Women aren’t waiting for change—we’re making it happen.
Throughout this International Women’s Day series, we’ve shared stories of women who challenged the status quo, stepped into leadership, and made a difference. Not by waiting for permission—but by marching forward. ✨
Picture this. You have your weekly one on one. Your team member promises to complete the inventory report for the project by next week. Next week arrives and it’s not done. What do you say? Is it, ‘Why didn’t you complete the report?’ If you’re like most leaders, that’s exactly what you’d say. Or at least, it’s what you want to say.
We won!
I saw the call for the awards email and deleted it… Three times.
Then I had a conversation with my client about how well the current Coaching skills program was going. I was feeling quite chuffed!
Then I saw the award email again, and this time I read it.
We know that diverse teams deliver the goods. Science knows it. Academia knows it. And anyone who’s worked on a diverse team knows it. But what we don't’ talk enough about, is how it feels to be a part of this diversity. If we are doing our job, showing up with ideas, challenging other team members, and generally pushing ourselves and each other to be brilliant, then diversity feels difficult. There is push back. There is scepticism. There is discomfort. BUT...if we can just hang in there long enough, trust our colleagues enough, and have faith that we all want to make a positive difference, then we can reap the rewards that diversity offers.
Today I turn 48 (and mark 18 years as an independent consultant in communication dynamics – Wahoo!). Feeling nostalgic about my life, my mind has wandered to my early jobs, and how they shaped my work today. I figured you might get a laugh out of these early jobs so I’m sharing some here. (I guarantee you’ll be surprised by some!)
Picture this. You have your weekly one on one. Your team member promises to complete the inventory report for the project by next week. Next week arrives and it’s not done. What do you say? Is it, ‘Why didn’t you complete the report?’ If you’re like most leaders, that’s exactly what you’d say. Or at least, it’s what you want to say.
We know that diverse teams deliver the goods. Science knows it. Academia knows it. And anyone who’s worked on a diverse team knows it. But what we don't’ talk enough about, is how it feels to be a part of this diversity. If we are doing our job, showing up with ideas, challenging other team members, and generally pushing ourselves and each other to be brilliant, then diversity feels difficult. There is push back. There is scepticism. There is discomfort. BUT...if we can just hang in there long enough, trust our colleagues enough, and have faith that we all want to make a positive difference, then we can reap the rewards that diversity offers.
Today I turn 48 (and mark 18 years as an independent consultant in communication dynamics – Wahoo!). Feeling nostalgic about my life, my mind has wandered to my early jobs, and how they shaped my work today. I figured you might get a laugh out of these early jobs so I’m sharing some here. (I guarantee you’ll be surprised by some!)
When it comes to gender equity, the most elusive part of the problem is the invisibility of the real problem – the second-generation bias that pushes implicit bias underground. This kind of bias is the policy and procedure and the ‘way we do things around here’ that gets woven into the fabric of the organisational culture.
Implicit bias however remains in the shadows. Hard to spot until someone deliberately shines a torch on it. It’s time to get our torches out and shine a spotlight on the hidden obstacles for women. Those that are stuck in the systems, ingrained in our cultures and waiting to create confusion about what’s really going on for women at work.
