“How have we not made more progress in thirty years!?!” I exclaimed about a year ago as I was leaving my most recent corporate leadership role at a top ten United States banking institution. This shocked statement burst loudly from deep within as I reflected back on a career that began and ended in commercial banking divisions led by all white men. Known for my calm presence, the fact that those words flew from my mouth with such intense passion shocked me into action. As a professional leadership development coach, I had just found my vision, mission and my “why” (thank you Simon Sinek!). I’m on a mission to shatter the glass ceiling, and yet it’s so much more than that. I sum it up in a simple equation: Men + Women = Better Business™.
What is Men + Women = Better Business™?
Men: The equation starts with men because the workplace began as a man’s world and a man’s culture.
+ Women: As we discuss in The History of Women in the Workplace podcast episode 3, women entered this predominantly male environment multiple times throughout history with varying degrees of success and permanence. Therefore, the equation adds women to the men.
= Better Business: As multiple studies have shown in recent years, organizations that have more women on the Board of Directors, in the C-Suite, and in fact at every level of leadership, financially outperform their peer institutions.
In the spirit of men and women working together I have partnered with Kevin Bronson to create the Men + Women = Better Business™ podcast. Listen to episode one to hear us introduce ourselves and the podcast.