Focus on yourself, make yourself noticed and let nothing stop you

In a country where 51% of the population are women, but only 44% of the total have access to paid work, and where there is also a 27% wage gap compared to men. A country where only 8.7% of positions on boards of directors and 35% of senior management positions are held by women, it is essential to be part of any movement (not to call it a struggle) that seeks to achieve equal pay, equal employment opportunities in all types of positions, and to eliminate the privileges currently granted by being a man. 

However, when we find ourselves immersed in these movements, it is inevitable to find ourselves bombarded with ideas, practices, attitudes, thoughts and unconscious biases, which emphasize our predisposition to believe that, when we look for a job, a leadership position, a salary increase, a flexible schedule, or recognition of our authority, we will be criticized or belittled.

In my opinion, these two factors together are what causes us to not feel a direct impact on our work environment, even though significant changes have been historically achieved in favor of the recognition of women and our equality with men in the workplace.

This is why, considering the privileged environment in which we are fortunate to practice our profession, in addition to inviting you to continue participating in any of these movements, today I propose that you practice taking a moment to identify and recognize all those attitudes, programming, beliefs, practices, ideas, thoughts and of course, unconscious biases, that may be contributing to you not getting the position you want, not asking for the raise you deserve, not speaking up when something is wrong, or not getting the recognition you seek; and once you have done so, you can consciously work to eliminate them from your system.

With this proposal, I do not intend in any way to excuse all the other factors that need to change in the country. My only objective is to make us more aware and responsible of ourselves and our actions in the work environment, in order to capitalize on it for our benefit.

So, my first point is to detox from everything that predisposes you to live in a reality in which you will not be valued, recognized, or in which the men who are part of your work environment will be favored. And mind you, I am not referring only to the comments or thoughts that we have or hear every day; but also to the role that we as women have had in society and to all the parts of our training, which are oriented to not raising our voices, not asking, not defending our opinions and not recognizing and valuing ourselves. Be conscious of it and eliminate it little by little every day.

My next point is to put into practice the second and third agreement from Miguel Ruiz’s book. “Don’t take anything personally.” Remember that we are all part of the same society, in which many practices that we now recognize as incorrect were accepted. Remember that the fight is against the unconscious biases and beliefs that our historical formation has left us, both men and women; not against men. So, as illogical as it may seem to you, it is possible that whoever is having the wrong behavior or attitude simply does not realize it and it is not something against you, which brings me to the agreement of “don’t make assumptions.” When you feel that you deserve something, that you are not being recognized, that you are not being considered, that something is not right or bothers you; do not assume that the person who has the power to decide regarding that, already knows it. Tell them! Don’t just think that it is obvious or that they should have already realized it, make sure you say it expressly and that they listen to you. Yes, it is difficult and most of us are not used to saying things clearly and directly, but on many occasions and as absurd as it may seem, something that is obvious to us is not so to the person in front of us.

So, my last point is dare! Dare to be different, challenge yourself every day, question yourself all the time, don’t be afraid to try something new, don’t be afraid to change direction as many times as necessary, train the voice in your mind to motivate you and be your biggest fan, take responsibility for your “mistakes,” but make sure you turn them into lessons that teach you something and make you grow. Don’t spend another minute thinking about what the world expects from you and focus on what you want, change the “I can’t” for “what do I need to achieve it?” Make sure that nothing stops you on the path you chose, not even your own mind; but above all, never be afraid to shine!