A presentation at Web Unleashed in in Toronto, ON, Canada by Andréa Crofts
FITC #WEBU18 Gender Diversity in Technical Leadership
FITC #WEBU18 Gender Diversity in Technical Leadership
FITC #WEBU18 She/Her/Hers Woman in Leadership Community Builder A11y + Inclusion Advocate Lover of #realtalk
FITC # WEBU 18 Did You Know? In developed countries around the world, women make up more than half the work force …yet 5% of the largest S&P 500 companies are led by women
FITC # WEBU18 Did You Know? 60% Of Bachelor’s Degrees in both the US and Europe are obtained by women
FITC # WEBU18 Did You Know? In the United States, there are more men named John leading major companies, than women leading major companies
FITC #WEBU18 We have the experience. We have the education. Why haven’t we seen this translate into statistics?
FITC # WEBU18 TODAY’S AGENDA Part One - A Diversity of Perspectives Part Two - Closing the Chasm Part Three - Re-defining the Behavioural Code
FITC # WEBU18 This is a new format! The Format: 👥 Small Groups 🗣 Short Discussions 💬 Contribute to the Forum 💥 = Crowd-Sourced Perspectives
FITC #WEBU18 It’s been a tough few weeks in the news.
FITC #WEBU18 Let’s channel the strength of others, and be kind.
FITC #WEBU18 CODE of CONDUCT: By participating, you agree to… -Be Respectful We are dedicated to providing a safe space for everyone, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, mental illness, neurotype, physical appreance, body, age, ethnicity, nationality, language or religion.
Add, Don’t Detract If you are not helping to create a safe space by contributing positively to today’s conversation, you may be asked to leave. If you have any concerns, please direct them to the session moderator (me!).
FITC #WEBU18 Take the Pledge "I will do my part to create a safe space. I will not share others’ stories without permission. I will listen more than I speak."
FITC #WEBU18 Part One Why is it important to have a diversity of perspectives represented at the leadership level? @AND REACROFTS
FITC #WEBU18 Let’s break out into groups.
⏱ 10 minutes Let’s talk about the impact of diverse perspectives Emotional IQ ROI Representation Buying Power Productivity Morale Innovation
FITC #WEBU18 Share the Love!
FITC #WEBU18 Part Two How can we close the chasm between individual contributorship and leadership for underrepresented groups?
⏱10 minutes Let’s talk about the barriers that keep women from reaching the top. Lack of access, role models, sponsors, factors like gender bias, mindset
FITC #WEBU18 Share the Love
⏱10 minutes What are sometactics to raise voices of underrepresented groups?
Shine Theory, Raising Voices, Listening, Sponsorship, Advocacy, Note-Taking
FITC #WEBU18 Share the Love
⏱10 minutes How might we create access to leadership roles? Training, Role Models, Executive Sponsors, Networking, Mentorship Opportunities
FITC #WEBU18 Part Three How can we re-define the behavioural code that has come to define the traditional definition of a strong leader?
⏱10 minutes How might we re-write the traditional definition of a leader? Aggressive, Passionate, Accountable, Bold, Strong, Driven
FITC #WEBU18 Share the Love
FITC #WEBU18 Thank you For your (amazing) contributions to today’s conversation. Let’s keep it going. #DiversityInLeadership
Tech companies control almost every facet of daily life, from communication to transportation. With that kind of impact, it’s too big a responsibility for any single demographic to have full control. This was a participatory discussion on the importance of gender diversity in technical leadership roles.
We dove into questions like:
This round table was a new format for FITC! Attendees sat in small groups and actively participated in a series of short discussions, with each group reporting back the highlights of their conversation to the larger forum.
For the purpose of discussion, we focused the conversation on gender diversity. However, diversity of race, age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, disability, personality and intersectionality were all welcome additions to this conversation.
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
Hexagon is a community of women and non-binary folks in UX who support each other through the different stages of their careers. They welcome current and aspiring designers, researchers, writers, content strategists and program managers across the user experience space. They believe that having strong networks of peers both online and offline helps us discover new skills, boost confidence, and foster growth.
A playbook focused on supporting new parents. Strategies for all the ages, stages and phases.
A playbook and pledge focused on supporting new parents. Covers the basics of designing a comprehensive parental leave program.
A Diversity Guidebook for Startups and Scaleups
Here’s what was said about this presentation on social media.
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