What does Women’s Day mean to you?
Earlier this week, Rohan reached out to me asking if I could speak on a ‘Women’s day’ related topic at a university forum. As I enquired further, if there was a specific theme that would be relevant to the target audience; he embarrassingly admitted that he wasn’t really aware what ‘Women’s day’ was a celebration about!
As you must have guessed by now, this incident got me thinking 😊 I don’t remember knowing about Women’s day as a child and my earliest memories of it are from a few years ago when there would be corporate events lined up around March 8th!
While we might have certain pre-conceived notions of what ‘women’s day’ stands for, it has been constantly evolving with the times…. During the 1900s, the initial theme focused on Equality and Equity for all at the workplace; then shifted focus to becoming a symbol of peace in protest of the world war… In the 2000s, there was a further evolution of the theme focusing on recognizing extraordinary accomplishments; and now more recently an emphasis on Collective individualism to influence change!
This evolution of the themes has sparked some new learnings:
- Inclusiveness focus: Over the span of a century, the themes gradually went from seeking equality to recognizing extraordinary accomplishments to influencing change….. it seems like we are collectively working towards being a better versions of ourselves.
Reflection: What can you do to change mindsets, policies and communication to positively influence inclusiveness?
2. Undiscriminating themes: While the name of the day suggests otherwise, the themes are relatable to each of us without any bias of gender. Don’t we all have expectations of equality & equity when we join an organization; strived to ensure peaceful partnerships with the team or stakeholders; expected recognition for outstanding achievements and aspired to play our parts as catalysts of change within an organization?
Reflection: What does women’s day mean to you?
3. Future emphasis: Wonder how the Post-COVID world will shape the evolution of these themes…. One that that comes to mind is that Inclusive Leadership in VUCA will be one of the most sought after skills, to help shift the mindset from relying on fixed outcomes to thinking of the possibilities in a dynamic environment, and moving to an organizational culture which is supportive and adaptive to change and uncertainty.
Reflection: How are you developing yourself to lead in the post-covid world?
‘The water is always deeper than what it reflects’ — Marty Rubin
Happy Women’s day to all men and women!
#Zenesse #ZenesseMusings #executivecoaching #coachvaishaliwagle #FridayMusings #HappyWomensDay #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge #humanresources
