Who better to learn about driving success for gender diversity the than women who have beaten down paths for the rest of the world? From Sheryl Sandberg to Marissa Mayer and hundreds in between, women have been breaking stereotypes and all types of ceilings they encounter in the world. Here’s a collection of quotes from some of the most influential women in business and lessons that any organization can take away (and implement) from them
Sheryl Sandberg, COO Faccebook (formerly VP Google, Chief of Staff at US Secretary of the Treasury)
“I spent most of my career, including my time at McKinsey, never acknowledging that I was a woman. And, you know, fast forward — I’m 43 now — fitting in is not helping us.”
In all the quotes I read, “fitting in is not helping us” really stuck out. Because it made me think – it’s so true! If you’re going to encourage gender diversity in the workplace then you have to acknowledge that what drives men and women is different. There will be over laps but by recognizing and formalizing key differences through policies, you may be able to encourage women to climb up the career ladder.
Michelle Zatlyn, Co-Founder CloudFlare (formerly GM Google, Product Manager Toshiba)
“People don’t take opportunities because the timing is bad, the financial side insecure. Too many people are over-analyzing. Sometimes you just have to go for it.”
I think, I know over-analyze situations. Perhaps it’s how they’re programmed, I suppose I’ll never really know. At work, if you’re presented with an awesome opportunity and you’re in the habit of over-analyzing things, there’s a good chance you won’t say “Yes!” often (or fast) enough. And this invariably means that someone else, most likely a man will be saying yes over you. So I’m gonna put this one on women out there – when you’re presented with something you want to do, jump at it! All the rest will fall into place.
Anne Sweeny (TV Director, former co-chair of Disney Media)
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”
Success is in the eyes of the beholder, more than beauty is. Are you successful because you have a 50/50 split in female and male employees? Or are you successful because your board of directors has a 50/50 split? There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. It all depends on where you are as an organization and the next steps you want to take. You set a path towards gender diversity and every milestone achieved is your success. Don’t compare yourself to other organizations along the way.
Marissa Mayer (President and CEO of Yahoo, former key spokesperson for Google)
“Water finds a way – help your employees work where their passions are, or they will find another way to do so.”
It doesn’t get any more point blank than this. Do you value the women in your organization as equal contributors to achieving corporate goals? The answer should be yes. And if that’s the case then you need to be figuring out how you’re going to keep them motivated in the workplace. Whether it be flexible hours, work from home policies, in-office nurseries or quotas in leadership, you need to make it happen. Make women feel like they belong and their input is valued.
There are a thousand ways that each of these quotes can be interpreted just like there are millions of ways to create gender diversity across all industries. What do you think? What did you take away from the quotes above? Comment below and subscribe to the blog to receive more updates on creating powerful workplaces where everyone thrives.