Issue 21 | Bloom with Ruth Penfold-Brown

Hello beautiful human

Greetings from a rainy, thundery Georgia after a couple of very hot weeks. Devon and I are doing some work on our house at the moment - yep, his house is becoming our house, eeeeep - and so I am writing this from a rather basic motel-y place about a mile from home.

It's been an interesting moment for us both, like going into a cocoon to be reborn into our next chapter. We feel like we are staying in a place that we might have lived in 20 years ago in the 1990's, had we met as a pair of goofy kids vs goofy 40-somethings haha.

Today though, I want to talk about compensation.

Women represent 35% of employees in startups, yet on 20% of the equity goes to women. This is often because we are hired into roles with less compensation to begin with.

We get 47 cents for every dollar of equity compared to men, which is something like a 1.5 million dollar wealth gap by the age of 65.

I say all that to say, compensation means so much more than just base pay, and education around what the whole package, for those of us in the People space, will mean that we don’t just get to move things forward for ourselves, we also have the power in our roles to change it for others.

Fun fact: women are just as good at negotiating as men, sometimes better!

In studies by Harvard and Carnegie Mellon, they found that when things are ambiguous and we don’t have much data, we struggle. Men are much more likely negotiate than us, and therefore get more. But we are holding back often because we are penalised when we ask for more.

Interestingly when women are negotiating on behalf of others, we aren’t just the same as men, sometimes we are even better. This is especially true in markets like real estate.

We need to invoke that warrior spirit on behalf of ourselves, but we do that by trying to remove ambiguity. Now in HR, we have a sense of what others are earning, but do we really know enough about what our peers are earning?

We can learn to eliminate ambiguity by arming yourself with market data. But how...?

We won’t win alone, but we can win together

Whilst women are commonly heralded for being great at supporting one another, we truly suck at asking for help when it comes to our careers, even with our friends.

That’s because we have been taught not to ask for things for ourselves. But guess when we feel better able to ask...? When we are in a group where that is expected of us. Which is exactly where community for us is so powerful.

When I say I want to build a Bloom community, I really mean it. I mean a group of women where we are constantly seeing how we can be of service to each other, where we share our situation transparently and arm one another with data that means that we all get to win. A place where it isn't just safe to ask for help, it is expected. Transparency and community will eventually even the playing field.

And for today, here are three things that you can do to start to move towards the compensation you deserve, whatever your role:

1. Research and prepare: gather your data and arm yourself with knowledge beyond the walls of your company. In this journey, don’t forget the power of connections. Cultivate relationships with colleagues, mentors, and other professionals. Let this research be your shield, providing you with the evidence and confidence you need to enter negotiations.
2. Focus on value: When it’s time to discuss compensation and advancement, remember to centre yourself and your worth. Shine a light on your contributions, accomplishments, and the unique value you bring to the organisation. Paint a vivid picture of how your work has positively impacted the company’s goals, bottom line, and overall success. Reply or message me “I am ready” and I will send you my Title Upgrade Kit?? to do my career narrative exercise.
3. Negotiate every time: Hone your skills in lower stakes sitches, practice your persuasive words, and boldly articulate your value, giving as much data around the impact you have created as possible. Never shy away from advocating for what you truly believe you deserve. Seek advice from experts, take negotiation workshops if needed - let these experiences shape you into a master of the negotiation game.

That's the truly amazing point of all of this, if you are in HR, by advocating for ourselves, we really ARE advocating for others. We are the change makers that can actually change the system. Let that be the fire that drives you forward in your career.

Together, we can create a world where women, and anyone else who is not set up to win in our society finally receive the recognition, compensation, and titles they truly deserve.

If you would like to Bloom Together [hint, that's the name of the Bloom community], signups for Bloom 2.0 open in the middle of September, join the waitlist here.

Big love, Ruth

Ps. If you'd like to start getting a weekly newsletter from me rather than waiting for a whoooole month, you can sign up?here.

?? The new podcast has launched! Bloom with Ruth Penfold-Brown ??

