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I am one person on an all-female Board of Directors.
This statement should not be important but only yesterday, as I interviewed a potential new employee, I was reminded just how unusual this is. It seems to be the very point that everyone mentions when they first meet with myself or the team. This is not by design.
Equally, it isn’t something that we celebrate, not because we shouldn’t but because it is just the way it is. I am surprised by how many times I am asked whether an all-female Board presents challenges with clients. The fact that the question is even asked demonstrates that, whilst progress has been made, there is still a stigma associated to female leaders. Does this present a problem? The answer is – only if we allow it!
Our business is not unique in what it does, so how we do it is vital to our success. I am driven by the growth I see in our employees and building a culture where individuals can thrive. A culture where great client experience is the objective for all and not sales at any cost. This is a bold statement and we don’t always get it right, but when we don’t it matters to us, it REALLY matters. My philosophy is that you cannot get it right all of the time but it is how you manage the times when it goes wrong that defines you. Businesses are rarely heralded for just getting it right because that is, of course, the expectation.
Yes, our Board is unique but our business is more than the three women that lead it , it is every person that works within it, every contractor and supplier that supports it and every client that believes in it. Our client successes are the result of our commitment to each of those relationships.
What I do know is that success comes from being able to push through the problems and find solutions, to being confident enough to be authentic and not rely on corporate b*llshit to “sell” our business. To lean in to our strengths as female leaders and not try to compete in the traditional male corporate world. What we have proved is that if you concentrate your efforts on results people turn to those that “do” and not those that rely on swanky presentations.
So as we celebrate International Women’s Day I thank my mentor, Andrew Bowden, for seeing humility as a strength, for his patience (through the “boilers are not your thing” banter), his understanding as he shared his vision and imparted his knowledge and for trusting in his instinct that I could lead his business. That instinct, and his continued faith, has opened the door to change. To build a business driven by the values we hold as leaders, as mentors , as women, as mothers and to make those values the pillars of what we do and why we do it. This translates to a business which is not successful just because of the service it delivers but because of how people feel when they work with us. It is about ensuring that your values are authentic and are truly felt by your team which, in turn, creates a business that has the courage to show up differently.
And yes, to those that often ask, do I suffer from Imposter Syndrome, absolutely! But I am in good company as Steven Bartlett says “we should all be in search of imposter syndrome, because that’s where all the good things happen”.
Tracy Lewis, Managing Director, Carbonxgen
