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.
2019년 말에 처음 닐슨에 왔을 때 경청 투어를 다니면서 여성을 포함한 다양한 직원들로부터 승진에서 밀리고 자신과 같은 선배 리더가 거의 없어서 옹호자가 없다고 느끼는 이야기를 많이 들었습니다. 그 중에는 저와 같은 흑인 여성들도 많았는데, 이들은 자신이 '화난 흑인 여성'으로 여겨져 목소리를 내지 않으면 아무것도 바뀌지 않고, 목소리를 내면 고정관념에 갇힌다고 말했습니다. 저도 커리어 내내 이런 경험을 해왔지만, 목소리를 내는 데에는 옳고 그른 방법이 있다는 것을 배웠습니다. 동맹을 찾고 관계를 구축하는 것이 중요합니다. 멘토는 다음 큰 기회를 잡을 때 여러분을 지지해 줄 수 있습니다. 저는 경력 초기에 일부러 자신의 관점을 공유하고 저에게 도전할 수 있는 백인 남성 임원 코치를 선택했습니다. 그가 저를 어떻게 바라보는지, 그리고 사람들을 거부하지 않고 끌어들이기 위해 제 힘을 어떻게 사용하는지 배웠습니다. 자신과 다른 멘토를 찾아보세요.
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.
대규모 글로벌 조직에서 사람들의 인식을 바꾸는 데는 시간이 걸립니다. 저는 차별에 도전하고, 수천 명의 직원들의 삶에 직접적인 영향을 미치며, 소외된 집단을 끌어올리기 위해 노력할 수 있는 특권을 누리고 있는 지점에 와 있습니다. 닐슨의 최고 다양성 책임자는 지금 저에게 딱 맞는 자리입니다.
