Today is International Women’s Day. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge how critical it is that we pause to think about how we can honour and support all the women in our lives and those who we don’t know, but are fighting every day for equality and a better future.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Choose to Challenge’ and this phrase resonates deeply with me. At Aptitude Software, one of our nine behaviours underpinning our company values is ‘Courage to Challenge.’ I believe creating the space for our team members to respectfully challenge our leadership team, established processes, co-workers, social norms and more makes us a much better organisation.
Celebrating Women’s achievements
I have had the privilege of working for some amazing, inspirational women leaders, including Jacqui Ferguson and Meg Whitman at HPE, both absolute trailblazers in their thinking on business performance, client engagement, leadership, and the value of inclusivity. Working for and learning from them absolutely helped me become the CEO I am today, and their words have guided much of how I lead. And of course, we can all point to the women in our own lives who have shaped and moulded us. Our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, partners, daughters, friends, and colleagues – I celebrate their hard work, seen and so often unseen – that has propelled me forward.
How I am taking action
As a CEO, I recognise I am in a unique position to drive change. It can be very easy to tick the box with a board appointment or perhaps show you’ve met an industry benchmark. However, if we truly want a diverse organisation – and to reap the benefits we know diverse teams drive – we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to bring more women in at every level, and on every team within our organisation. We need to create an environment where they can feel free to challenge, and that prioritises people, productivity, and results delivered over an outdated notion that the best kind of employee is one that sits at their office desk for 12 hours a day. I am committed to creating this kind of culture and prioritising the work we can continue to do as a small business to attract and hire a diverse workforce.
Moving Forward
So today, this week, this month, this year, I encourage you to have a look at the many resources provided on the International Women’s Day site and share with family, friends, and colleagues.
“From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.”
I am proud to put my hand up high to show I’m in – I #ChooseToChallenge on behalf of women everywhere, every day.
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