I wanted to write about a topic that I'm pretty passionate about...the data+women initiative. So, I wanted to take a minute (or several) to write down pretty much everything that I've been thinking. These are my current thoughts, which of course can evolve.
I've heard the commentary that's out there.
I've heard the commentary that's out there.
By singling women out, it makes us more divisive.
Aren't we further exacerbating the issue by continuing to talk about it?
So, just because you're a woman, you think you deserve to get special treatment...not all women are qualified.
Perspective
Sure, by singling women out, maybe it makes some people feel this divisiveness. However, I submit to you that when you look at it through another lens, the discussion is about bringing awareness to an issue some may be unaware of. Challenges in the workplace are real and we need to recognize them. These conversations aren't meant to be a pity party we attend all the time. They are meant to acknowledge and address the issue.
So, do we want special treatment? Speaking only for me, the answer is no. I want perspective. Let me share a personal story that I find funny. When I was talking with my husband about about our tastes in music, I said that I had varied tastes...I like pop, R&B, rock, a little country (oh hey Bonnie Raitt), and a little dream pop (SIIVB). My husband also said he liked lots of different music too...classic rock, grunge rock, and indie rock. You might have noticed a common theme...it's all rock music! His perspective is a bit narrow. I liken this to women actively participating in the workforce. Women bring a different perspective and as a result can shape a better result. This is a concept that really sunk in when I attended a talk by Sarah Bloom Raskin, who talked about this concept in why it's important to have women involved in lawmaking.
Equality vs. Equity
I believe that having qualified women represented in leadership or decision-making roles is essential for creating equity. In my day job many moons ago, I participated in a community development tour where I heard this leader once say that generally, people want a hand up, not a hand out. That resonated with me and I think the image above speaks to that.
Leadership Principles Apply Here
A good leader is one who develops others and gets shit done (or more eloquently, is productive). This concept was reinforced for me at Leadercast where speakers like Dr. Henry Cloud and Andy Stanley speak extensively about leadership. I see a tie back to one of the prongs of leadership; development. Developing others gives them a hand up. But then there's the other prong; productivity. Either personally or through your influence, women (and people in general) can be more productive because they have the skills and abilities (because of the hand up they received), which then positions them to demonstrate their skills and go for that promotion/new job/leadership or management role.
D+W Impacts
The data+women initiative is a good way to learn about the issues and about yourself. I love the d+w meetups. But there are other ways this can be addressed that we may or may not see. Visible efforts include TUGs. Invisible efforts may include mentoring. Both are important for different reasons. TUGs and meetups are great for leading by example for everyone to see. Through highlighting women as speakers or even by having women in the attendance; women can either demonstrate their abilities through presentations or can learn something new to apply later. But let's be clear, women aren't to be trotted out at every meeting to show that the TUG/meetup is a supporter of this initiative. There are so many factors; scheduling and domain knowledge are just two.
Let's take an example. If a local TUG asked me to present on server, I would say no...not because I'm skerred, but because I don't have that knowledge, my domain knowledge is more centered around engagement, Tableau public, color, etc. So maybe they ask Jen Vaughan, but she's not available. This doesn't mean that the TUG/meetup doesn't support women or that a woman has to present every single time. Support should be consistent, but let's recognize that this is real life and that can't always happen. Conversely, having a woman speak once or twice might signal opportunity for greater support.
Additionally, one of the things we don't see is mentoring. And I think this is a great opportunity for me to talk about how important I think men are to this initiative. When men (and women) recognize potential in another person, we should do something about it. Support and encourage them (tying back to the development prong of leadership)! Jonathan Drummey is a really great example of this. He would sit with me on a conference call at o' dark thirty to go over my questions about Tableau. Jonathan isn't the only guy out there that does this. I've heard of others too (Paul Banoub and Joe Mako for example).
Personally, here lately, I've been on a 'Women of the World, Demonstrate your skills' kick. So when I mentioned earlier that D+W is a good way to learn about yourself. I started to reflect. I feel hypocritical if I'm asking for other people to do this, but I'm not doing it myself. So, I have some big, scary goals, and one of them relates to Tableau and trying to do more talks. Scary stuff, but the thing is...while I'm not a Tableau technical guru, I have knowledge to pass on after using the tool on and off since 2009 (and more so since 2013). It makes me cringe, but I'm gonna go for it.
Another concept we can learn from d+w meetups/discussion? When hiring officials/managers (maybe some of the folks in the room), realize that we might have a unconscious bias on how we hire or rate women vs. men employees. Once we recognize that, then we can take actions to address that. My hope? That once addressed, we start decreasing the 23% pay gap (that's a national number). And if I apply that to me, what does that mean? My family gets a 23% raise and I can spend a little more, save a little more, and do some things that increase our family's quality of life (my point? it's not just me getting a pay raise...my family is impacted as well).
Let's take an example. If a local TUG asked me to present on server, I would say no...not because I'm skerred, but because I don't have that knowledge, my domain knowledge is more centered around engagement, Tableau public, color, etc. So maybe they ask Jen Vaughan, but she's not available. This doesn't mean that the TUG/meetup doesn't support women or that a woman has to present every single time. Support should be consistent, but let's recognize that this is real life and that can't always happen. Conversely, having a woman speak once or twice might signal opportunity for greater support.
Additionally, one of the things we don't see is mentoring. And I think this is a great opportunity for me to talk about how important I think men are to this initiative. When men (and women) recognize potential in another person, we should do something about it. Support and encourage them (tying back to the development prong of leadership)! Jonathan Drummey is a really great example of this. He would sit with me on a conference call at o' dark thirty to go over my questions about Tableau. Jonathan isn't the only guy out there that does this. I've heard of others too (Paul Banoub and Joe Mako for example).
Personally, here lately, I've been on a 'Women of the World, Demonstrate your skills' kick. So when I mentioned earlier that D+W is a good way to learn about yourself. I started to reflect. I feel hypocritical if I'm asking for other people to do this, but I'm not doing it myself. So, I have some big, scary goals, and one of them relates to Tableau and trying to do more talks. Scary stuff, but the thing is...while I'm not a Tableau technical guru, I have knowledge to pass on after using the tool on and off since 2009 (and more so since 2013). It makes me cringe, but I'm gonna go for it.
Another concept we can learn from d+w meetups/discussion? When hiring officials/managers (maybe some of the folks in the room), realize that we might have a unconscious bias on how we hire or rate women vs. men employees. Once we recognize that, then we can take actions to address that. My hope? That once addressed, we start decreasing the 23% pay gap (that's a national number). And if I apply that to me, what does that mean? My family gets a 23% raise and I can spend a little more, save a little more, and do some things that increase our family's quality of life (my point? it's not just me getting a pay raise...my family is impacted as well).
Our Civic Responsibility
The point to this post is that we all need to be responsible members of the Tableau community and give women a hand up. Women need to show up, step out of their comfort zones and demonstrate their skills (and by the way, knowing that you have a smaller community that understands as discussed in d+w meetups is super helpful). The end result as I see it?
- Better quality vizzes in the public and private space,
- Another step towards equality, and our
- Being good role models for our future generation.
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