Jack Morton Boston insights from Cindy Gallop’s Be the Change talk

Jack Blog

March 24th, 2017 By Jack Morton

On Thursday, March 9, following International Women’s Day, the women of Jack Boston gathered to watch IPG’s Women’s Leadership Network webcast, Be The Change, featuring Cindy Gallop.

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Cindy is one of the most outspoken advocates for diversity in business, tech and advertising – not to mention a total badass. She spoke about skills and talents that can bring more creativity and impact to what we do, the everyday barriers that may get in the way and how to break those down and the inspirational opportunities to realize your own ambitions.

[important]Cindy Gallop is one of the most outspoken advocates for diversity in business, tech and advertising – not to mention a total badass.[/important]

Here are 10 key takeaways from the webinar that influence how our Jack Boston women will continue to ‘be the change’ in the workforce:

Say what you think

Own your ideas and make sure you get credit for them. You diminish your own worth when you hold back.

State your ambition

Consistently remind people what that ambition is. Make it clear you want to be a leader.

Take up more space

Understand how your company brings in revenue and recommend new ways to bring in revenue. Women will influence men more than men will influence other men.

Be your own filter

Identify your own beliefs and values. Everything in life and business starts with recognizing what you believe in and what you value. Do what you believe in, and stay true to your values.

Say yes. Say no.

Put yourself up for everything but say no to the “housekeeping” tasks that are often relegated to the women in the office.

Make sh*t happen

Be the person everyone can count on to make shit happen.

Call out barriers

The unfortunate reality is that unconscious bias exists in the workplace. Men are hired and promoted on potential, women are hired and promoted on proof. Call it out, and change the optics. What are the optics of our industry today? Check out TooManyGuysOneGirl on Tumblr.

Build your personal brand
Manage your descriptor and your elevator pitch. When you do this, you are creating value for your company by showing off your talents and capabilities.

Find champions, not just mentors
Find a champion who will make things happen for you. Mentorship is nice and important, but this takes it one step further.

Help change the numbers
Hire groups, not individuals. Boards with three or more women on them have better quality discussions and better results.

Ultimately, as Cindy said, “it’s not about diversity, it’s about humanity.” It is our responsibility make sure our workplace is representative of the communities it serves. How will you be the change in your organization?

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