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It鈥檚 been a tough few years for women, and they can鈥檛 even claim the silver lining of true equality in their careers, despite recent claims of a shattered glass ceiling. This week鈥檚 guest has made it her mission to help bridge the career gap for women.
Award-winning advisor, speaker, and Rhodes Scholar Christie Hunter Arscott has been named one of the top management thinkers likely to shape the future of business by Thinkers50. Her book, 鈥淏egin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty, and Launch a Brilliant Career,鈥 has been chosen to help celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Rhodes Trust. Her book aims to help women learn how to succeed in an environment made for men and, one day, change that system.
Despite some claims to the contrary, it鈥檚 clear that the gender gap hasn鈥檛 been eliminated yet. Arscott points out that well-known studies have shown men will apply for a role even if they aren鈥檛 completely qualified, whereas women apply only for jobs where they meet requirements 100% 鈥 or are overqualified!
These studies showed Arscott that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a gap that women need to close more than men. So how do we actually create a custom toolkit to help women get their head around risk-taking?鈥
Because risk-taking, as so many of our guests have told us, is essential for growth and success. But 鈥渢he world reacts differently to women than men. That鈥檚 just the reality.鈥 So when failure, which goes hand-in-hand with risk-taking, happens, women might react differently 鈥 or others might react differently to women than to men. 鈥淪o we have to create more supports embedded into the system and gender intelligent tools to deal with that. [...] It鈥檚 saying, you know, when you do this, this is how you prepare.鈥
This may sound like women have to work with the system when many of us want and need the system to change. Arscott understands this: 鈥淚 wish I could change society, but while we鈥檙e waiting for organizations and society to change, we have to equip ourselves to deal with these conversations [and] barriers in the meantime.鈥
Women aren鈥檛 the only ones struggling to jump that gap to success. Intersectionality is something we must consider, as well. Arscott explains that 鈥渋f you鈥檙e a woman that鈥檚 underrepresented from another aspect of your identity as well, then you鈥檙e going [to] need some of these supports and tools more.鈥
This is why Arscott also does broader inclusion work with companies, advising and coaching them on how to be more inclusive. She tackles the language used in job descriptions, such as asking for 鈥減referreds鈥 rather than 鈥渞equirements,鈥 and she reminds recruiters that they need to consider broader outreach. No more can employers use the excuse of 鈥渘ot finding鈥 leaders from certain underrepresented groups; 鈥淲e need to stop that narrative [of] 鈥楾hey don鈥檛 exist,鈥 because they do.鈥
With legal support systems and rights being taken from women and underrepresented groups, Arscott emphasizes the role of organizations in helping to support their employees, current or prospective. When it comes to legislative changes like affirmative action, organizations have to consider questions like, 鈥淲hat do [legislative changes] mean for companies? And how will their policies look?鈥
Everyone, Ascott reminds us, 鈥渉as affinity bias. We鈥檙e more likely to gravitate toward people like us, and that impacts our purchasing decisions, who we hear in the room, who we invite to sit at the table, who we promote. And so we really have to be conscious of that.鈥
Leaders can鈥檛 just sit back and ignore their bias. They have to accept it and learn how to broaden their perspective despite it. 鈥淚 always say, 鈥業nstead of walking into a room and looking at who鈥檚 around the table, look at who鈥檚 not around the table that should be, and invite them to join.鈥 [T]hose simple flips of the script and mindsets really help.鈥
Tune into the full episode to learn more about Arscott鈥檚 views on recent legislative changes related to women and underrepresented groups and what her book provides for women looking to bridge the career gap for themselves!
Our Motivational Mondays guests provide amazing advice for pursuing leadership and success. Check out our recent episode on unleashing your leadership edge to give your career journey a boost.
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