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WORK TITLE: Athena Rising
WORK NOTES: with W. Brad Johnson
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1965
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.usna.edu/LEL/Faculty/David-Smith.php * https://www.usna.edu/LEL/_files/documents/CV_David_Smith_March%202016.pdf * https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgsmithphd/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:United States Naval Academy, B.S.; University of San Diego, M.S.; University of Maryland, Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Sociologist; United States Naval Academy, Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law, military professor.
MIILITARY:U.S. Navy, pilot and active duty captain.
AWARDS:Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit awards and campaign medals.
WRITINGS
Contributor of chapters to anthologies, including Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research; Military Families and War in the 21st Century, Comparative Perspectives; Military Medicine; and Armed Forces & Society.
SIDELIGHTS
Sociologist David Glenn Smith and clinical psychologist W. Brad Johnson have collaborated on the book, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, a call for men to get busy mentoring women deliberately and effectively. Johnson is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the United States Naval Academy and a faculty associate at Johns Hopkins University. He has written numerous books on psychological disorders, training in professional psychology, ethics, and mentoring. Johnson also speaks, mentors, and consults around the world.
Smith is a sociologist whose research centers on gender, work, family issues, dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. He is an active duty U.S. Navy Captain and permanent military professor in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy. Smith has written numerous journal articles and book chapters on the topics of gender and the workplace. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from University of Maryland.
In 2016, Smith and Johnson cowrote Athena Rising. With decades of research showing how important and valuable mentoring in the workplace is, the authors discuss how the mentoring landscape is unequal for women. Women still face barriers in securing mentorships, which can limit their career advancement. Johnson and Smith contend that when men mentor women, they need to understand the specific needs of women. Women report that they want a mentor who respects them, understands their career goals, and who can integrate career and interpersonal needs. Men need to understand that their mentoring is crucial for women’s success and ability to thrive in business settings. To succeed, businesses need both talented men and women who thrive and contribute to the company.
For their research, the authors drew on extensive sources, academic findings, experience from experts on mentoring and gender workplace issues, and real-life stories from women in senior management of companies like Coca-Cola, Sodexo, and NASA, and the military. They discuss racial and gender bias, self-awareness, factors that harm women’s careers, productive mentoring, management relations, and the role of maternity. They also explain the harmful, pervasive, and pernicious attitudes in the workplace and dispel the stereotypes that women are not assertive in their careers. A writer in Publishers Weekly commented that the book is “filled with useful advice and backed up by academic research,” and will be valuable to male business leaders. Ray Kimball remarked online at Bridge: “Johnson and Smith do an amazing job making their case through the strength of their writing and the impressive array of data at their command. They deftly blend the latest academic research with powerful stories of cross-gender mentoring from military and business contexts.”
On the Standard Issue Web site, reviewer Dotty Winters pointed out the military style language through the book, and believed the book was “well meaning, but perhaps not facing in the right direction.” Beginning with being a book written by men for men, Winters said that “they reference female traits in a way that seems to draw on some fairly outdated evolutionary psychology.” Moreover, Winters noted an uncomfortable passage in which Johnson and Smith advise mentors of female colleagues they think are too shy to ask for help not to wait for the woman to request input, but instead, to look for opportunities to teach women what they need to do. Winters calls this “coaching, without consent.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, July 11, 2016, review of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, p. 57.
ONLINE
Bridge, http://thestrategybridge.org ( January 23, 2017), review of Athena Rising.
Standard Issue, http://standardissuemagazine.com (November 17, 2016), review of Athena Rising.*
Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law
CAPT David G. Smith, USN
Smith
CAPT David G. Smith, USN
Permanent Military Professor of Leadership
Assistant Professor of Sociology, United States Naval Academy
Phone: (410) 293-6012
E-mail: dsmith@usna.edu
Department of Leadership, Ethics, Law,Luce Hall(Mail Stop 7-B) 112 Cooper Road Annapolis, MD 21402-5022
Download CDR David G. Smith's CV here.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Captain David G. Smith graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Oceanography and was commissioned an Ensign in May 1987. Captain Smith commenced flight training in June 1987 and was designated a Naval Aviator in November 1988.
