I believe that you have to be absolutely insane if you truly believe that girls are going to change the world. If you approach the imminent change that is going to occur with your sane mind, you will be an individual who will be fighting a losing battle. I am inviting you to become insane in the context of this conversation; however, I further invite you to not wait for this change to occur, but to deliberately drive it, welcome it and embrace that change.
As women begin to further close the gender gap in economics, education, politics, health and break through glass ceilings and limitations placed on them by men in positions of power, you will become aware that the true insanity is in the sanity. The sanity, or normal thinking, would say that men are superior, stronger, smarter, the head of the house. When I am pointed to the source of these beliefs, my awareness is who the author is. Just like when I am told that I should drink more milk because it builds stronger bones and does a body good, all I need to do is check the author to figure out who is pushing the message and whether there is any bias.
One day my 9-year-old stepdaughter Sophia came downstairs with a T-shirt on that said, “Girls will change the world” and my mind immediately started churning. Why is there a need for women to fight for equality? Who are they fighting against? Whose permission do they need for that equality to be a reality? Why do those individuals have that power? What is the keeper of this power and permission afraid of?
Girls are indeed changing the world, and it is a change that is long overdue, and it is occurring too slowly in the collision industry. Women only make up 9.6 percent of the people working in the automotive repair and maintenance industry. In 2018, only 16 women (8 percent) were executives in the top 20 motor vehicle and parts companies in the Fortune Global 500. This is a small change from 14 women (7 percent) in 2014.
Over half (56 percent) of C-Suite leaders in the global automotive industry point to women as a critical pool of underutilized talent.
The reality that we are experiencing needs to switch from “changing” to “changed” the world. As long as there is an “ing,” the change remains a “someday” conversation. It is time for that change to occur today.
We don’t need a presidential edict or laws from some legislative body to make this change happen. We do not need a miracle from a supernatural being. We do not need to sign off on some check list that says X, Y and Z need to be done first. This is simply a matter of doing the right thing.
Many of us grew up learning and embracing the Golden Rule, which says: “Treat me the way you want to be treated.” I am not sure how healthy that is because I have no idea how you want to be treated. I can tell you in my 30-year career of working with and coaching human beings, I would not like to be treated the way some folks want to be treated.
As we make a stronger commitment to do the right thing and eliminate the gender gap, I believe we should embrace the Platinum Rule: “Treat me the way I want to be treated.”
It is time for us to stop pontificating about this change. It is time for us to stop making excuses. It is time for us to lose “wait,” delaying change based on a false need to do things the right way. Clearly it is possible to do the wrong thing right because it is what we have done and continue to do as we:
- Wait for the right time
- Wait for the right resources
- Wait for the right person
- Wait for the right reason
- Wait for the right process
As we wait, a persistent global gap continues to exist. In fact, 36 percent of U.S. companies have zero women on their board of directors. In Canada, women have only 5.7 percent of the CEO positions; however, evidence has revealed that gender-mixed leadership teams actually produce higher profits.
According to one study that compared similar sized businesses, those companies with women on their boards outperformed those with all-male boards by 26 percent.
Men believe themselves to be good providers; however, our best role model of an excellent provider is a woman.
A woman most likely provided you:
- with your first home
- with your first meal
- your first unconditional love
- your first nurturing relationship
- your first hug
- your first safe place
Now it is time we provide women with a fair opportunity to a level playing field without a glass ceiling or other limitations and excuses. The world will be a better place as a result.
Regardless of your position, title, GENDER, education level or socio-economic status, what will you do today to bridge the gap?
