Three ways you can promote Women today!

CRASH!

That’s the sound of the glass ceiling being broken in the United States as Kamala Harris was sworn in this past week as the nation’s first female Vice President.

As I joined the world watching her climb the steps of the Capitol with her husband Doug Emhoff, who chose “Second Gentleman” as his new title, I marveled at the achievement of the day. Not only was an elaborate inauguration ceremony being successfully held amid a pandemic in the very same building that only two weeks prior was overrun by rioters, but also a little girl of colour raised by a single mom had ascended through the ranks to successfully take her place in a political firm once monopolised by men.

Thinking back to 1968, when Shirley Chisolm became the nation’s first Black woman to win a seat in the House of Representatives and subsequently launched an unsuccessful Democratic bid for president in 1972, it seemed an especially inspiring moment of how far we had come. But understanding that my adopted home country of Ireland had its first successful barrier breakthrough in 1990 when Mary Robinson was inaugurated president, reminded me of how much farther the United States needs to go. Another sound entered my imagination.

THUD!

That’s women ricocheting off the ceiling tiles of the business world as the number of women holding FTSE 100 chief executive positions in the UK remains at just seven. Interestingly and disappointingly, there are more male FTSE CEOs named David.

While a growing body of research from reputable experts like McKinsey and EY shows companies with gender-diverse teams produce better financial results than competitors that do not, it might seem difficult to talk about promoting women in the workplace as the events of Covid have turned the workplace upside down.

Many women spend their days balancing a baby on one knee and a laptop on another as they struggle to integrate work from home with families at home. Others have quit their jobs altogether as they no longer have access to or can afford day care. But, right now, beyond the standard and often general calls for improving programmes of diversity and inclusion, there are seemingly small steps each of us can take immediately. 

 1.    Namecheck women more

Quick! Name an influential leader. Since I didn’t specify “female leader”, how many of you first thought of a man? Oftentimes, when either men or women give a presentation, business leaders like Elon Musk, Bill Gates or Warren Buffett will earn a reference or slide with a quote on it, while their female counterparts remain unmentioned.

Make an effort to discover who they are and what they stand for. Instead of Musk, what about Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors? Instead of Bill Gates, try Safra Catz, Oracle’s CEO since 2011. Consider Abigail Johnson, head of Fidelity Investments over Warren Buffet. Insert any of these into your next virtual presentation as an experiment. Tell your audience why. I bet it gets them talking.

2.    Commit to mentoring

Kamala Harris looked to Shirley Chisholm as a role model and I’m sure there’s a woman out there who could benefit from learning from you. Whether you’re male or female, if you’re a more experienced in your career, you could share the lessons you’ve learned with someone more junior in your organisation. If you’re just starting out, ask someone to sponsor you. Don’t wait on your organisation to provide a formal programme, you can take this upon yourself. There’s great reward from mentoring – and reverse mentoring too. If you’re senior, I know you’ll enjoy learning from the young person you work with too.

3.    Communicate more actively

Remember during the vice-presidential debate when Kamala Harris chided Mike Pence by saying, “I’m speaking.” when he interrupted her? More women need to do just that. I’m not calling for domination. But as men still largely dominate virtual team meetings and conference organisers still lament they “need more female” speakers, women can afford to be more animated and assertive during group presentations and team meetings.

On the day she and Joe Biden were inaugurated Kamala Harris tweeted this:

“I have a message for all the little girls and boys out there who dream of growing up to be superheroes: Superheroes walk among us. They’re teachers, doctors, scientists, vaccine researchers – and you can grow up to be like them too.”

I would add that our modern-day superheroes also include mothers, fathers, coaches, managers, supervisors and any person who takes steps to encourage women to grow, strive and thrive.

And finally, as you seek for ways to lift the women and girls (and men and boys, for that matter) around us, I leave you with the words of a young superhero.

 Amanda Gorman, the first youth poet laureate for the United States, delivered an exceptional poem during the inauguration, saying in part, “We will not focus on what stands between us but what stands before us.”

Yes, there is still so much to do. But that offers us the opportunity to make small changes that can make a big difference to someone.

Write to Gina in care of [email protected] or right here!

With corporate clients in five continents, Gina London is a premier communications strategy, structure and delivery expert. She is also a media analyst, author, speaker and