After completing fleet replacement training in the P-3C (MOD) aircraft at Patrol Squadron THIRTY-ONE, Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California, he reported to Patrol Squadron SEVENTEEN, Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii in June 1989. Captain Smith made one deployment to Naval Air Station Adak, Alaska and a tri-site deployment during Operation DESERT STORM to Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia; Masirah, Oman and Naval Air Facility, Kadena, Japan. Prior to deploying to Diego Garcia, he completed transition to the P-3C UPDATE I aircraft. He served as the Aircrew Training Officer, Maintenance Administration and Training Officer, Schedules Officer and NATOPS Officer.
Captain Smith reported to Patrol Squadron THIRTY, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida as a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) Instructor Pilot in June 1992. He served as the Power Plants Branch Officer and Pilot Training Officer.
He reported as the Flag Lieutenant for Commander EISENHOWER Battle Group/Cruiser-Destroyer Group EIGHT, Norfolk, Virginia in May 1995 and participated in Exercise Unified Endeavor 96-1, All Service Combat Identification Evaluation Team (ASCIET) 1995, Mountain Top Joint Exercise and Combined Joint Exercise Unified Spirit 96.
Captain Smith was assigned to the Naval Bureau of Personnel, Aviation Assignments, Arlington, Virginia in May 1996 and served as the Maritime Patrol Aviation Shore and Sea detailer.
After completing FRS refresher training, he reported to Patrol Squadron NINE, Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii in March 1998. Captain Smith served as the Safety/NATOPS Officer, Training Officer and Operations Officer completing two multi-site deployments to Diego Garcia/ Masirah, Oman/ Bahrain and Misawa/ Kadena, Japan. Patrol Squadron NINE was the first squadron to transition to and deploy with the Aircraft Improvement Program (AIP) P-3C.
In August 2000 he reported to Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, U. S. Pacific Fleet, MCBH Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. He served as Current Operations Officer, Assistant Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel (N1), and Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (N3). During this tour he attended the University of San Diego and graduated in March 2003, earning a Master of Science Degree in Global Leadership.
Captain Smith assumed the duties as Executive Officer, Patrol Squadron FOUR in April 2003 and subsequently completed a Misawa/Kadena, Japan deployment flying in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM-Philippines. As Commanding Officer, he led the squadron on the first VP squadron deployment to Bahrain, Afghanistan, and Djibouti, with numerous detachments throughout the FIFTH and SEVENTH Fleets. During this deployment, the squadron was recognized for their combat support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM flying over 110 combat sorties overland Iraq and Afghanistan. The squadron was also one of the first Navy units on scene supporting Operation UNIFIED ASSISTANCE and the relief efforts for the Indian Ocean tsunami victims.
Reporting to the OPNAV staff in May 2005, he served as the Sea Strike Information Operations Military Capability Package Lead for the Integration, Programming, and Analysis Division (N70). In December 2005, he was selected to be the Executive Assistant to the Director, Capability Analysis and Assessment Division (N81).
Captain Smith was selected for the Navy Permanent Military Professor Program in April 2006 and commenced studies at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Sociology in August 2006. He graduated in May 2010 with a Doctorate of Philosophy in Sociology with specialty areas in Military Sociology and Social Psychology. Upon completion of his doctoral degree, he reported to the United States Naval Academy Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law to assume his duties as a Permanent Military Professor.
His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and various unit awards and campaign medals.
CV: https://www.usna.edu/LEL/_files/documents/CV_David_Smith_March%202016.pdf
David Smith, PhD is an active duty U.S. Navy Captain and permanent military professor in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy having served four years as the chair. A former Navy Pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 19 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. Dr. Smith is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of gender and the workplace. His most recent publications include: “On the Fast Track: Dual Military Couples Navigating Institutional Structures” in Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research (2013), “Dual Military Families: Confronting a Stubborn Military Institution” in Military Families and War in the 21st Century, Comparative Perspectives (2015), “Leadership and Peer Behaviors: Women in Combat” in Military Medicine (2016) and “Gender and the Military Profession: Early Career Influences, Attitudes and Intentions.” in Armed Forces & Society.
