Here is why the diversity conversation is overdue in security.

It took me a really long time to figure this out, so I’m sharing this in the hope that it will be useful for someone else.

When I started out, I was a very unique hire in my field.

1. I had no background in the public sector - not ex-law enforcement or ex-military or ex-agency.

2. I was female.

3. I was Asian.

4. I was young.

The average private sector corporate security professional was the opposite of all of the above at the time. 

When I first began my journey in corporate security, I was a curiosity for many people. I was constantly asked if I was someone’s secretary, someone’s spouse or an event planner when I attended industry conferences.

As I persevered, people’s curiosity turned to indignation and in some cases apoplectic rage. I was told that someone had promoted me because I was a good-looking woman (not quite as politely). That was followed by being asked why I was ambitious and why I wanted to be paid more or be promoted to the appropriate designation when I had a husband and father who could provide for me. That was followed by being told I was too aggressive for a woman. I was told I had to fit into a stereotyped perception about women - that I should be gentle and kind and nurturing - so that people can accept me more easily and like me more. I was constantly told I was too ambitious for my own good and it would be held against me. That was followed by comments about the physical appearance and anatomical composition of young women I hired into entry-level roles. It was depressing and there were many days filled with doubt. 

At no point did anyone tell me I wasn’t doing a good job or that I was unfit to do my job. These were all hard to deal with. I spent days and nights agonising over how to deal with these people, how to adapt to the environment. My partner listened to me and told me that I should let them all go stuff it and that I should focus on loving myself and doing my job. Loving myself and holding myself in high regard was a really novel idea for me at the time. I also realised during this period that men are socialised to like themselves more and doubt themselves less. As a woman who was raised in a patriarchal culture, the matriarch of my family (the irony!) always told me (and the other young girls) that if someone found a problem with you, it was because you’d done something to cause it and you should be the one to reflect. What I didn’t realise at the time was this this “reflection” was one-sided and soon devolved into a culture of compromise and appeasement. I would start out with reflecting but then get to a point where I was only serving someone else’s purpose and not my own.

That was the men being in charge. The experience of having few women in my field made it hard to compare experiences with anyone. There were few women to begin with but even fewer women of colour. Additionally, it was hard to meet female mentors who were willing to acknowledge the aforementioned issues and were open to working with another alpha female. As far as they were concerned, there was only room for so many and they were it. Amongst the women secure enough to grow together, I made some fast friends, whom I hold dear to this day.

As I worked through all of the above, something began to happen. My hard work and competence and effectiveness began to be recognised in the industry. The same skeptics, naysayers and detractors began to recognise me as a person with intellect, talent and competence. What was previously labelled aggression was now called drive. Along the way I found champions who saw me for who I was from the get-go, motivated me and advocated for me in my absence.

Today, I’m not longer regarded merely through the lens of my gender or race or other social constructs. I’m treated on par, for the most part, with other people at the same stage in their career. The snide commentary has reduced and what little happens, happens behind my back and affects me significantly less.

There are more women, more persons of colour, more people from varied backgrounds today in corporate security. But we have a really long way to go.

Even today, for someone like me, I can’t say I don’t encounter signs of bias at all anymore - in pay or in opportunity to be considered for positions. There are still companies out there who will hire along old school stereotypical lines but not without being questioned why they wouldn’t consider a candidate like me. There are still managers who will say non-traditional hires are "diversity hires" for them, rather than acknowledging they are the most competent and fit-for-purpose hires.

So if you’re a hiring manager, if you’re a decision maker, and you're looking to introduce diversity into your hiring pipeline, first question why things have been done a certain way. I know I do. Think about the attributes and competencies are you looking to hire onto your team. And then open your mind to the candidates who fit the bill. You will be satisfied with the outcome.