Find your passion, follow your passion, have passion.
If there was one take away from the Women in Leadership luncheon, hosted by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, it was the notion that passion is the ticket.
The event featured three women in leadership positions, Diana Miles, president and CEO of WorkSafe BC, Nicole Stefenelli, founder and CEO of Urban Impact and Ratana Stephens, co-CEO of Nature’s Path, in a panel discussion about how they got where they are, what challenges they faced along the way and what advice they had for young women — there were 87 Grade 11/12 girls from local high schools in the audience.
It was an inspiring talk and I wouldn’t disagree that passion matters, but I was happy to hear one young woman ask; “How did you find your passion?” as I imagine many young people have no idea where their passion lies, and it would be somewhat disconcerting to hear your life depends on this important ingredient you’re not even sure you have.
The answers were revealing and perhaps comforting. For Stefenelli, her passion only revealed itself after finishing university and travelling Europe, for the others, their passions changed, depending on life’s circumstances.
Apart from passion, the overall message was explore, be flexible, keep learning and seek mentors — all great advice.
At one point in the proceedings, I started chatting to one of the girls in the audience about what she does, her ambitions, her career plans. She began talking about a couple of jobs she’s already had, one where the manager was inappropriately touching the staff, another where the owner bullied and screamed at those, including herself, on the lowest rung of the workplace ladder.
...hmmm interesting juxtaposition.
Yes, these young women should shoot for the moon, but let’s not deny they’ll inherit a workplace culture that still has its share of sexism, exploitation and wage inequality. Yes, the panel was made up of CEOs, but, in fact, only one in ten CEOs in Canada is a woman. Sectors where women have swollen the ranks, however, are retail and service, where wages are often low and benefits minimal.
It was this perspective on women’s role within the larger context of the workforce that, to me, seemed missing from the discussion. To be fair, perhaps this wasn’t the place for that conversation. This was an audience full of youth and optimism, and it’s that “can-do” spirit that should be, and was, encouraged. But the feminist in me can’t help but note we also need to consider some of the challenges women face at work if we want all our girls to find and follow their passion. I’m not asking for a bra-burning, but a little feminist critique, is, in my opinion, always a good thing.
