What organizations owe women

- Let's a few things straight from the beginning. Before we dive in to what women can do, let's first acknowledge the elephant in the room. The unfairness and the systemic bias that women face is through no fault of their own. - That's right, Caroline. Organizational leaders and change makers need to work on this critical issue. This is not within the scope of this course, but it bears acknowledging upfront. We're not blaming women for the circumstances we find ourselves in. And we're not complaining about it. It is what it is, at least for now. - [Caroling] Instead, we want to share best practices for how to navigate some of the tricky situations that come up at the intersection of gender and leadership. - But for too long people have approached this as if we somehow need to fix women, that women have to change to become acceptable. - And we've heard this message forever. Remember as a teenager all those articles and advice on how to change yourself to attract a guy? Hopefully most of us now know that if we have to change and hide our true selves for a partner, that person isn't right for us. - But we need to start thinking the same way about jobs and companies. The right employer will not only expect a woman to be her true self, but will encourage that. It isn't about changing the woman, it's about setting the stage so she can be her best, and no woman should accept anything less. - Now, we're not against some do it yourself developmental work for women. We believe in training programs to help women, well, really everybody, perform at their best. - But the DIY approach has a dark side. It implies that women are solely responsible for their success and for their failure. That when their suggestions aren't accepted or their work is passed over, it's the woman's fault for not performing well enough. - And this ignores a key reality. Not every organization is one in which women can succeed, and that isn't the woman's fault. - If you're a company leader, the responsibility starts with you. Have you checked your own biases? Are your teams balanced to allow male and female perspectives? Do you praise multiple forms of success, recognizing all the things that make your organization successful? - [Caroline] Have you conducted a pay audit to ensure men and women are paid the same for equal work? Does your organization provide employee resource groups to build community among women and minorities? And have you asked for feedback from those groups to see how you're doing? - These policies make your culture inclusive and it turns out that a culture that includes women is an outstanding culture for all employees. - [Caroline] It helps with recruiting, retention, job satisfaction. Values like transparency, fairness, and open communication create a workplace that engages people. But unfortunately, these cultures are rare. - So when Caroline and I create courses that help women succeed, our goal is not to fundamentally change the way they think and work so that they can be more acceptable to a masculine company culture. - Instead, we want to raise awareness of the strengths that women bring to companies. And we want companies to be ready to embrace that female perspective.