When I left Microsoft a few months ago to turn my focus and my energy on the issue of driving for gender equity, particularly in high tech, to pave the way for other women to succeed and try to break down the headwinds that hold so many great women from receiving the recognition and support they deserve, I was hoping that I could fuel momentum. I am incredibly grateful and duly impressed by the many women I have connected with and discovered who are also driving for the same change – lending their voices, energy and sweat equity to this incredibly important issue.
I am even more humbled and honored to be considered an influencer among some of the most esteemed women in this space. Thank you http(99+) LinkedIn Top Voices in Gender Equity: The 15 creators to follow | LinkedIn for drawing attention to this important topic and continuing to fuel the momentum on the movement for gender equity.
Like so many women, there have been moments when I felt like I did not belong. So many meetings where I was the only woman in the room and I would speak up only to be ignored and have my ideas repeated by another man several minutes later and have it hailed as a brilliant contribution. This has happened so many times to me that I have developed my own strategies for building allies prior to there being a name for this role. I discovered the value that allies can provide and how meaningful it is for a man to recognize when I have been interrupted or when my idea was miscredited in a way that did not “rescue me” for I did not need that, but instead empowered me by interrupting the flow and making space for me to step into it. I am so grateful for the many allies that I have enlisted throughout my career and it is what has fueled my passion to document my experiences and the actions these individuals took as my allies.
2022 is the year we #breakthebias and #becomeallies to disrupt the status quo, take action and make change. Congratulations to the incredibly impactful women recognized for their contributions. On this #IWD2022, let’s build the movement and drive the change!