The goal of this podcast is to inspire and support you to build the tools to do that in a way that feels truly authentic to you and one where you truly thrive. Join me every week as I (normally) meet with phenomenal women in leadership and share tools, tips and frameworks to support you to build a career beyond your wildest dreams.

But for episode one, I was thrilled that the brilliant Luke O'Mahoney agreed to join me to interview me about Bloom. His insight and thoughtfulness is truly inspiring, as is his amazing business SapienX, if you don't follow him yet, make sure you do!

We are already up to episode 4, and here are the other amazing guests to start listening to and looking forward to:?

1. Mae Yip and Samantha Hornsby?talking about being brilliantly different and complementing each other as founders
2. Susan C. Allen Augustin talking about stepping into founding her own business
3. Zoe Peden talking about finding out what you really want and mastering the career pivot
4. Jo Dalton talking about growing in confidence in her career and supporting other women
5. Sophie Theen FCIPD talking about building confidence at the C-Suite and sharing goodness about her own path
6. Abi Williams talking about authenticity and being prepared to go against the status quo
7. Patricia (Parra) Hadden talking about setting a new bar and way of being for women in the workplace
8. Leslie Greenwood talking about stepping into leadership and the power of community
9. Elaine Lin Hering talking about finding your voice, and unlearning silence

Follow and support each and everyone of these glorious humans, you won't regret it! And of course, the pod! Find it on Apple: https://lnkd.in/gMND_Sw4 and Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gkWPy_yX and let me know what you think ??

Ps. A special thank you to Kevin Swartwood for helping to make it sound SO much more pro ????

I’ve worked with over 50 women in HR (People/Talent/Learning/Reward) and rising. One conversation I’ve had with almost all of them: imposter syndrome.?

So here are my three ways to start to overcome it.

There is no magic cure for imposter syndrome, there is only the hard work it takes to build self belief and stand in your power. It won’t change until you choose to make it change. But the point is, it can, imposter syndrome doesn’t have to be your experience.

Watch this video to learn what those three ways are: https://lnkd.in/gCgyRkMr

But the really fun part…? You’ll soon find there was never anything wrong with you.?Imposter syndrome was never about you, it was about the systems and structures we find ourselves in.

What I love about Bloom SO much is that we support you to figure out exactly what you seek in this season of your life and reflecting on the?five P’s of career freedom ?????????? helps us to do that.

Why the eagle...? Why not haha. I get to see them fly all the time in Georgia, and those cats fly high and soar free.?

?? Pay:?we often tell ourselves things like; pay doesn’t matter to me, but that simply isn’t true. HR can be the lowest paid member of the leadership team, but is that right...?

?? Promotion:?you might be getting ready for leadership, or you might already be at the top table, but your title is ‘Head of’ and not ‘Chief People Officer’. Are you satisfied with what that is...?

?? Progression:?are you in a season where you want to dedicate time to growth? If so, are you growing in the way you want to be? Are there courses or things you have been interested in exploring?

?? Peace:?are you in a season where you are looking to simplify your career? Perhaps work less hours? Perhaps leave work at work?

?? Pivot:?do you have a sense that you are looking for a more radical shift in your career? Perhaps you are looking at others and feeling a sense of jealousy, which let’s be clear is simply self fury, because you know deep inside that you could be doing what they are doing.

Different seasons of life call for different things, and in Bloom, every season is catered for.

Try this 5 minute exercise to help you figure out where you are at ??

Draw a circle and split it into five sections, mark your level of satisfaction across each of the sections. If you are all good and it isn’t a thing, colour it all the way in. If you are lacking, then leave it empty.?

Now let’s take the one or two that are lowest. Take a deep breath and blurt out your crazy ideal for that area.?

I’ll give you an example. My husband is an event emcee, and maybe 15 years ago he asked himself what he really wanted, and what came up for him was; MC Hammer meets Tony Robbins. At the time he disregarded it, like what does that even mean...!?

Sure enough, maybe 5-6 years later, he had become an event emcee, sharing inspiration on the daily, dancing like MC Hammer, and even sharing the stage with Tony Robbins. So literally nothing is off the table.?

No one else can see it. Write down your wildest ambition.?

Deep breath, 30 seconds max, go!