Women in Financial Services
E2W Alpha Challengers: Finding your Voice
Mark.Freed / 17 Mar 2021
We held one of our amazing E2W – Alpha Challengers Events last night the topic was ‘finding your voice’. The discussion got around to how do you speak up if you are ‘THE ONLY’ (Women, Person of Colour) in the room.
My first thought was as an ONLY, you have a duty and obligation to speak up and be heard. You, no doubt, have different experiences, views and ideas. You see some things differently. If the ONLY’s had spoken up our PPE would have fitted women as well as men, our car seat belts would have protected women as well as men, the standard temperatures in our offices would have not left half the working population cold…the list goes on.
Of course there is an obligation on the majority in the room to make that extra effort to listen and understand. Different views are often harder to explain and even harder to understand – particularly if you are not used to hearing them.
My second thought was whilst celebrating your ONENESS, also recognise that you are only a ONE on one measure. There are people in the room who you align with on other measures – children, education, home town, sport, books, wine, travel and others in the room have some other ‘ONENESS’.
Thank you to Ize Idemudia and Joy Mpofu for hosting an inspiring session. Members can rewatch the recording here.
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