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#MeToo MANIFESTO

Posted on October 17, 2017 by trellis-admin

My Facebook and Twitter feeds are blowing up with women posting “#MeToo”. It started with Alyssa Milano who initiated a Twitter campaign urging her followers and millions of women to share their stories, or simply acknowledge that they too had dealt with sexual harassment and assault through the hashtag #MeToo.

Women are joining the movement in droves, including many of my friends and colleagues. Of course it is not surprising. I would have to really dig deep to think of a woman I know who has not somehow dealt with the issue. It is a continuum. From the universally abhorrent sexual assault and rape to vile sexual harassment. To the more subtle and insidious sexual stifling of women’s success every single day in the workplace due to their gender. The modus operandi may differ but it is always about power and authority. We have all experienced it. Social media – and famous voices – allow us to join in and be heard. But are we saying enough? Better yet, are we doing enough?

If you use history as a guide, people have come together over and over to protest the things they vehemently oppose or to take a stand against an injustice. In our country’s relatively young history, it started with the Revolutionary War. We saw it again during the Civil War, in the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, protesting the Vietnam War. Most recently we saw it as millions of women and many men marched in protest of Donald Trump’s election to the presidency and hundreds of NFL players took a knee to protest racial injustice. There is strength in numbers.

But there is strength in each of our individual voices too. Every one of these historic changes started with one spark of indignation, one person who saw the need for cultural shift and spoke out. One spark that became two that became three and that started a fire. Each and every woman in the workplace is that spark and together we can effectuate change. Can you imagine if every woman in the women’s march took that conviction into each of their workplaces and, along with other women, demanded equal access to leadership? Equal pay? Or even something smaller like not having a man interrupt them when sharing an idea? It is our obligation to ourselves and to the next generation of women in the workplace to be the catalysts for cultural change. And while it will be those men who understand the importance of diversity and inclusion who help push change through, it is the responsibility of women to demand that seat at the table.

#MeToo is awesome. It builds awareness and it begins necessary conversation. We need to speak out about the horrifying abuses of power that certain men believe they are entitled to inflict on women. We need to strip the stigma and take that power back. But we also need to stand up for the micro abuses that happen to us every day in the workplace. Those seemingly insignificant affronts that aggregate into career stagnations. Harvey Weinstein has opened up the floodgates in a way that Bill Cosby, Mel Gibson and Roman Polanksi never did. And now it us up to each of us, every day, to take this opportunity to broaden the conversation. To have a voice and to use it. To build our skills to be amazing leaders, consummate communicators, inclusive team collaborators. To act in a way that is real and meaningful together. Generations before blazed the trail and opened doors that allowed us into the workplace. But now that we have been there, we have a job to do. We must stand together to create a workplace culture of equal access for the millions of women yet to come.

Stand up. Speak out. Seize change.

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Fast Facts

People perform best when they feel valued, empowered, and respected by their peers. Neurological research compiled by David Rock and others shows that our most productive, innovative, and collaborative times at work happen when we feel like we are a part of the team.– Josh Bersin, Principal and Founder, Bersin by Deloitte
Building an inclusive culture takes a vibrant mix of initiatives encompassing leadership development, onboarding programs to minimize risk of early departure by new diverse leaders, and meaningful advancement opportunities and succession plans that are visible and well communicated.– BESmith
Research indicates to achieve true and lasting change, companies need to create an ecosystem of measures and sustain it over time. The ecosystem includes CEO commitment, individual development programs for women, and collective enablers such as key performance indicators and human resources processes.– McKinsey & Company
Companies with more women on their boards were found to outperform their rivals, with a 42% higher return in sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.– The Guardian
We need the best talent for the future to guarantee a sustainable, competitive advantage.– Mark Hutchinson, President and CEO, GE Europe
Companies that embrace strengths-based development are shifting away from the idea that they must find employees who fit into a pre-existing culture, and are rather evolving their cultures to be more inclusive.– Catalyst Research Center
Designing a 21st century company demands more than a technology upgrade.  It requires a cultural operating system that allows all of your people to thrive.– Mike Walsh
Creating a more inclusive workplace is important for women and men.  Only about half of men say their companies embrace diverse leadership styles, with almost 1/3 of men who aspire to reach the top do not think they will make it because they lack the ‘typical style of a top executive.’– McKinsey & Company and Lean In
Achieving greater [gender] diversity in your leadership teams will not only increase your talent pool, it will boost innovation and improve profitability, thus helping to future-proof your organization.– E&Y
As racial and gender diversity levels increase in a company’s workforce, its profits relative to those of its competitors also increased.– Research study of sociologist Cedric Herring published in the American Sociological Review
Gender diversity helps companies attract and retain talented women.  Companies cannot afford to ignore 50% of the potential workforce and expect to be competitive in the global economy.– Gallup
The best organizations recognize that beyond race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation, diversity also applies to thought, skill and passions.– BloombergBusiness
After nearly two years of research, findings point out conclusively that the highest-performing companies embed inclusion into talent practices everywhere in their organizations.– Bersin by Deloitte
The millennial generation seeks out employers with a strong record on equality and diversity.  In particular, this is important to the female millennial, with 86% identifying an employer’s policy on diversity, equality and workforce inclusion as important when deciding whether or not to work for an employer.– PWC

Trellis positions forward focused organizations for competitive advantage, high performance and sustainability through diversity and inclusion.

We help organizations build a high trust culture that fosters safe and inclusive workplaces, where talent is nurtured to create high performance teams, driven to succeed. We help develop a culture of community that values multiple approaches, where diversity and divergent thinking is celebrated, where confidence and collaboration produce fresh ideas. Our holistic approach consists of assessments, programs, tools and cross-functional plans designed to help organizations develop competitive advantage by recognizing and leveraging diverse mindsets.

climb. achieve. lead. thrive.

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info@trellisconsultingllc.com

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