There is a SCIENCE to BEING AN ACTIVE ALLY and it's anchored in our physiology. When disrespectful behavior is witnessed, many men experience by-stander paralysis. It's a real thing that often prevents men from speaking up in the moment. If bad behavior isn't disrupted in 2 seconds, the moment is lost. I had the privilege of learning about this and effective pattern interrupt techniques from the remarkable Brad Johnson, co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, both written with his partner in equity, David Smith.
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More about Brad Johnson
W. Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former commissioned officer in the Navy’s Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award, and has received distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of gender in the workplace, mentoring, cross-gender allyship, professional ethics, and counseling. His most recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review, 2020, with David Smith), Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (Harvard Business Review, 2016, with David Smith), The Elements of Mentoring (3rd edition, St. Martin’s Press, with Charles Ridley), and On Being a Mentor (2nd edition, Routledge Press).