“I” Versus “We”: Is it a Gender Thing?

A friend of mine recently came back from a retreat for her firm’s women partners and shared some things she’d learned with me.

One of the things she mentioned is that women often use the word “we” in describing accomplishments where men use the word “I”.

I thought about this, and thought about myself. True to the pattern, I tend to use “we” when talking about my work. But why? I am the boss, I own the company, and I hire the people to help me when I need help. So, technically, it’s all ME, right?

To me, WE sounds stronger, more powerful and more interesting. Like there is a team of diverse experts contributing to the work.

But I’m rethinking this. Maybe I’d be better to talk about “me” when pitching work.

So, I’m curious to hear from you. Do you use “I” or “we”? Does one sound better to you than the other? Any ideas why?

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