“Choose to get curious. Go have a coffee with another woman, and another woman, and a person of color, and a millennial. You’re going to start to see that there is in fact inequity in the daily ways people are treated.” – Jeffery Halter
As only 29% of senior leadership roles in the workplace are held by women (and that number is the highest on record), it means that the leadership ranks are still dominated by men, and men can be not only a big part of the challenges that are faced in getting our workforce to experience gender equality and pay parity, but also a big part of the solution. Today’s Finding Brave guest is someone who has become a vocal advocate for the advancement of women, and he’s made it his mission to help other men join him in the gender equality movement.
Jeffery Tobias Halter is a corporate gender strategist, specializing in engaging men in women’s leadership issues and initiatives. He is the President of YWomen, a strategic consulting company and one of the country’s leading experts on engaging men to advance women. Jeffery’s book WHY WOMEN, The Leadership Imperative to Advancing Women and Engaging Men, is the first business book written by a man on why companies and their leadership teams must create a strategic mindset regarding the retention and advancement of women. He’s the former Director of Diversity Strategy of The Coca-Cola Company and has consulted with leading brands including McDonald’s, Deloitte, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mercedes-Benz, GE and more.
As Jeffery reveals in this episode, we are now at a tipping point to disrupt the status quo to drive gender parity and rid the workplace of gender inequities. Most importantly, it is now up to each one of us to become agents of change to initiate and build workplaces that are safe and equitable for all employees.
Highlights from this Episode
- What initially compelled Jeffery to dedicate his career to the advancement of women [4:28]
- The first step that he took to help other men become advocates for women, and the group of men that he chooses to focus on in his work [9:20]
- Why Jeffery feels that he was chosen by his company for the role of Chief Diversity Officer [11:00]
- The major reasons that diversity initiatives often fail, or don’t even get started in the workplace [13:15]
- What he sees as the four barriers stopping men from supporting the movement, and the practical solutions that overcome them [15:31]
- What strong leadership is, and isn’t, and the way that senior management in organizations can become true advocates [21:36]
- How Jeffery came to realize that not being an advocate for gender equality is hurting all of the women in a man’s life [23:00]
- An example of a company that is doing a good job of promoting diversity inclusion [26:15]
- Why the corporate structure typically isn’t set up to support the victims of harassment [28:20]
- Steps you can begin taking today to get started on your own journey to become an advocate, not just ally, of this cause [33:15]
For More Information:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefferyhalter/
https://www.facebook.com/FatherofDaughterInitiative
Resources Mentioned:
Jeffery’s White Papers and Article, The Four Barriers to Male Engagement
Jeffery’s Books, WHY WOMEN: The Leadership Imperative to Advancing Women and Engaging Men & Selling to Men, Selling to Women
Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back by Gretchen Carlson
Kathy’s Finding Brave podcast interview with Terry Real – Gender, Power and Relationships: The Crushing Effects of Patriarchy
Kathy’s Forbes post – What Is Feminism and Why Do So Many Men and Women Hate It
For more about Kathy’s upcoming book The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery-Boosting Paths To Career Bliss, sign up for her weekly newsletter at https://kathycaprino.com for updates, free giveaways, contests, and more, coming in Spring 2020
QUOTES:
“We just don’t have enough advocates, male or female, so finding brave to me is becoming an advocate for advancing women.” [1:47]
“I didn’t become an advocate, I just chose to get curious, and so I started talking to people who weren’t like me.” [7:22]
“If diversity is important to you, show me. Prove it to me through your actions, just like you would anything else.” [14:59]
“Most men never make the connection that if we’re not advocating for women, we are betraying our wives, our sisters, our mothers and our daughters.” [22:57]
“Companies are famous for promoting bad behaviour with good results.” [25:20]
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