When I am the sole woman
on a team,
I am well aware
I’m representing all women.
Whether or not
the team accepts another woman
depends on how well I do.
It isn’t fair.
It isn’t right.
It certainly doesn’t apply
to white men.
And it adds a lot of extra pressure.
But it is reality.
Future women will either be
offered opportunities
or
denied opportunities
depending on how well we do.
Kim Y. Lew,
president and CEO
of Columbia Investment Management Company,
shares
“The tax of failure
for people of color and women
is so much higher.
I’ve heard someone say,
‘I’ve invested in a woman-run fund
and it failed,
so I won’t do that again.’
And my answer to that is,
‘That has probably happened
on a male-run fund
and you didn’t do that.’”
In a team with no other women,
our performance WILL influence
whether or not
more women have an opportunity
to join that team.
Act accordingly
and, if you can,
add more skilled women to that team.