David G. Smith is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the US Naval Academy; a gender, work and family researcher; author and speaker.
Through his research and experience leading diverse organizations, he has established his value to organizations looking to improve gender relations. Dr. Smith is known for facilitating challenging topics about gender relations and brings this skill to his consulting, writing, and speaking.
A sociologist trained in social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work and family issues including cross-gender mentoring relationships, gender bias, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and military women. In his speaking, consulting and teaching, he explores gender in leadership settings focusing on social science research illuminating the difficulties women experience attaining and being seen as effective leaders. Emphasis on gender and leadership styles, traits, and effectiveness is integrated with domestic responsibilities and organizational cultures and how they differentially impact women and men. Dr. Smith engages audiences and clients in challenging conversations about stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination that contribute to women’s under-representation in elite leadership roles. As a practitioner, Dr. Smith provides evidence-based best practices and strategies for promoting parity in top level leadership.
Dr. Smith is a frequent presenter on gender relations topics and best practices in mentoring relationships, co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, and authored numerous articles across his areas of expertise.
Dr. Smith received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland, an MS in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego and a BS from the U. S. Naval Academy.
Specialties: Gender, work and family; mentoring relationships; gender bias; retention of women; dual career families; military families; military women; and leadership identity/efficacy
Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women
263.28 (July 11, 2016): p57.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women
W. Brad Johnson and David Smith. Bibliomotion, $27.95 (240) ISBN 978-1-62956151-6
First-time authors Johnson and Smith, both professors at the U.S. Naval Academy, hit a home run with this no-nonsense, timely guide that will benefit any man who wants to more effectively mentor or manage women in the workforce. Boldly stating that "traditionally masculine 'command and control' structures of hierarchical management are yesterday's news," and starting with a tutorial on self-awareness, the authors help the reader understand factors that harm women's careers and interfere with productive mentoring or management relationships. Seeking to illustrate "pervasive and pernicious attitudes" in the workplace, they tackle the stereotypes of women being too nice or not assertive enough, the "double jeopardy" of racial and gender bias, and the role of maternity. Then, drawing on academic research as well as real-life stories from senior-level women in organizations such as Coca-Cola, Sodexo, KPMG, NASA, and various branches of the military, the authors offer practical ways for mentors to lead, interact with, and champion women so they can succeed. Filled with useful advice and backed up by academic research, this handbook should be on every male business leader's reading list. (Sept.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women." Publishers Weekly, 11 July 2016, p. 57. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA458915371&it=r&asid=6c990a574563de6fad6c25037e2ecaa2. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A458915371
Book review: Athena Rising
Dotty Winters was sent a book. It’s ruffled her feathers a bit.
Posted on 17/11/2016
Mentor at your peril: Athena, goddess of wisdom and war.
Mentor at your peril: Athena, goddess of wisdom and war.
Increasing gender equality improves economies and companies that have a more diverse workforce perform better than those who don’t. The evidence in this area is well established and relatively uncontroversial but progress in improving workplace gender equality has been slow.
The barriers that women face are also relatively well understood: ‘the motherhood tax’, gendered language, stereotyping, and a healthy dose of plain old sexism, from men and women alike.
Given that this is an issue that has implications for men and women, I am open to all suggestions, from all directions, on how we sort this shit out.
When I heard that there was a book that sought to encourage men to do more to fight this good fight, I was looking forward to reading it.
Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women by W Brad Johnson and David Smith (Routledge), seeks to tackle the knotty challenge of why women are underrepresented at the highest levels in organisations. They draw from a robust body of evidence as to the existence of this as an issue, and of the effectiveness of mentoring as a tool for career progression.
