[portion of actual letter]
I recently learned of an opening on a corporate board at a historic museum in my city and I decided to submit my credentials. I am a well educated woman, with a double masters degree in history and classic literature and was a lecturer abroad in Europe for many years. Today, I am transitioning into a consulting capacity, so I have time to dedicate to this role. I went before the board of directors for my first meeting and was extremely insulted. The opening was seeking a more “diverse” leadership perceptive, however, I was quite surprised to learn their definition of “diverse.” There were 9 men, mostly the same age; no women, no minorities, no millennials, etc. I sat through the interview knowing that if I were offered the opportunity, it was strictly for optics, not value. My question is should I consider the opportunity, knowing that I will not be a contributing member? Sincerely, Just for looks _____ Dear Just for looks, The fact still remains that we need more women on corporate boards. Women held 19.9% of board seats at S&P 500 companies in 2015 according to Catalyst. We need more women on corporate boards globally in order to begin shifting the corporate culture and lack of diversity in the workplace and leadership. In addition, women need to become stakeholders in the decision making process, so our presence, valued or undervalued, is necessary. Although you believe your presence “may” not be valued, your presence will set a new standard for the progress of creating additional opportunities to open up a dialogue on the issue of diversity. For many women, we stop at the moment we believe that we are outnumbered. However, I want you to use the opportunity to create change and invite a more diverse talent pool of stakeholder representation. You will have a true competitive advantage to change the gender landscape for corporate boards, which have suffered from a shortage of women over the past decade. “Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women board directors attained significantly higher financial performance, on average, than those with the lowest representation of women board directors,” according to Cataylst. Your presence is necessary. Congratulations and welcome to your seat at the table. — Carol
1 Comment
11/10/2022 08:12:34 am
World two ground movie. Somebody world machine center.
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