This International Womens Day is time to #breakthebias

March 8th is recognized as International Women's Day; a day set aside to celebrate the achievements and awesomeness of women all over the world. At the time of recording this episode, which was actually on March 8th, I thought we'd do something different. In keeping with this year's theme, #BreaktheBias, it's time for leaders to speak up about bias in and out of the workplace and proactively work towards building a more inclusive work environment. 

Unfortunately, it may not be noticeable to many of us how gender biases and stereotypes have been deeply ingrained into our office norms. Sometimes these biases can go as far as influencing the way we work, hiring new employees, and handing out promotions.

In this year's International Women's Day, I believe leaders will be at the forefront in breaking these biases by challenging gender assumptions in the workplace. Leaders also need to start addressing cultural issues that hold talent back because of bias. It won't be easy, but it's achievable. We just need to be intentional about our changes and make sure the changes stick past International Women's Day.

"I'm lucky enough to be the mother of 4 brilliant boys.

I'm also very aware of the social responsibility to raise 4 young men who understand the important role they play, not just on #IWD2022 But each and every day to #breaktheBias, to show #kindness and stand up for what's right and lean into #Courage"

In this solo episode, Ally goes through her thoughts on international Womens day. While it's nice to have a day to celebrate, for real change to happen we need to be looking at ways to break the bias for the other 364 days of the year.

For as long as I can remember I've been passionate about Equality, I think it's in my DNA; A combination of my mother championing women in STEM in the 80's (#trendsetter) and my father sharing and showing me everything growing up on a farm that would traditionally fall under the category of 'mens work'.

Imagine a world;

~ That's free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination

~ That's diverse, equitable and inclusive

~ That celebrates and values differences

It takes more than just one day to break the bias, it's everyone's responsibility to break bias in communities, and workplaces, in clubs and in schools.

Topics We Discussed Include:

• Gender stereotypes in today's society (00:27)
• Understanding biases and how they influence people's decisions (05:01)
• Gender biases in top management and executive settings (07:50)
• The first steps towards breaking the bias (09:55)
• Addressing the gender disparities in the workplace (11:53)
• Why leaders need to ask for feedback from their team members regarding office biases (13:50)
• Why you need to start speaking up against gender biases and disparities (16:49)

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