International Women's Day; A Reflection from a Female Designer in Corporate.

There are numerous thoughts swirling around this time... I am 29 years old, turning 30 this year. As a woman in a leadership position, I have been contemplating my corporate journey over the past few years. Years that have been challenging yet incredibly fulfilling. With the theme of IWD #InspireInclusion, I'm perplexed with the need to balance celebrating wins with an honest conversation. (Politics aside because that's a whole other conversation)

When it comes to being a woman, I am not at the forefront paving ways, especially compared to women such as Dr. Patricia Moore or Ray Eames. Yet, I am continuously baffled that even in 2024, most of my international professional experiences are still dominated by men. If I'm not the sole woman in the room, I often face questions about my age or comments about being someone's daughter.

We have a long way to go.

In my career, I’ve already experienced creepy married men telling me I’m the reason the get out of bed in the morning, unwanted advances, men telling me design and my career trajectory is waste of time, people taking credit for my work or my ideas, and the amount of times purely just talking down to me in front of peers.

We have a long way to go.

I have been fortunate to connect with exceptional mentors, directors, and people-leads throughout my career, many of whom I continue to stay in touch with. America is truly remarkable in that regard - I can confidently say I see the transformation taking place; I see teams becoming more diverse; I see women taking on key design leadership positions. But domestically and on an international scale…

We have a long way to go.

Women are more than someone to get you coffee/tea.

Women are more than mothers or care takers.

Women are more than someone to take notes or schedule a meeting for you.

Women are more than the person who knows what is going on when you travel.

Women are more than the empathy or emotions we show.

Women are more than someone who needs male supervision.

We have such a long way to go.

Not everything needs to be a big grand gesture. If you're looking for small gestures that can make a woman in corporate feel powerful, appreciated, and supported, here are some of my favorite tiny things people do in my career.

1. Challenging me to step out of the comfort zone I've settled into due to self-doubt or external pressures. And then providing me with genuine assistance when I encounter difficulties.
2. Words of affirmation. I currently am working with one of my top 3 superiors ever because of how appreciated and unstopped they make me feel with and without me in the meeting. Its such a small gesture, but truly, I leave meetings with smiles and feeling excited to do more.
3. Addressing inappropriate behavior in both public and private settings. It's more common for people to dive straight into the meeting without addressing issues like that, but simply saying "that's not cool" first is a step above.
4. Provide Direct and actionable feedback. I am grateful to those who provide feedback on my performance and offer suggestions for improvement. And this can be simple, "you should add your exclamation points back into your email because that's who you are,." or another example, my managing director once advised me to be more direct and confident when interacting with the SVP because my SVP noticed I have been hesitant and passed on the feedback for my MD to give to me. Straightforward and easy to understand.
5. Allowing time for listening and occasionally setting aside 30 minutes to focus on something other than the project or deliverable. This particular situation seems undervalued as there are instances in a professional environment where it's important to have a superior who is willing to check in on your well-being and engage in open discussions about topics beyond work deliverables.

If you're looking for suggestions on how to navigate your career successfully as a young female designer, here are some strategies that have been effective for me in the corporate world:

1. Consistently recognize the behavior you appreciate and want repeated. I make an effort to express gratitude to others and directly acknowledge the actions that made me feel empowered. I do this on a regular basis. It may seem bothersome, but I can't help but think, 'I'm thrilled that person acknowledged my performance in the meeting to their colleagues.' So, why not express my gratitude? This is the method I prefer the most. Especially to those who truly inspire you to believe in your abilities. Inform them.
2. Speak up and fight for what you want or find people who will speak up for you. It’s uncomfortable but find the right person. I tend to find an executive woman or a leader who asks you how you’re doing and truly wants to know.
3. Don’t try to be anyone but yourself. You don't need to speak sports because men do, you don’t need to speak up because everyone in the meeting said something, you don’t need to remove the '!!' from your emails. Just be you. Your people will find you.
4. Self reflect. We are no where near perfect. As much as I can write all the ways others need to change, there are things as a female, as a designer, I can improve to help other women and other designers. Own up to your mistakes and your emotions when you have them. It’s okay to admit when we were wrong.

If you've read this far and have more advice that I am missing, please let us know in the comments!

On this International Women’s Day, I’m reminded we have a long way to go. But I know there are some amazing people who don’t get enough credit for their positive cultural impact in the corporate world. So special thank you to some of the most incredible people I’ve learned from and who have impacted my corporate career as woman in design, and who have shown me how to #InspireInclusion

• Catherine O'Connor, Delta
• Scott Melcher, Delta
• Robbie Schaefer, Delta
• Bertrand Derome, WDO
• David Kusuma, WDO
• Thomas Garvey,? WDO
• Benjamin Wilson, WDO
• Jarred Evans, PDR
• Martin Delonis, Ford
• Claire Braun, Ford
• Nadia Preston, Ford
• Jim Hackett, Ford
• Nancy Kramer, IBM
• Jeff Neely, IBM

And of course my brother; Tanner Preiss, who is by far the person who deserves the most kudos for helping me navigate corporate and my career.