The conundrum.

I dislike rankings. You know the top 100 this or that according to some person/group. I consider them hierarchical symbols of the patriarchy. This need to know who is on top, regardless of whether they truly merit it.

They are also mostly meaningless. Quantitative ones are generally pretty easy to game, and qualitative ones? It’s simply one person’s opinion. So I don’t worry about it and pretty much refuse to play the game. Instead, I focus on giving smart advice to clients and expanding my knowledge so I can keep doing it.

Which may be hurting my career. Even if I am just as smart, just as driven and just as capable as another, I’m not on the list. The prospective client or recruiter calls him (yes the lists are still mostly hims), not me.

Why am I thinking about this today?

The copyblogger post yesterday about (and by) the freelance writer who pretended to be a man and subsequently saw her career take off really gave me pause. That it was so so much easier all around once the clients thought she was a man — even when the work was the same? Scary stuff, folks.

Now, I am not planning on suddenly retooling my consulting by adding a fictitious male partner (Remington Steele, anyone?) and don’t think I can focus all my attention on my spot on the lists either.

Where does that leave me?

It’s a conundrum.