- Liz Whitaker
He/Him/She/Her/They/Their ... the message is loud and clear
Gender pronouns. Bit Marmite* (international readers see below). Fact is, they are here to stay. This is not a passing phase. The expression we’re hearing is ‘business imperative’ and more people are expressing their preference in email signature blocks.
For non-binary people, this is a signal, loud and extremely clear, that they want to be treated as an individual. The email signature is a public statement, not secret or confidential or personal information. And when people choose to express an obvious binary option, it’s a clear signal that they are supporting the rights of their non-binary colleagues to be addressed in their non-binary choice. In other words, more people want to be treated as individuals.
Hoorah. Because this is what the power of personal is all about. And I believe this change is so momentous that in the Power of Personal second edition I will add this to the 15 reasons why personalisation matters now (which sets the scene in chapters one and two). Get it right** and you will be remembered. Get it wrong, well, good luck with that. If a client/target/contact has indicated their preference to you, they will expect your organisation to know.
The good news is we thought about this in advance when we created the Propella grid. In the person category of the grid you can choose to give people an icon that indicates if they want to be addressed female (she/her), male (he/him) or individual (they/them). Once complete, you have a visual overview of male/female/individual stakeholders and can manage your relationship and your communications accordingly.

Current Propella demand is for existing clients as a useful and live stakeholder analysis tool. In other words, who do we know and do we need to know to increase our share of spend.
**The grid can be shared within your business so everyone with permission can see it so vastly increases your chances of getting it right.
Still in denial? Have a look at this article Interesting article from BBC in New York https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51331571
Meantime, taking the feedback from Propella Version 1.1, we’re about to start building 1.2.
Message me for a complimentary Propella 360 Discovery session (NDA sorted in advance).
*something or someone that some people like very much and other people dislike very strongly:
He is something of a Marmite presenter - you either love him or you can't bear him.
Source – Cambridge Dictionary