​#MobilizeWomen Recap: The Future of Women at Work

#MobilizeWomen is a movement propelled by change makers in business to commit to taking action against gender inequality. Ellevate Network hosted a number of speakers in NYC on June 21st, 2017. This is a recap of part of the event, with the most relevant concepts you can use to take action in your everyday life. Download the Mobilize Women Action Guide here.

After a day full of inspirational keynotes, informative panels, and thought provoking chats, Sallie Krawcheck, Chair of Ellevate Network and CEO & Co-Founder of Ellevest, wrapped up the #MobilizeWomen Summit to talk to us about the future of women at work. She admitted that while it might feel easy to feel discouraged these days (our progress has stalled in closing the gender pay gap, in rising in Corporate America, and in getting onto boards), there are three factors that show us how we can create the future the way we want it to be.

We know diverse teams perform better.

The changing landscape of business is in demand of a new type of leadership — that means bringing in women and not telling them to lead like a man.

“When [women] bring our cognitive diversity, when we bring the strengths that we have to businesses, companies don’t just perform a little bit better — they perform a lot better,” Sallie said. So what are those differences? Women bring risk awareness, a love of continued learning, holistic thinking and more effective decision making.

“The companies that get it let us be ourselves, and meet us where we are.”

We have more options.

It wasn’t too long ago when women didn’t have very many options if they wanted to leave their current position. Today, if your company isn’t paying you right, you can go to Payscale to learn about the kind of compensation you should be getting for the work you’re doing. You can go to Fairygodboss and find companies that offer adequate parental and family leave, or to InHerSight to find a workplace culture that’s right for you.

“Back then, if companies didn’t get it, I didn’t have a choice,” Sallie said. “Today… we can go in with much more information. Or, we can start our own businesses.”

Starting your own business these days is also easier than ever, with shared workspaces like WeWork that allow you to avoid lease, video conferencing that lets you and your teams work remotely, and access to consultants and part time employees if you can’t hire someone full time.

We can use our money where it counts.

Everyone knows that money = power. And women control a lot of it — 80% of consumer spending, in fact. Companies like Gender Fair are identifying products and services that practice gender fairness in their business models.

“We will inherit 70% of the $40 trillion in wealth transfer in the next few decades,” said Sallie. “We can invest [that money] behind companies whose values align with ours.”

So, even if our current position in business isn’t progressing as quickly as we want it to be, we already have the tools we need — our natural traits, technology, and money — to make an impact on our future.

“I don’t need to be empowered. We don’t need to be given power,” Sallie explained. “We need to, one by one, determine that we will use the power we already have.”

Now is the best time to invest in yourself. Join the community that is committed to your success, and has your back no matter what. We’ll see you at an upcoming event!