It takes courage to be the only one in the room

I resisted the urge to write an obligatory “Happy International Women’s day” post last Wednesday. It felt like just paying lip-service to the concept. And I am glad that I did pause that thought because I’ve had several conversations since that have shifted my view on the event and left me pondering some questions. Firstly, focusing on (gender) equality and equity should be a year round commitment. This left me grappling with whether we should celebrate (IWD) on a single day or not, but there is definitely value in taking stock and assessing how things are going. Secondly whether the onus should be on women to raise awareness of the issues. Does this just add more burden to the lives of women? What could and should I as a man and men in general be doing to bring about necessary change?

I was lucky enough to participate in a Talent Forum Special Event last Friday. A truly inspiring experience led by Interaction consultant Emma Bacon and featuring a really candid talk by our guest speaker Nishma Waite, exploring the meaning of equality and equity. Maternity discrimination, menopause, representation and role models were among just some of the things we talked about.

The take-home message for me was our collective responsibility to communicate openly, challenge norms and change culture through empathetic leadership and mentoring. Without this we will all lose out on talent, diversity, progress.

Recognising the value and opportunity of being the only “_____” in the room, but having the strength and courage to speak up in those spaces is a huge responsibility. I’d like to take a moment to recognise and appreciate each of the amazing women I see working around me today that has played their part in paving the way for the girls and women of the future.

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