I’m thrilled to say that our Men Tell All panels on gender equality in the workforce keep getting better and better! On Nov 7th, we chatted about being authentic at work and specifically how women can be their true selves in a workforce built by, for men. Our panelists knocked it out of the park – Kevin Brown, Minh Vu and Whitney Stafford.
Here are our takeaways:
- Unconscious Bias has tentacles – Kevin shared a personal story where he noticed unconscious bias, however, didn’t point it out at the time. He referred to that situation as “unconscious bias having tentacles”. That was such an aha! moment for me. It’s not good enough to simply notice the unconscious bias, in order to mitigate it, you must speak up.
- Vulnerability is the key – Let’s face it, talking about gender equality can be awkward. But what we’ve seen that changes the vibe room immediately is when the panelists are vulnerable about situations where they have fallen victim of unconscious bias and realized afterward. As panelist, Whitney Stafford said, “you recognized, and learned from it. There is absolutely NO shame in that. Instead, thank you!”
- Removing toxic masculinity from “leadership qualities” – Minh Vu pointed out how dangerous it is that overly masculine traits are revered in the workplace, such as aggression and need to dominate others. Typically, these traits have been seen as synonymous with leadership traits, and that needs to change. True leaders show vulnerability, empathy and inclusivity – all on the opposite side of the spectrum.
Again, thank you to all our panelists and audience members who came out. Our next event will be in Jan/Feb. If you have suggestions on topics, please chime in below.
Until next time,
Ashley
