humilitas (John Dickson) – which I enjoyed and have just started Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (Dr. Joe Dispenza). I am also reading Venture Deals (Feld and Mendelson) for the second time and I’m in the middle of Delusions of Gender (Cordelia Fine)
Who inspires you?
In a word, I’d say: Entrepreneurs. And to clarify, I don’t only mean that in terms of a profession, but rather those that have an entrepreneurial state of mind. Real entrepreneurs boast three characteristics that I find truly inspiring – guts, passion, and creativity. By nature, this type of person thinks beyond the norm. An entrepreneurial mind is always curious and willing to try new things. The kicker is that they have to put themselves out there to do it – so they often risk pushback or critique by merely mentioning their non-mainstream idea. That’s not an easy thing to do, at least not for me, and it’s an especially difficult trait out of which to make a habit. So those people that do this on a consistent basis – those are the people that inspire me to keep trying to change things on my end.
What is one of the most important lessons you have learned in business?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in business is that everyone has a story. Or more appropriately, everyone has his or her own story. In my experience, business (like life), basically thrives on people and relationships, and no two are alike. Almost every time I assumed to know a person’s story or background, I missed a crucial element. Once I learned to see people as unique individuals with their own histories, interests, and motivations, it was easier to collaborate and devise plans that inspired everyone involved. From my perspective, it merely takes direction to execute, it takes understanding to inspire.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
“Do more things that scare you.” At first, I thought this was advice to just loosen up or become a better risk-taker. But gradually I learned that the things that truly “scare” us, rarely present real danger. More often than not, the reason we’re scared to do something is simply because the outcome is unknown. We don’t know if people will react well to it, if we’ll like it, if we’ll be good at it. And thus, this fear stops us from even trying new things in the first place. That’s crippling because it not only stunts personal growth, it also prevents us from being inspired by new experiences.
Once I was able to look at things through that lens, the opportunity cost of NOT doing the things that scared me became far greater than the so-called risk of doing them in the first place and it changed almost every facet of my life, both personally and professionally.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a few things now. I’ve had the opportunity to do some great interviews and speaking engagements around Expanding the Conversation, which have been a fantastic way to engage further on additional ideas around these topics. In addition to promoting the book that way, I’m also continuing to collaborate on videos, articles, and round-table discussions to continue that dialogue.
I’ve also been doing a bit of research and due diligence around a new venture fund, specifically directed at “underdogs”, or people who historically lack access to capital. My hypothesis is that many of these overlooked, underestimated entrepreneurs would create great (and very successful) companies, if only given a chance to get started. So part of what I’m working on now is a potential plan to put my money where my mouth is in order to give them the opportunity to prove me right!