Elevating and Supporting Women in the Workplace — All Year Round
I work with a guy who told me that, without fail, any time he takes his children out somewhere without their Mom, he receives compliments about what an incredible Dad he is. (And, the truth is, he is an incredible Dad.) The interesting thing, however, is that his wife has never received such a compliment when out and about with their children. (And yet she is also an incredible Mom.) I have experienced something similar whereby my husband (who has an amazing career) will introduce me to somebody, and at least a dozen times a year that person will ask me if I work outside the home. Now, mind you, stay-at-home parents have the hardest job on the planet, and I admire them all greatly. But I do resent the fact that because my husband has an amazing career, the assumption is that I don’t have a career. And what is more difficult to understand is that when I introduce people to my husband, they don’t ask him if he works outside the home. Instead, they ask what he does for a living.
So, in this iconic and celebratory Women’s History Month, I’d like to talk about elevating and supporting women in the workplace all year round – making it a continual effort — an accountability that each of us can take on as members of an always-evolving society.
I recently shared my perspective on what a leadership philosophy means to me. More than a mission statement, or words I put to paper, it’s a living and breathing philosophy and document. It isn’t just what I proclaim to be as a leader, it’s something that holds me personally accountable. It guides me and provides direction as I choose how to spend my time and make decisions. These decisions impact lots of people – whether those people be teammates who work for me at Insight, or family members who I care about deeply.
In a year where equality and equitable practices, especially when it comes to organizations, have been brought to the forefront, the beliefs we post on social media or speak out loud in conversation with others need to be in lockstep with our choices. It’s nothing new, but somehow hits more profoundly this past year: our actions speak louder than words.
Insight was recognized as having one of the most gender diverse executive teams in the technology industry, an evaluation completed of the largest public U.S. tech companies according to Fortune 500 rankings. Our actions at Insight speaker louder than our words, and I’m proud to say that our words are pretty loud too. One of our three corporate values is “Harmony” which is defined internally as:
“We’re different in skill sets, perspectives and backgrounds but united by a common goal. We welcome uniqueness and all points of view as we work together to make transformation happen.”
In 2020 at Insight, we launched our first-ever Global Harmony Day where we celebrated our unique and diverse teammates around the globe. This “action” spoke loudly to our teammates.
March is Women’s History Month. You’ll see a lot of articles and pledges from individuals and organizations, including our own, to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of women in society. Here’s my personal pledge: When I see mothers out and about with their children, I will stop them and compliment their parenting and patience, the same way I do fathers. And when I meet people, I will resist the urge to assume anything about their career or stay-at-home status. And, of course in the workplace, I will continue to prioritize Insight’s Harmony value, and ensure that our diverse teammates always feel comfortable bringing their true selves to work.