Chris Taylor

NEW YORK (Reuters), – The status of women working in the workplace has been a topic of debate for many decades. However, not enough is being done. The gender pay gap remains huge. CEOs, like corporate boards, are still predominantly male.

Stacey Vanek Smith suggests that we look for a unlikely solution to this problem: Niccolo Maciavelli.

Most people remember the Renaissance-era Italian statesman from his iconic book on high-school reading lists, “The Prince.” But Smith, the NPR host and author of the new book “Machiavelli for Women,” says his insights about power and survival can be just as critical for navigating the modern workplace.

“I hated that book back in college, but when I re-read it, it helped me understand why the numbers (of women in leadership positions) have been stuck for so long,” says Smith, co-host of NPR’s The Indicator from Planet Money. “It offers real suggestions and effective advice about how to gain power and hold onto it, even though it’s 500 years old.”

Machiavelli has negative and violent connotations, it is true. His advice to Florence’s ruler Lorenzo de Medici derived from the historical context of regions constantly warring with each other, where the prospect of being taken over and wiped out by rivals was a very real possibility.

If you can get past the sometimes harrowing nature of his counsel, these clear-eyed strategic principles – about how to evaluate threats, overcome obstacles and survive in positions of leadership – can be helpful tools in your arsenal.

ADVANCED INFORMATION WILL HELP YOU ARM YOURSELF

Machiavelli may not have been a military warrior, but as a diplomat he did place a high value on another power source – information. You can make more of information, and it will help you advance in your career.

“That’s the ultimate advice, especially for women or marginalized workers,” Smith says. “Find out what the typical salary range is for the position, what your colleagues are paid, and how much experience they have. Having those facts in a game changer, because most success in negotiating comes before you even open your mouth.”

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Systemic discriminatory attitudes are one reason women have been held back at work. However, women are not as strong advocates for themselves as men. If you’re not even asking for what you want in the first place, then any negotiation is dead on arrival.

“Men ask for raises and promotions at five times the rate that women do,” Smith says. “There is so much stuff that is out of your hands – but this is a significant part of the equation that you do have control over as an individual.”

DEMONSTRATE ‘CRAZY CONFIDENCE’

Smith claims that confidence is a better predictor of success in a career than any competence. It’s free – but it’s definitely a skill you have to develop, since it may not come naturally.

Try to be a little like James Spader’s Robert California character from the sitcom “The Office,” Smith advises – who despite little relevant experience, applies at Dunder Mifflin and ends up being appointed CEO of the entire company within days, purely thanks to his extreme confidence.

NEGOTIATE WITH A NEW MINDSET

Smith states that some women avoid asking for raises or promotions because these situations can be perceived as being aggressive and zero-sum.

Instead, reframe such discussions as a win-win: It is obviously in the company’s interests that you feel valued and produce at your highest level, so work together to figure out how to make that happen.

“This is tricky for women, because there can be a backlash to too much aggression,” says Smith. “So when I started to think about negotiations in a more collaborative way, that was the most useful shift in mindset for me.”

SEIZE THE MOMENT

While the pandemic caused so much destruction, it also changed the power dynamics of the workplace. It’s now acceptable to work remotely while still balancing family and home issues.

Smith says that while some women were not able to work from home in the past, it was a barrier that kept them out of senior leadership roles.

“There is a new openness about how work gets done,” she says. “I’ve never seen a moment where workers have more power than they do right now.”