Let’s start with some disclaimers:
1. This book is written by men, for men, so I may not be the intended audience.
2. The authors acknowledge the challenges of writing a book about women – as two men – and work hard to present and challenge common misconceptions about women in the workplace.
3. The authors present and use evidence to support their arguments (although some of the ways they interpret this evidence is open to question).
4. I’m pretty sure Johnson and Smith are good guys who are genuinely motivated by trying to improve representation in the workplace. They are clearly conscious of the risks of misinterpretation of their intent and provide some great commentary on male privilege and on the economic business case for greater inclusion of women.
One of the challenges of this book is that it at times seems to fall into the bear traps the writers are so careful to caution men to avoid. For example, a section on the risks of benevolent sexism offers a great explanation, and some useful examples to help readers recognise and avoid this problem, yet in a number of places the book offers commentary which seems to sit within this category (such as a section which explains that one of the main barriers to men mentoring women is their wives).
“The advice here is, don’t wait for female colleagues to request your input, look for opportunities to teach women what they need to do to survive in your workplace. Coaching, without consent.”
Both men are linked to the Navy, and much of the language in the book, including chapter headings such as “Battle Intel” and phrases like “Gentlemen, this is a call to arms,” reinforce a rather macho and adversarial tone to the book which I’m not sure is helpful to its aims.
Some of the evidence on differences between men and women is a bit outdated and at times interpreted beyond application. So, while they are careful to point out that there are very few physical differences between men’s and women’s brains, they reference female traits in a way that seems to draw on some fairly outdated evolutionary psychology. (Incidentally, for a useful, and funny, analysis of some of the confirmation bias which undermines some evolutionary psychology I can’t recommend Sara Pascoe’s Animal enough).
Overall the result is a book which is a little tone-deaf in places. Take this passage:
“Take time to teach her what she needs to know to thrive in your workplace. Be particularly vigilant for opportunities to provide her with access to critically important information, intel that might otherwise be unavailable to her. Sheryl Sandberg observed that some high-potential women may have difficulty asking for help because they don’t want to appear stumped. So don’t wait for her to ask for guidance, Think something might be crucial for her to know? Have you identified a knowledge or skills deficit. Get busy teaching and coaching!”
That’s right, the advice here is, don’t wait for female colleagues to request your input, look for opportunities to teach women what they need to do to survive in your workplace. Coaching, without consent. Any woman who has had a man she works with carefully explain why they should behave more like them, even if the results they are delivering are equivalent or better, is likely to wince at this passage.
Athena Rising book coverFor me it brought back memories of a male manager who advised me I needed to socialise with colleagues more in order to support the project, despite my part of the project outperforming all the other projects and the fact that all opportunities to socialise with colleagues (presumably at the end of the 16-hour days I was working) were in stripclubs.
Overall my lasting impression was that this book is well meaning, but perhaps not facing in the right direction. Take, for example, an anecdote in which a mentor, Charles, notices that a woman in his organisation fails to get the professional treatment she deserves because men in the room were “brazenly staring at her cleavage”.
Realising that this is unacceptable behaviour, Charles discusses the situation with a senior colleague and resolves to have a conversation with the woman concerned about how her attractiveness is holding her back and she needs to be more aware of it.
I can’t help thinking that a more effective route to representation of women and a better-run organisation would have been immediate disciplinary action against an member of the team who doesn’t listen to a colleague, because boobs.
Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. W. Brad Johnson and David Smith. New York, NY: Routledge, 2016.
Mentoring inherently contains a gendered component. The term mentor comes from the Greek legend of Odysseus; Mentor was the tutor left behind to raise Odysseus’s son, Telemachus. The legend describes how the goddess Athena periodically took Mentor’s form when she needed to impart wisdom or guidance to the young Telemachus. The story doesn’t say whether she chose that form because it was familiar, or because she thought the advice would be better taken from a male figure. Athena’s actions highlight an uncomfortable truth that has remained constant to this day: cross-gender mentoring is difficult to do well. In their new book, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, W. Brad Johnson and David Smith tackle the question of why men are terrible at mentoring women and how to fix it. The book is written as a practical, common-sense guide aimed squarely at men who can recognize opportunities for cross-gender mentoring, but aren’t sure how to start.
