Global Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Litera
“Legislators, priests, philosophers, writers, and scientists have striven to show that the subordinate position of woman is willed in heaven and advantageous on earth.”—Simone de Beauvoir. Is this still a major stumbling block on the 21st century road to equality? Do you think discrimination against women comes from the bottom or the top?
Angel Gurría, the former secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, made the statement “Women are the most underutilized economic asset in the world’s economy.” Equal participation is vital. But equality cannot be achieved until equity is addressed – this encompasses a range of disadvantages and imbalances in availability and access to opportunities – is addressed. The participation of women – including the intersections of identity, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic class – in the economic sector, in government and policy making, in education, the legal sector, the tech sector, is a necessary condition for transformative system change. In recent years, there has been some improvement, but women are still not equally represented in political and government roles as well in technology where we see transformative advancements and innovations that impact health to economies.
So, from my vantage point, there is no bottom or top only anymore; There is inside and out, verticals, circles and intersections that hold old view challenges – but in there are also possibilities. We are not bound by legislations or religion or science alone anymore. The 5th industrial revolution, continuous and tenacious waves of feminism, and social media has changed the culture of female emancipation – by collectives that advocate in the streets, events on social media, around decision making tables and benches that have women in seats. When there is unheeded opposition or barriers or steps backwards, there are also now women, colleagues and allies that hold the same space, or around the same tables that can also bring to light, challenge and influence. Where there are women in the rooms, there is still possibilities for the next generation. And the view that its vitally necessary to build from the inside out our institutional structures to level the playing field perseveres.
If it is true that whenever women are involved in any one aspect of life — domestic, business, recreation — the empirical evidence shows that activity is enhanced in a real and tangible way, why is there such fierce resistance to this female influence?
Perhaps in its most quiet form, there is exclusion in that statement. It may land as if to leave out in order to make room. Swap out any word for women with another layer of one’s self.
I have said before, I am mindful of those statistics and correlations that makes these statements. It is not to say that diversity at the table is not for the betterment, but to be mindful of the gender normative behaviors that are associated with it. Being empathetic and relational is a key and needed skill we know, but it has been traditionally assigned (rightfully or not) to women with the caveat of women being better suited for ie teacher and nurses verses principals and doctors. It was a way to suppress. We want to create access, safety and space for the non-celebrated and valued complexities and differences brought to the table that have shown impact – while being mindful of assignments. In this ‘assignment’ and evidence, we can negate to include and celebrate how others/allies that show these attributes can and should lean and lead with those qualities. This way we shift to rewarding and valuing those who have or use these skills and empower others to respect it and emulate them. Our world now, every more in leadership in evyer industry, needs these skills to lead people who have forever changed by world events – if that happens to be more women, then let this be the example of what we need more of at the table.
In your opinion, what qualities make a “Moves Mentor”?
This would be like asking me what is your ideal mentor. The balance of Humility. How does a person balance experience without being elitist? Wisdom while giving space for others to fail. Having confidence while making space for empowerment? Moves Mentors are the ones still fighting the good fight, still climbing the mountain, still running in the rain. That is what is so special. To me a Moves Mentor balances humility by reaching down to help others up that mountain while on it themselves, holding the umbrella while you are both in the rain and sharing with mentees the trials, stories and challenges they still may feel or face, while they fight the good fight. Creating a sense of safety and leading with humility is what a Moves Mentor is to me.
How does mentoring benefit the mentor? Career-wise? Intellectually? Spiritually? Socially? Others?
What a wonderful question. It is a gift for someone to want to be your mentee. There are aspects of you that another respects, admires and appreciates. It goes back to our need to be liked for who you are – as childlike as that may seem, even as adults we still walk with the need to be liked. Isn’t that a part of belonging? What you get as a mentor out of a mentoring program is really what you are open to receive. If you come from it is a gift, it is an exchange that can benefit how you learn from others’ learning, understand the layers of a person, feeling challenged to not change them but empower them to grow. This can be so rewarding from career to spiritually.
Should mentorship be a company requirement or a personal give-back?
