How To Be An Ally (shared content)

?If you are looking for tangible ways to be an ally to women and gender minorities, or to simply support other women and gender minorities, feel free to try these out!?

I am reposting the thoughts of Amanda Martin, Ph.D., compiled from articles published by the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the LeanIn website. I am continually grateful for the opportunity to work with Amanda and provide my insights into the projects and programs she is forging at INE. This is an exact copy of Amanda's work. I claim no hand in building this amazingness. Shared with her permission.

• Remind co-workers whose idea it was. Many women have been in a situation where they have not received credit or recognition for the work they are doing or for the ideas they came up with. When you notice someone sharing the idea of a woman on your team and claiming it as their own (or not explicitly citing her as the creator) remind everyone whose idea it was by saying something like, “-____(name of person sharing idea)__thank you for brining that up/sharing this! I am so excited about this opportunity, and it seems like a great idea! ____(name of woman creator)_____ I believe you came up with this idea, is there anything you would like to add to this or expand on while we have the team together?
• When you introduce a woman co-worker, highlight her credentials and accomplishments.?This helps to establish her legitimacy and expertise up-front, which helps her to be taken more seriously in meetings and while working on projects with other individuals.?
• Support women who get cut off in meetings. If a woman gets cut off in a meeting you can encourage her by saying things like, “_______, you have extensive expertise in this area. What are your thoughts? Or “I think ___ wasn’t quite done sharing her thoughts on that and I’m fascinated to know more! ______ , can you expand on them a bit for us?
• Save a seat, front and center, for women in meetings. It is very common for women to gravitate towards sitting in the back of meeting rooms. As a result, women tend to contribute less to conversations and to not share their perspective even if it benefits the group. Help bring women and other gender minorities perspectives into the conversation by saving them a seat in the midst of all the action!
• Encourage women on your team to go for it! Studies suggest that women struggle with self-doubt and imposter syndrome more than men. You can help boost their workplace confidence by encouraging them to go for a specific opportunity if you think they will shine and benefit by doing so!
• Call out the stereotypes.?This one is easy, but if you hear someone serotyping calmly call them out on it. The perpetuation of stereotypes creates barriers for women and other gender minorities that limit their entry, progression, and even acceptance in various fields. Help to make all fields accessible by calling out the stereotypes when you hear them. For example, think about when someone says a woman is being too “aggressive” or “bossy”. Would these words still be used if it was a man? In reality, these same characteristics are often cited as being confident” and “Strong” across various studies.
• Celebrate women’s accomplishments.?Women tend to attribute their success to external factors when that’s simply not the case. Additionally, women tend to not celebrate their victories as often as men because it’s viewed as “self-promotion”. When a woman on your team hits a major milestone or accomplishes something amazing, celebrate them to reinforce how awesome it truly is!
• Give direct feedback in performance reviews/on projects.?Research suggests that men are given much more direct feedback than women in the workplace. Vague phrases like “good job” or “not quite where it needs to be” for example, are not helpful since they don’t tell the individual how exactly to improve or what is needing to be changed. Providing specific feedback allows women to be actionable which means a better product for you and less of a headache deciphering what you meant for her.
• Nix the pet names.?While usually unintentional, using pet names actually dilutes the appearance of a woman’s authority and professionalism in the workplace. If you wouldn’t call a man in the meeting “sweetie” or “honey”, then don’t use that language for a woman either.
• Volunteer for “office housework” so it’s not always on the women.?It is no surprise that in many meetings the “official note-taker” ends up being a woman. Help provide opportunities for women to a part of the conversation (rather than a forever note-taker) by offering to take notes for that meeting! Note-taking should rotate and not continuously fall to the same person (typically a woman) every time.

the articles used to craft this list:

-?https://leanin.org/tips/workplace-ally#

-?https://hbr.org/2020/10/4-ways-men-can-support-their-female-colleagues-remotely#:~:text=In%20the%20in%2Dperson%20work,women's%20experiences%20in%20the%20moment.

-?https://leanin.org/tips/mvp

-?https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2019/11/19/7-ways-men-can-support-women-as-allies/?sh=53261836981e

Also, here are a few more that might be helpful!

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/01/09/how-men-can-help-to-advance-women-in-the-workplace/?sh=61de09ff1bcc
• https://hbr.org/2020/10/4-ways-men-can-support-their-female-colleagues-remotely
• https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-men-can-become-better-allies-to-women