Rha Goddess: We are
in a moment of reckoning.
An epic global plague,
a massive workforce peace-out
and a worldwide racial awakening
have revealed that current
corporate structures
are not living up
to evolving expectations.
Work is just not working for most of us,
especially when it comes
to women of color.
And while there can be no question
that the last two years have harmed us,
it's also encouraged us to rethink how,
where and why we work.
We have an opportunity to reimagine,
and women of color are ready
to share and to lead.
We want to bring the world of work
into the 21st century
so that it works for everybody.
And that starts with getting real.
Our data shows that one in three women
are considering leaving the workforce
in the next year.
Deepa Purushothaman: One in three.
RG: And when we consider
all of the backs and shoulders
that we've stood on to get here,
corporate America,
women of color allies,
are y'all ready for us to leave?
When it comes to the world of work,
I describe Deepa and I
as corporate refugees.
Thirty years ago,
I was an only,
a Black woman in the specialty
chemicals industry,
working for a Fortune 100 company.
Now, back in those days, company cultures
didn't talk about race,
and glass ceilings
were often impenetrable,
even to the toughest set of stilettos.
I got that memo early, so I left.
And for the last 25 years,
I've dedicated my life
to supporting courageous leaders.
As a coach,
I help them pursue
their purpose and callings
in service to a more just,
harmonious and sustainable world.
DP: Rha, she calls as corporate refugees.
I spent 20 years rising
in corporate America,
and I got my seat at the table.
I was the first Indian American woman
to do so in my global firm,
and I sat on senior committees,
influenced policy
and led large parts
of inclusion programming.
I had a successful career,
and I was on an upward trajectory
when I decided to walk away from it all.
Why?
I was stressed.
I was chronically ill,
and I was questioning
my larger purpose in the world.
I knew I wanted to leave,
but I felt responsible to the women
of color coming up after me.
I met Rha,
she changed my life,
and she became my coach.
And together we started
gathering women of color.
To figure out if I should stay
or if I should go.
What we learned from these women
was that their struggles
were not personal.
The system is broken.
And we decided we would work
together to learn more.
And now we've started
a movement to change it.
RG: Since 2018, Deepa and I
have interviewed thousands of women,
and about six months ago we launched
a data-driven research project
to hear from over 1,700 women
from all backgrounds
about their work experiences.
We wanted to have the data
to support the stories we were hearing
from all of the women we met.
So much of the research
that we see out there
around women of color
talks about us in the third person.
We wanted to do something
that enabled us to speak for ourselves.
Some of the questions
we asked in the research were:
“How does race
show up at work for you?”
"Has your company created a clear plan
to support your advancement?"
"Who or what has been most
instrumental to your success?"
The results and the response
have been startling.
DP: The system was not created
for women of color.
It doesn't show up
in the same ways for us.
And we all need to let go of the idea
that it's a meritocracy.
People everywhere are talking
about being burnt out.
But women of color,
we're not just burnt out.
We're traumatized.
The weight of microaggressions,
racism and hatred at work,
it takes a toll on us.
And it takes a toll on our companies.
We need to talk about that.
Our research showed that the path
for women of color is very different.
It shows up differently for us,
as I said before.
And what we saw was, first,
that women of color face many more
negative stereotypes in the workplace.
Secondly, we have to prove
ourselves more often.
Seventy percent
of the women of color we met
said they have to prove themselves over --
RG: And over.
DP: And over and over again.
We get paid less.
We get promoted less.
And we also get hired less often.
And when we do the right thing
and speak up about racism at work,
what we find is the system turns on us.
We're actually retaliated against
and very often traumatized yet again.
We also heard from women of color
that DE and I isn't working,
in fact, it's failing.
So there is a lot that has to change.
So that's the bad news.
But we do have some good news for you.
The good news is
we have some ideas for you.
We have some recommendations.
And some of those things
you can do right now
to make the workplace work better
for women of color.
And as a result, make it
work better for all of us.
One of the things our research identified
is that you, and when I say you,
I mean companies and leaders,
need to do a better job
of dealing with toxic rock stars.
You know, that guy puts up big numbers
on the board, sells big deals,
clients love him, bosses love him, but --
RG: He's a hot mess everywhere else.
(Laughter)
DP: You know that guy.
We have them everywhere.
They're in every workplace.
Well, we're asking you
to take action against them.
When you don't, what it tells us
is that performance trumps character.