Athena Rising is structured as two self-contained, yet complementary parts. Part I makes the simultaneous case for the serious deficiencies in men’s mentoring of women and why successful mentoring is so important. Johnson and Smith begin with a compelling summary of the current literature outlining the multiple challenges women face in gendered work environments and why men, as a group, are so bad at cross-gender mentoring. The tone is never hectoring or accusatory; the authors lay out the facts and research in simple, stark terms. The most helpful chapter in this section is Chapter 4, which lays out in unsparing detail the very real biological and psychological factors that hinder professional relationships between men and women. Again, nothing in the text is written as apologia or justification for those difficulties. Given the frequent critique of gender integration efforts as “ignoring biology,” this chapter feels relevant and important. Part I concludes with the important reasons why men can and should mentor women; the clear intent is to provide an impetus for action, supported by Part II.
For those who are already convinced of the obligation to mentor both genders, but aren’t sure how to proceed, Part II provides a step-by-step roadmap of best practices to pursue and pitfalls to avoid. Johnson and Smith begin with the fundamentals of beginning a cross-gender mentoring relationship. Those elements are best summed up with this brilliant quote from RADM Sandra Stosz, Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy at the time the book was written:
Learn about the woman you want to mentor. Start with ‘what are your interests, what are your aspirations and goals, where do you want to go in your career?’ Meet her where she is and don’t presume that she’s just like you.[1]
Part II also stresses the psychosocial aspects of mentoring, those elements of development squarely focused on personal growth rather than professional growth. The section concludes with a frank and candid discussion about dangers in cross-gender professional development, including the imperative to avoid sexual intimacy (or even the perception of it) in a mentoring relationship.
Johnson and Smith do an amazing job making their case through the strength of their writing and the impressive array of data at their command. They deftly blend the latest academic research with powerful stories of cross-gender mentoring from military and business contexts. The resulting narrative avoids the twin traps of either coming across as a dry ivory tower treatise or lecturing through anecdata. The authors infuse the text with a candid, direct tone; much of the text is addressed to “Gentlemen” or “guys,” leaving no ambiguity that the authors are speaking to superiors, peers, and subordinates of their own gender. That’s appropriate, given that this is a book written by men for men. It also makes it stand out from much of the existing literature on mentoring, which is written by women.
The few weaknesses of the text stem from word choice and how to implement the proposed way forward. The authors repeatedly use the term mentee to describe the junior member of a mentoring relationship; in my book, I voice my concern about that word choice as underscoring a one-sided relationship. The authors obliquely justify the choice by noting the root etymology of protégé as a person under protection. While it’s important to acknowledge that history, it’s equally important to assess how the idea of mentee puts the emphasis on the junior partner as recipient. Also, the many best practices the authors lay out are certainly not limited to women: many of them are equally helpful for same-gender mentoring relationships. To be fair, Johnson has written several books detailing exactly those approaches. The core problem inherent in the text is how to get it in the hands of people who might not be initially receptive to its message. People who believe in cross-gender mentoring will have no problem going through this text. People who doubt its efficacy are unlikely to pick it up in the first place.
Consider this review a first attempt at solving that last problem. If you’re a man, do a quick inventory of your mentoring relationships. If none of them involve women, pick up a copy of this book and use it as an opportunity for structured self-reflection on that topic. If you’re a woman and looking to start a mentoring relationship with a man, use this book as your initial outreach. If nothing else, it will make a great conversation starter to get things going. Good luck!
Ray Kimball is an Academy Professor of Leader Development and Organizational Learning and the author of The Army Officer’s Guide to Mentoring. Comments and feedback on this article are welcome via Twitter or email. The opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not represent those of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Army or the United States Military.