LIFT AS YOU RISE: SPENDING YOUR PRIVILEGE (2024)

Counting your blessings can make you feel good, but counting your privileges can help you do good. Think about how you can share or use some of your privilege. Some key people connected to Gender Fair are doing just that. We can all use our power to create more fairness.

UNFAIRNESS UP CLOSE

When Gender Fair’s CEO realized her assistant received much less maternity leave than she did as an executive, something clicked for Johanna Zeilstra. Going back to work is difficult for parents—physically, emotionally, practically. A shorter leave is that much more difficult. Her assistant had to leave her newborn babyafter two short weeks of leave--a full 3.5 months less than Johanna. She would miss more milestones, and have less time for physical recuperation. As Gender Fair’s CEO says in this compelling video (link below), she felt she had to do something to improve the lives of women who had less support than she had.

Johanna knew she had a platform--an MBA, experience as a global banking executive and consultant, membership in CEO groups, and a great network which could be used in the service of others. That realization started Johanna on a journey with Gender Fair--which has her speaking around the world and showing women how to change the institutions that don’t serve them well.

BIG MONEY TALKS

After the world reckoning of summer 2020, Logitech’s head of Procurement, David Latten realized he could do something. Latten has a pretty huge job that has him influencing how Logitech spends hundreds of million dollars yearly with the various companies and suppliers that help Logitech make and sell their products. “As a middle aged white guy, I”, he says, “I’ve got to do it." To a room full of his male peers he has said, "If it's not coming from you, it’s falling on those who are tired and don’t want to fight anymore.”

Being society’s default white male, means people listen to him MORE—indeed the UN just released a study showing that 9 of 10 people worldwide have bias against women. David’s privilege consists of NOT being tired from fighting and the governance of hundreds of millions of corporate dollars which gives him enormous power. As “Leaders we can change things really quickly.' Indeed, within a few months of bringing his idea of gender lens procurement to the big vendors of the world, nearly a hundred of the biggest B2B vendors have taken the gender fair assessment.

ACCOUNTABLITY BEFORE CONTRACTS

Darren Woolley has been in the ad business for decades. In the 80’s and 90s he witnessed some shocking Mad Men-Bad Men behavior. As he got older, he assumed that kind of Neanderthal stuff died out, yet realized that harassment, sexism, bullying and toxic workplaces were still a big problem for those not lucky enough to be the powerful white man that he was. His mother, an executive at Girl Guides (who had pulled herself up in life by herself) taught Woolley to ask, “What are the practical things that make the way better for the person after you?” It wasn’t just words, she’d demonstrate the idea when camping, cleaning out the fireplace, ashes and leaving a fire ready to light for the next group.

As the owner of a firm that contracts ad agencies for big brands (sort of a personal shopper for creative work), he realized he had some real leverage. Woolley asked agencies pitching his clients to sign a declaration around harassment cases, to reveal their policy around gag orders and safety of employees etc. At first, the big holding companies refused; the independent Australian ones complied, and eventually the others followed. “In marketing procurement, we’re working with people who have the ability to influence public opinion--so we’re holding them accountable to reflect the values of the public.” Now 60 agencies have made a formal declaration. It’s not enough for companies themselves to keep a certain standard, as Woolley says, “Your suppliers are a reflection of your organization” Certainly, he has left things a bit better for people coming up as his mother showed.

As in those three stories, ask yourself what power do you have to demand change and advocate for those with less power and privilege.

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