How to Celebrate International Women’s Day and Impact the Bottom Line

written by The Change Maker, Leslie Grossman  

International Women’s Day is a global event aimed at highlighting
the achievements of women around the world and a catalyst
towards greater gender equality.

Fathers and mothers are celebrated every year.

Why?

Because of we rarely take time to say ‘thank you’ to everything our parents do to
ensure our happiness and success.

The very same reason applies to celebrating women (some of whom
are mothers) on their own day. This is the only holiday that reminds
us of all that women have contributed to our world and continue to do.
Women have been grossly missing from history books, museums,
and national holidays, although their accomplishments are huge.

Take a look at www.womenshistory.org - the National Women’s
History Museum – an online museum which features the contributions
of women in every field.

So here’s how you and your organization can celebrate International
Women’s Day and benefit:

1. With some quick online research, identify the women who have
made great contributions to your industry or field and... 
(1) share on social media and
(2) send an email to your colleagues distinguishing these women.

2. Recognize women within your own organization who have
made a difference. Thank them and acknowledge them
through an internal email, a lunch or a town hall meeting of all
employees.

3. Bring in a speaker about gender equality during the month of
March and invite the entire organization – men and women – to
participate.

4. Start making gender equality an important part of your
organization’s culture. Analyze how many female managers vs.
male managers there are, as well as whether pay and
promotions are equal. Begin the process of moving more
women up to leadership positions with equal pay. Let your
employees know you are doing this and then DO IT! You will
attract the best people, have an improved retention rate, and
your revenues will benefit (research reveals this is true).

5. Look at your c-suite, your board of directors or, if you are a
small business, review your advisory board. Commit to adding
more qualified women. Women are circular thinkers and think
through problems differently than men. They also identify new
opportunities and ways of doing things that add innovative
practices, processes and products. When you have women on
your team, make sure they are heard and encourage them to
speak out. Listen to them when they share their views.

6. Learn what mansplaining is. Men must call out their male
colleagues when they hear it. The same goes for harassment.
You will create a culture of respect and success when men
make their male colleagues aware of their behaviour and get
them to stop before it affects the retention of women,
productivity and results.

If you can’t squeeze all of this into one day, don’t worry. March is
Women’s History Month, so you have an entire month to show
your commitment to gender equality and celebrate women’s
contributions.

-- - Leslie Grossman, Vistage Chair; Leadership coach, trainer and
speaker; Senior Fellow, GWU Center for Excellence in Public
Leadership; and founding member of The Change Makers.

Contact her: leslie(at)leasliegrossmanleadership.com