Grace Hopper, Burning Man, and Choices
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Data, AI / GenerativeAI , Responsible AI, XR | CEO | Board Member | Forbes Tech Council | TechWomen100 Champion | Trailblazer 50 | Driven to Create Positive Social Impact with Technology
"If women knew how much they could change the world with technology, there would be so many more women in tech." - Mariana Costa Checa , Grace Hopper 2018 Change Agent Abie Winner
What Burning Man is to some, Grace Hopper Conference was to me for over a decade. (I know I just lost my last glimmer of hope of ever being cool by writing that statement, but there you go.) I finally made it to the world’s largest gathering of women technologists this year. I am familiar with all-women environments as I went to an all girls’ high school, the amazing Uskudar American Academy (UAA). Nonetheless, GHC was on a completely different scale: Some unforgettable conversations and bonding across 22,000 women in three days rather than that with 600 girls over seven years. It was… INTENSE.
Highlights of this year's Grace Hopper Conference focused on celebrating the success of women technologists and those who support women in tech. The expo included a career fair, technology showcase, and a gallery of women technologists' stories. Mentoring sessions, student research competitions, and PitcHER event for female entrepreneurs offered a well-rounded experience for all attendees.
In addition to absorbing all the inspiring and thought-provoking speeches, discussions, panels, and role models around; we also had the priceless opportunity to learn from each other. What are some of the best practices to close the gap in Diversity & Inclusion (D&I)? Why are some organisations further ahead in closing the gap than others?
Once again, I realised how proud and grateful I am to work for Microsoft which ranked #16 in Thomson Reuters D&I Index for Top 100 Most Diverse & Inclusive Organizations Globally. I attribute our progress in this space to strengthening both sides of the “Diversity & Inclusion” equation. On the Diversity side, we work hard to bring in new talent by inspiring and encouraging women to step up in coding, hacking, STEM, and AI with numerous coding, STEM, and AI Bootcamps.* We also work hard to retain the female tech talent that we have. Providing diverse talent with ample opportunities to shine and to advance in their careers is by far the most important lever in retention. In addition, simpler tools such as flexible hours and location are also powerful retention enablers. I know if I did not have this flexibility as a working mother, I would not have survived at Microsoft for seven years.
On the Inclusion side; our various D&I employee networks**, training, and social events constantly refresh and uplift us. In addition to this mix of formal and informal activities, our executive sponsors and male allies play a very prominent role in the equation as advocates against bias, discrimination, and unfair treatment. We are surely on a journey and still far from ideal. However, I have personally experienced a solid positive change over my seven years at Microsoft. As a result of this multipronged approach on both sides of the D&I equation; when a few bad apples show up, I feel the checks and balances have mostly been in place to help them to grow out of their behaviours or to leave.
Not surprisingly, this was a hot topic at GHC. One panel, ‘Insights from the Top Companies for Women Technologists 2018 Winners’ stood out for me. In addition to all the efforts I have shared above, some additional best practices that resulted in tangible positive change for these winners were:
- Executive Sponsors taking authentic, personal accountability to provide an environment of inclusion for their team and actively participating in D&I efforts, serving as role models to the rest of the organization,
- Measurable D&I goals and metrics, along with regular progress checks and transparency over D&I data,
- Semi-annual diversity pipeline reviews to ensure diverse talent acquisition but also diverse ‘pull through’; i.e. ensuring consistent diversity across all seniority bands,
- Regular compensation audits to ensure equal and fair pay,
- D&I Awards to reward D&I champions as well as allies to create and to accelerate momentum,
- “Courageous conversations” which enable regular open conversations about employees’ concerns and pains regarding inclusion,
- Establishing D&I efforts as part of everyone’s business-as-usual, daily work (as opposed to ‘second jobs’ for those underrepresented),
- Reaching out to potential D&I allies with concrete suggestions on how they can help.
Every organisation will have its own best practices list depending on its authentic D&I identity and vision. The real challenge is not in such to-do lists or even in implementing them, but in cultural change and keeping our hopes, positive energy, and ambitions high in the face of adversity and setbacks.
On Friday September 28th, a historic day for the U.S. Senate and the Supreme Court; Prof. Anita Hill moved most of us to tears during her keynote on these same topics:
Q: “What would you say to a woman who feels her voice does not matter?”
- “Find those spaces where your voice matters. Don't limit yourself to places where people do not care.”
- “Stay in there. Find groups, small groups… Never lose sight of the goal. Always recognize the small advances, even a small triumph. Those will keep you focused on the bigger goal.”
- “Keep coming back to places like this because you will leave energized.”
- “Tap back into your alma mater - get the feel for what the next generation needs from you, but also what you can learn from them.”
- “Share your stories. Encourage your children to share their stories.”
And she closed with: “…Many of us will be disappointed today. My question to you is what are you going to do? I had a choice to make 27 years ago. At that time, I wanted to do nothing more than to retreat and to have my normal daily life back. But I didn’t. You have a choice. You may not have a choice about what they do, but you have a choice about what you do. What are you going to do to make this a meaningful moment at home and at work?”
I have started small and am loving the ride. Can’t wait for the next ‘Girls in STEM/ AI Bootcamp.’
Oh… So what’s next on my bucket list? Burning Man/ Woman, of course.
https://girlsinailondon.splashthat.com/
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nasa-space-hackathon-for-teens-london-tickets-50028218749
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/programs/digigirlz/default.aspx
https://www.codefirstgirls.org.uk/conference-2018-799987.html
** We are blessed with countless D&I teams at Microsoft. I, for example, am on two boards: ‘Women in Business Applications’ leadership team within our Cloud & AI team and Women @ Microsoft UK.