The conversation between two CEOs

Today was an inspiring day. Bayer hosted a special session with Mary Stutts, MHA , the CEO of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA). She sat down with our Bayer CEO, Bill Anderson, to discuss empowering and supporting women in their career development—an essential topic.

I attended the event in person, not to overshadow our female colleagues but to show my support as an ally. I’m part of GROW Allies, a group that supports GROW, Bayer’s internal women’s network. As an Asian man, I previously led BASIA, but today, I dedicate my time to being an ally not only to GROW but also to the LGBT+ and veterans’ groups. The reason? It’s simple. A cartoon beautifully illustrates the concept: by supporting others, I, too, will receive the support I need. That’s the difference between heaven and hell in that cartoon.

I’m grateful to have attended today's event, where both CEOs shared impactful messages. While I felt a personal connection to Mary, as we share more common experiences—she not only worked at Bayer but also at Stanford University, where I completed my postdoc—Bill’s insights were equally valuable. In fact, he later provided a thoughtful and insightful response to a question I raised at another internal event, which I truly appreciated.

Mary’s closing remarks resonated deeply with me and aligned perfectly with the message of my newsletter. She said, “If you, as a woman, are serious about serving on corporate boards, you have to get comfortable sitting with a group of older white men.” She continued, “It’s human nature to trust people who resemble you, whether in appearance, beliefs, or culture. But to be truly inclusive and successful, you must be open-minded and willing to learn about those who are different. If you’re a woman, you must immerse yourself with men; if you’re Black, you must immerse yourself with white colleagues*.”

She added, “It’s a problem if you’re white and only surrounded by other white people; it’s a problem if you’re a woman and only work closely with other women.”

Moreover, she stressed that women don’t need to, and shouldn’t, mimic men. The aim is to understand how the other half thinks while fully appreciating your own worth and building confidence. It's about discovering your authentic self, not pretending to be someone else.

Bill fully agreed with what she said.

Her words moved me so much that I stood up and listened to the entire session from the back. Reflecting on myself, I feel profoundly grateful for my friends, who span different races, genders, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. Many have been patient with my far-from-perfect English and have taken the time to learn about me. They understand that "no, most Chinese don't eat dog meat - we love our pets just as much as anyone else." While we may appear different on the surface, we share much more commonalities deep down. They understand that while spies exist in every country, the vast majority of us just want to work hard, live honestly, and make the world a better place than we found it.

As Bill stated in the event: "We are all subjected to biases." There will always be miscommunication, misunderstanding, and disagreement. However, as long as we remember that the true meaning of life is to support each other, we can solve problems far better than through conflict. Let’s engage in healthy competition and rivalries, pushing each other to be better, while always being ready to extend a hand when one of us falls—just like we’ve seen in many inspiring moments at the Olympic Games.

https://www.wesa.fm/2024-08-02/an-olympic-sprinter-fell-during-a-race-the-first-person-to-help-was-her-opponent

At the end of the day, we’re all human, cherishing the precious life we’ve been given.

--END--

09/11/2024, Creve Coeur, St. Louis.

* Want the North Star, Go South.

Further reading: the comments in this thread are very interesting. Once again, dismissing or overlooking gender differences is not helpful. Like Mary has emphasized: https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/kasrajh_genderequality-drivingskills-breakthebias-activity-7239141919384104960-fOm1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop