In late 2014, I witnessed a firestorm in real time on Twitter that shone a light on the real and perceived gender gaps around us, as well as the reasons for them.
I was, via hashtag, “attending” the Grace Hopper conference, listening in to the feed as hundreds of women were sharing their insights and experiences virtually.
A CEO panel was invited onto the stage and, when the question of how women should navigate their careers arose, one advised the all-female audience not to ask for a raise—saying they should have faith that the system would give them one.
You can imagine how quickly he found himself having to retreat from his “have-faith” stance in the face of confusion, disappointment, and righteous viral anger.
The next day, there was an emergency panel called for these same executives, except this time, they were in the audience, listening to women leaders speak about their experiences and challenges in a workplace that seems to put obstacles in their path.
It was a powerful correction.
As one of the first and largest diverse affinities to be identified as a priority by many companies, female talent has stepped forward in large numbers in their efforts to seek community, support, and to identify their unique value proposition to the business.
We still have a long way to go based on the number of organizations who scarcely track their workforce statistics by gender, let alone other characteristics. But we also have some stunning success stories which have already left a remarkable legacy.
The battle isn’t over yet, but we can play it smarter now.
I care deeply about how we do that, which is why next Tuesday I’m excited to be joining a panel called “Changing the Conversation: The Power of Female Voices in Shifting the Business Landscape” as part of the NGLCC’s Women’s Book Event in NYC.
We’ll be discussing the particular ways women succeed and are challenged in building their careers, the impact of our various identities and diversities on our journeys, and how more women can be inclusive leaders and role models in changing the conversation to include all of our voices. And I’ll be talking about how to build your thought leader and author brand in dialogue with fellow LGBT businesswoman and author, Jenn T. Grace, and Penn Mutual AVP of Talent and and Diversity Jessica Choi.
The event is for financial services professionals, financial advisors, insurance professionals, women’s opportunities group, and all who embrace diversity or want to learn more about its importance in the workplace.
Afterwards, I’ll be signing copies of my book, Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace & The Will To Change during a networking and cocktail mixer.
You must register to attend, and you can do that here.
More details are below.
When:
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Where:
Empire Wealth Strategies (Penn Mutual)
2 Park Avenue, Suite 300
New York, NY 10016
If you can’t make this event, don’t worry.
I have a book signing as part of the HSBC Business & Finance series at Bryant Park in NYC on June 26. I’ll be talking about the experiences I had compiling my book, Inclusion, and what energized me as a writer. There will also be a discussion and an opportunity for you to ask your questions.
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P.S. The story at the beginning of this email is an excerpt from my best-selling book, Inclusion. If you’d like to download the first chapter of the book for free, you can do that here.
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