March 8th was #InternationalWomensDay and March is Women’s History Month!
Many companies will post their gifs and round-ups of their favorite women on social media in the upcoming weeks. They’ll praise women as “superheroes” and “world-changers.”They might even use the hashtag, #girlboss.
But will they commit to doing the work to end gender disparity in the workplace?
Posting content that celebrates women on International Women’s Day is a nice gesture (even cute, perhaps). But it’s more important to build a company culture that respects, guides, prepares, supports, uplifts, and actively listens to each team member regardless of gender.
Evaluate Your Company Culture
Your brand should actively and continuously work to evaluate your internal culture regularly. Your team members need to feel safe, supported, and prepared to do their best work. Often women leave companies due to insufficient support from their supervisors.
If you’re unsure of how to evaluate your company culture you can start by asking yourself these questions:
🧐 Are all of your policies gender-neutral to prevent special treatment or exclusion of one gender?
🧐 Are there women in leadership at your organization?
🧐 Do the women on your team have the same career advancement opportunities?
🧐 Is there a designated place for all team members to safely report incidents of inappropriate behavior?
How do you create a company culture that is an optimal environment for women?
✅ Start by outsourcing and hiring more women.
✅ Ask women questions and provide a space where they can provide input for company projects.
✅ Make it clear what language and behaviors are considered inappropriate in the workplace, then enforce a zero-tolerance policy for infractions.
✅ Support your team members with their projects by providing expectations, resources, and a clear timeline.
✅ Provide on-the-job-training, like a “lunch and learn,” to help the professional development of your team members.
✅ Pay fair wages based on merit and experience, not gender or biology.
If you need help developing a company culture designed for your entire team to thrive...
And… don’t worry, we love a good ‘round-up’ too!
So, in honor of International Women’s Day, we are highlighting women who are killing the game in entrepreneurship, marketing, communications, and operations management.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
"Huda is the founder of Huda Beauty - the fastest growing independent billion-dollar beauty brand. Huda is one of the most influential people online, with a social media following of over 61 million across Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. She was also recognized as one of the top three beauty people on the internet by Time Magazine, of the top three beauty influencers by Forbes, and has recently been named Fortune’s 40 under 40 class of 2020."
"Recognized as an educator and entrepreneur, Cindy Mi is the Founder and CEO of VIPKid, an education technology company that connects students in China (and 63 countries around the world) with the world's best teachers for real-time online English immersion learning."
"Reshma Saujani is the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, the international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a computer programmer looks like and does. She is the author of the international bestseller Brave, Not Perfect and the New York Times bestseller Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World. Reshma’s TED talk, 'Teach girls, bravery not perfection,' has more than four million views and has sparked a worldwide conversation about how we’re raising our girls. She is the host of the award-winning podcast 'Brave, Not Perfect.'"
MARKETING
“I am a seasoned C-level executive specializing in marketing, business transformation and technology. I’m also an entrepreneur, and the Founder and CEO of Tenshey, Inc., a startup with a mission to advance gender diversity and leadership development through executive coaching."
"Olga Andrienko is the Head of Global Marketing at SEMrush. Together with her team she has built one of the strongest international communities in the online marketing industry. Olga has expanded SEMrush brand visibility worldwide entering the markets of over 50 countries. Olga is also a Judge of content and social media awards in USA, UK and Europe. In 2018 Olga was mentioned among the 25 most influential women in digital marketing by TopRank. She speaks at major marketing conferences and her quotes on user behavior appear in media such as Business Insider and Washington Post."
PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS
"I’m an inspirational, driven and innovative leader and award-winning communications executive with 15 years of multifaceted experience, reflecting a career in both corporate and agency settings. My portfolio of work includes serving as a C-suite advisor and national spokesperson, leading in-house and agency teams and partnerships, executing crisis communications, building and amplifying company and personal brands, managing corporate reputation, developing and directing breakthrough public relations strategies and campaigns, creating compelling content and storytelling, measuring performance, and crafting messaging for journalists, influencers, executives, investors, consumers and employees."
"I started Safari Heart Creative to support all types of small businesses. Many small businesses do not factor in public relations into their branding and outreach efforts. The right media mix is necessary. A strategic PR strategy ideally in the beginning stage of your company is going to catapult your brand story to targeted buyers and the media. ‘Safar’ means journey and that is what we want PR to do for your audiences. Take them on a journey!"
"Cheryl is an award-winning professional communicator and business strategist who delights in telling fresh and compelling stories that enhance her clients’ reputations and increase their bottom lines. Or, as Cheryl likes to say, 'We tell award-winning stories that inspire smiles, trust, and confidence.'"
SYSTEMS & OPERATIONS
"Auntee Rik is a trusted operations and systems specialist who has a knack for taking her clients businesses to the next level. Her no-nonsense, get-you-together approach is refreshing and reassuring to her clients and everyone she comes in contact with. With experience in graphic and web design, operations, teaching and radio, she’s able to take a client’s goals and needs and translate them into successful and running systems."
"Joy Valerie is a digital operations strategist who builds systems for Social Impact Entrepreneurs & Creatives to be productive and profitable."
"Felicia Kelly is the founder of Cyrus & Co. INC, a business development company that provides customized solutions to small businesses and corporations. She is a speaker, executive coach, and the author of 'Proverbs & Profit: 7 Keys to Building Kingdom Wealth."'
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