Dear Equal Opportunist, 

I promise, I was right there with you bawling my eyes out listening to her speech. She gave me hope, something that had been lacking for years. It wasn’t just this victory, but the victory of so many women who ran for congress. In fact, 127 women will serve in the next congress. There was also a major win for women outside of politics with the appointment of Kimberly Ng, who is the first female to be named general manager in Major League Baseball. 

And through all of these victories, there was one emotion that was stronger than all of the others – shock. I (and our nation) felt complete and total shock that so many women were stepping into leadership roles. And this is what will slow down the movement of true equality.

So, to answer your question, we need to take the shock factor away. We need to see more and more women in leadership so we can normalize it. And these are my suggestions for how we do it.

Let’s start at the beginning – with the literal job description. I’ve written about how women are far less likely to apply for a job that they aren’t 100% qualified for (read that blog here), but they also are less likely to apply if they feel like the language in the job post is really masculine. I’m not making this up. Terms like rock star, ninja, assertive, independent, aggressive and analytical are all subconscious turn-offs for women applicants. So, how do you know if your job description is female friendly? Luckily, there’s a website that does it for free. Check it out here. It’s not rocket science. It just takes a little bit of giving a damn.

Once your description is ready, it’s time to re-think where you’re recruiting candidates. Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” This applied to the hiring trends of a company, too. If you’re part of a company that only has men in leadership, and you’ve found your last handful of hires from the same source or site, it’s time to look for a new recruiting fishing pond – particularly one that attracts diverse candidates. Post your jobs in more places and reach out to recruiters. Be sure to emphasize your company fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace. And mean it by recruiting women actively.

Get comfortable with different types of job histories. Women often have less traditional job histories than men because they traditionally are the ones responsible for raising kids or caring for sick relatives. This doesn’t make the candidate unqualified. It makes her even more valuable because she will have a unique perspective to bring to the table.

Provide training opportunities and promotion based career paths. Look, ping pong tables and kegs are cool, but women want stability, flexibility and to know they’re being molded for promotions. This is an easy way to create a woman-friendly environment. Want to know another way? Paying the women at your company the same as their male co-workers. Don’t believe in the pay-gap? Read up on it here.

Looking at the bigger picture, it’s crucial to participate in elections, especially those with gender equality issues on the ballot. It’s your right and I believe it’s all of our responsibilities to use our vote as a tool to shape the world we want to see.

Circling back to Kamala now, I want to remind you that while she’s smart, savvy and passionate, she’s not a unicorn. There are women with incredible leadership traits everywhere. It’s time for women to become a normal part of leadership. And with a little extra effort, it’s completely possible. 

Sincerely,
Jenny