And when you leave them in seats of power,
what you're telling us
is that profits matter more than people.
It's time we humanize work.
And that you care
about our well-being, too.
RG: Another important takeaway
from the research is that women of color
are corporate America’s greatest
underutilized resource
and yet we could be your greatest
competitive advantage.
We understand diversity
because we've had to navigate a world
that never had our success in mind.
We are inherently culturally competent
because we've had to be.
And our lived experiences
make us natural-born leaders.
Imagine what it's like to be
the first in your family
to make a start in a new country
or to be one of a few
to raise three kids as a single parent
while you work and go to school.
Or to be an only in executive leadership
in a company that employs thousands.
Women of color have had to overcome
so much just to be in the running,
and we've been successful
because of these experiences,
not in spite of.
Corporations, we are your innovators.
Give us opportunities to lead
beyond DE and I,
in product development, marketing,
finance and engineering.
Go beyond your usual suspects.
Take the time to see us
and learn about our unique qualities
and lived experiences.
We are your truth tellers, baby,
(Deepa laughs)
in a moment where it's time
to tell the truth.
If work environments don't get better,
we will continue to leave.
Take the time to reexamine
your company values,
then get in touch with the day-to-day
realities of your people.
DP: One of the truths
we also need to talk about
is as women, we're not helping each other.
I know that's a taboo topic to talk about,
but we need to talk about it
if we're going to change it.
Women we speak with,
when they tell us that,
their voices drop,
and you can feel the shame
because it's so hard
to talk about the fact
that we don't help each other.
More than half of the women
of color we spoke with
said that white women
make them feel invisible at work.
And only nine percent
of the white women we interviewed
are actually sponsoring a woman of color,
even though 91 percent of you
say you want to.
Nine vs. 91,
that’s a significant difference.
So we're not doing as much
as we can for each other
and maybe not even as much
as we intend to.
We need to change that.
RG: We also need to talk about power
and the traditional notions of hierarchy
we've all been taught to emulate.
We've bought into the belief
that a gain for one
means a loss for another.
And even if we truly don't believe that,
we're under immense pressure to conform
because most workplaces operate that way.
As women, we tell ourselves
with the best intentions,
"Let's just make it to the top,
and then once we get there,
we'll turn around and create
opportunities for others."
The problem is,
so many of us never seem to get there,
and when we do,
we become all-consumed
with maintaining our seat.
One woman of color
we spoke to in the research
gave us our greatest "drop the mic" moment
when she said,
"We're competing with other women
for a seat at the table.
And there’s only one broke-ass chair.”
And that's the problem.
The designation of one seat
makes it feel more like charity
than an actual recognition
of our dedication and hard-won results.
And we see all women grappling with this.
Not just women of color.
To our white sisters,
it's time to become true co-conspirators
because this affects all of us.
(Applause)
We can create more room.
We can do this differently.
Let's not just talk about it,
let's be about it.
Billie Jean King is phenomenal at this.
She has been a champion of equity
on and off the court for over 50 years,
mever settling for anybody’s
broke-ass anything.
(Laughter)
Our collaboration with Billie Jean
and the Leadership Initiative
on this research
is yet another example.
You know, there used to be a saying:
“Be more like Mike.”
Well, my sisters, we are asking you
(Both) to be more like Billie.
DP: Women of color,
I want to speak to you now.
We need to reimagine power
and leadership in our own terms.
We need to know
that we can do it our own way.
We need to let go of the idea
that success comes on certain terms
and not forgive or forgo our hair,
our history or where we come from.
We need to know that we can lead
in full voice in cultures that see us
and reward us
and give ourselves permission
to walk away from the ones that don't.
And we need to take
good care of ourselves.
And remember not to go this alone,
this is hard, and we need our sisters.
And we told you early on
this was about getting real.
Well, I want us to get real
with ourselves too.
Rha and I, we know we're not a monolith,
that women of color
have different histories
and different paths to get here,
and we recognize that.
But we need to work together
to change the status quo.
As we rise, we need
to take others with us.
We have to do this together
and let go of the idea of one seat.
This has to be a collective effort.
We don't just want more power
in the same broken system,
we want more.
The last few years have served us
some sobering truths about the workplace.
But they've also given us
a chance to reimagine.
Women of color are tired.
RG: Aren’t you tired too?
DP: This is our moment
to make work work for everyone.
Let's remake the table together.
Thank you.
RG: Thank you.
(Applause)