There is an in between to this question. Mentoring happens in and between colleagues, committees, peer groups and cross-functional teams whether a company has formalized programs or not. This is our social contract at work, that is not governed or managed by leadership and a sign of a healthy environment. Along the same vein, working collectives want to see formal commitment by companies in their development, giving thoughtful time and access to senior leaders, visibility that employees are invested in their careers and learning and a sense of accountability towards a goal that comes with formality. This is the decision of the company and how deeply embedded talent is to business. Mentorship however, is always a personal give-back regardless of the milieu.
What is your mentorship method? Do you prefer a more hands-on or laid-back approach?
Servant, Safety & Sponsorship. Servant leadership style. Building a space to grow and soar, means not approaching it as building the person and it is an important distinction. Empowering their natural self, navigating challenges and elevating skills, dissipating worries, giving tools to advocate or advance, and celebrating strengths means there needs to be a space created for them to feel safe, to express fails or worries – to take constructive feedback and the safety to even not take your advice. Lastly, although to some it may be another level to mentorship, for me, it is an integral part of it. Sponsor them. How do I speak of that person in rooms when they are not there? How do I create paths and opportunities for them that they may not have on their own? Be that type of Mentor. Sponsorship is a fundamental element of mentorship especially when we are supporting traditionally underserved communities, build skills and then give access. Break down walls.
How does diversity play into mentorship?
How does it not? The way I see it, it is inherent in mentorship – it is great mentors that ensure it is ‘in operation and threaded throughout the conversations and lens. Think about it in its most unconscious way: people go to a mentor with the need to be heard and seen in order for the advice and/or support to be relevant, personable and valuable. How do we mentor an introverted if they do not know that they may be in certain situations? Are we seeing the person to be the best we can be? The question is for the mentor really: How are you working to see the layers and complexities of your mentee at play? How do we understand communities that have experienced hardship, or intergenerational trauma that remains guised in conflict avoidance, trepidation, and worry? We need to aim for being the best mentor we can be, by understanding things we need to learn about, see, recognize, and realize that we may need to ask to learn as well.
Given the evidence that successful mentoring increases the bottom line, should any responsible five-year corporate strategy include a detailed plan and budget for mentoring? Should any said plan come complete with an official position for a mentoring director as well as include regular progress reports to the Board? Tell us your strategy.
What gets measured, gets managed (Drucker, P., 1954). If it needs to be built, then its musts have a way to be measured. Metrics are a key indicator of impact and influence on talent. Residing in Talent or with a company’s Diversity leader for accountability; It should be however operationalized across senior leadership and departments holding formal spaces in work culture and visibility for career growth. Reporting this to the Board, as a key program that influences engagement, retention and performance is good strategy.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
You do not have to be a leader for people to want to walk with you. Early in career, we get stuck being enough in level, experience and or education to mean something to others. But it is actually along the way that we find who we are, failing, asking for help, helping others when you are still climbing, looking for sponsorship, developing networks, learning from mistakes, and having passion for one thing that defines you, staying curious and humble – and even sometimes taking our own advice, to eventually stand tall. Confidence, kindness, humility and passion are so underrated – but for me, those who emulate this first, are who I also would want to walk along side.
What would you say to yourself if you could go back in time 15 years?
A winding road, despite that hardship and challenges, is way valuable (even if you cannot see the end) than the straight path that you see others gliding along. Understanding and experiences challenges makes you wise and relatable to the ones we aim to support. That winding road builds character and brand – and experience and brand are one of the most important investments a person can make that has a rate of return.
Who do you most admire? Why?
Caregivers. Look, diversity, equity & inclusion leaders are in the trenches of giving to make space for others. It is as I say ‘hard-work and heart-work’ that comes with the need to put down the crown and connect with others, like Powermoves Women, where we can share, learn and just be.
But Caregivers, they are the 2.0s. My mother was a support care worker for 20 years, tending to elderly in critical care, caring, singing, and tending to them to ensure they had dignity and felt valued. Single parent caregivers. With a wonderful and hands all along the way partner, we are raising our two social justice warrior sons, and there are days we look to each other and say, how do single parents do it? Educational Assistants in the classrooms dedicated to children with needs, health and front-line workers who dedicate their whole self in those times of patients who are scared or facing tragedy as we saw in the pandemic and those who save and care for animals in need. They are my heroes.
