International Women’s Day is March 8th. And if you’re wondering what you can do aside from wearing purple to work, you’re in luck. In this week’s special edition of Fearless in 5, we’ll show you five ways that you can celebrate the “s-heroes” in your life.
1. Acknowledge the women who have made a difference in your life, business and community. It doesn’t need to be flowers. It can be as simple as an email, a personal thank you or even a text message. But make sure that your organization publicly recognizes the women who are making a difference. Visibility matters. And that’s because if you can see role models that you can relate to, you can imagine being them. As they say, “If you can see her, you can be her.”
2. Make mentorship a reality. If your organization doesn’t already have a mentoring program in place, then get one started, and encourage more people--both men and women--to join. A recent Wet Cement study found that while the majority of people recognize the value and importance of mentoring, only one in five people currently have a mentor.
3. Join forces for good. Find a non-profit or organization that support women’s causes and rally your team together to help make a difference. Not only will it help all of you bond and connect, but you’ll also be leveraging your skills to make an impact in the lives of women around the world. But don’t forget to enlist your allies—we are in this together. Bring both the men and the women in your organization together to collaborate and contribute.
4. Invest in women’s development. There is a wealth of research that shows that companies that invest in their employees’ career development see skyrocketing rates in employee loyalty and job satisfaction. At Wet Cement we would be happy to help you with a training or coaching program.
5. And finally, tap into the great resources that are out there that can help you make the day a success. The official International Women’s Day web site has insights, inspiration and ideas of what you can do along with a list of featured speakers—I’m very proud to be on that list.
For those of you who need a little extra help, all of us at Wet Cement created a free guide on top 10 tips that you can use to create an inclusive organization. Good luck with your International Women’s Day efforts and don’t forget to post that team pose of all of you doing that “Each for Equal” sign. And for more information and inspiration, visit us at Wet Cement at wet-cement.com