As we wrap up Women’s History Month, I‘m reminded of this year’s International Women’s Day theme: #ChoosetoChallenge. Such a fitting theme for the time we are living in. Women everywhere are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the UN has warned of its adverse impact on gender equity. Yet women have risen to the challenge, continuing to break the glass ceiling and owning a seat at the table. In early 2020, Fortune announced that there are more women at the helm of Fortune 500 companies than ever before: 37 out of the 500 CEOs are female. According to Lean-In, 21% of C-suite leaders today are women, but just 1% are Black women. It is truly a privilege to be able to challenge—and I started to question what it takes to have that privilege, to be valued for who you are and what you can do to make a difference.
As Nielsen’s leader for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), I can challenge the status quo, ask uncomfortable questions and pave the way for change. But for many working women, getting to a role like mine feels more like a pipe dream. While DE&I has become the latest corporate buzzword, the most successful companies have a common denominator: a CEO or leader who is passionate about infusing DE&I throughout the company and acts to drive change. Nielsen has our CEO David Kenny, who until recently, played the dual role of CEO and CDO so that he could act quickly to improve representation. Find people who share your passion and will trust and empower you to do what is right for the company.
2019年末に初めてニールセンに来たとき、私はリスニング・ツアーに参加し、女性を含む多くの多様な社員が、昇進で見送られたと感じたり、自分と同じようなシニア・リーダーがほとんどいないため、自分には支持者がいないと感じているのを聞いた。多くの場合、彼女たちは私のような黒人女性で、"怒れる黒人女性 "として見られ、発言しなければ何も変わらないし、発言すればステレオタイプ化されるという行き詰まりを感じていると話してくれた。私もキャリアを通じてこのような経験をしたが、声を上げるには正しい方法と間違った方法があることを学んだ。味方を見つけ、関係を築くことが重要なのだ。席のあるメンターは、次の大きなチャンスをつかむために、あなたを擁護してくれる。キャリアの初期に、私はあえて白人男性のエグゼクティブ・コーチを選んだ。彼が私をどのように見ているのか、そして自分の強みを活かして、人を拒絶するのではなく、引き込む方法を学んだ。自分とは違うメンターを見つけよう。
Another aspect of choosing to challenge is having the courage to challenge. It’s why I’ve made DE&I my life’s work. We must have courage to present things that people don’t know to help them to see things differently. While programs like breaking bias training is important, you can’t train people to change their minds. What’s more impactful is creating experiences and having direct conversations with people so they feel differently about a particular topic or group. I recently heard from several White employees who challenged our use of “White privilege,” saying that they, too, have had to struggle to get ahead or work hard to get where they are at. It took a direct conversation and courage to share my personal experiences of discrimination as a Black person to help them understand. It was one conversation, but you will change someone’s life and they are going to multiply that when they share that story with others.
グローバルな大組織で人々の認識を変えるには時間がかかります。私は今、特権的な立場にあり、差別に挑戦し、何千人もの従業員の生活に直接影響を与え、社会的地位の低いグループを引き上げるために前進することを選択できるところにいます。ニールセンのチーフ・ダイバーシティ・オフィサーは、今の私にとって完璧な場所です。
