As we gear up for another International Women’s Day in March 2018 I found myself reflecting on the topic Press for Progress.
I think that we are all aware that by successfully harnessing and empowering half of the world’s total talent pool will have a positive and massive impact on the growth, competitiveness, future-readiness of economies and organisations across the globe, aren’t we?!
Surely we all know that different thinking in business and community can achieve a lot? From solving complex problems to uncovering new opportunities. The different lens comes from Diversity of Gender, Culture and Age.
As we kick off 2018 it has been reported that we are in decline to close the gap. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Instead of taking 170 years to close the gap at the current rate of progress, it is estimated that gender parity across the world will take over two centuries, 217 years.
Digging deeper into the decline I really want to understand more about what is making us go backward?
I honestly believe it all comes from within, we women need to silence the negative voices in our heads, appreciate our skill and make a positive change in our lives. We need to support each other (Sisterhood) and find an opportunity which comes from looking with a different lens and a positive mindset.
Look at self first, be more self-aware, seek a business coach or another professional perspective and be ready to take on the feedback. Most of my career I worked in traditionally male-dominated companies and industries and I thrived. On the flipside, I found working with other senior women a huge challenge filled with their fear-based and scarcity behaviours and attitudes. However, these experiences made me more aware and able to deal with more challenges than I thought possible.
Here are some stats of interest
- Only 30% of women believe that qualified men and women have equal opportunity to be recruited or promoted into management and executive positions across Australian workplaces in general, compared with 60% of men.* CEW 2017 report
- More than 50% of female respondents saw lack of sponsorship as a significant barrier to their promotion prospects, particularly given that they do not enjoy the same access to traditional networks as men. *CEW 2017 report
- Inherent bias was another key reason cited. “The amount of middle-aged male team members in middle-to-senior management positions is far beyond statistical probability,” said one male respondent, adding, “There is currently a clear male bias without a true active path to address this imbalance.”
- Lack of robust processes was the third most commonly mentioned factor limiting the progress of women, especially at senior levels. A female respondent reported, “Senior appointments are seldom transparent in the selection criteria.” Another respondent said, “Many appointments seem to be based on who you know. This is particularly the case at the senior manager/executive level.”
There are things we can’t change today (3) however we can change ourselves, the way in which we see these challenges and our attitudes and behaviours towards them and fellow co-workers.
I believe we have all the skills, talent and opportunity within we just need to believe in ourselves more, we need to push our selves to progress.
We all need to do the things that make us happy, so if your not happy change! First change self or your perspective (you can’t change others) Be more self-aware, surround yourself with ethical, honest and sincere people. Understand your emotions, it’s no accident that Emotion contains the word motion – without being aware of how you feel how can you know what motivates you? I strongly recommend doing yoga, focusing on mindfulness, seeking a mentor or business coach or counsellor (with a professional unbiased view) who can help you look at things differently
We must also focus on the wins! Yesterday was a thrill seeing Sally Capp kick off her campaign for Melbourne mayor is a huge step in the right direction.
Sally is a dynamite and its fantastic to see her stepping up and leading the way! I for one vote Yes to Sally and more women stepping up. I hope she empowers more talented dynamites to do the same. Following on the topic of surrounding yourself with powerhouse women and positive mindset, here is my shameless plug for our up and coming event this International Women’s Day.
We are celebrating on 15th March 2018, Grossi Florentino’s 80 Bourke Street, Melbourne. We are delighted to host Celebrity Interior Designer Carolyn Burn-McCrave for a luncheon to raise funds for Dress for Success and hear all about Carolyn’s own career journey, how she has been pressing for progress.
To top off the event and in the spirit of food cooking and interiors, we are delighted to offer a fantastic door prize to be won in our business card draw.
We have a stunning Italian Kitchen mixer tap Guy Grossi’s favourite, that offers hot steaming water and normal hot and cold from the same faucet worth over $2K see https://multitap.com.au/ Here is a sneak peek https://vimeo.com/243965337
We will also be podcasting with our partner The Mentor List and be raising funds for Dress for success empower hour.
To join us and for more information and tickets please head to these links;
To read more about the reports I’m quoting from head to;
*CEW 2017 https://cew.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/FINAL_Advancing-Women-in-Australia_ALL-PAGES-002.pdf
The annual report for Gender parity conducted by the World Economic Forum is an important achievement that strongly influences whether economies and societies advance.
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