Today is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women of all races, creeds, and circumstances. Yet, this year’s theme — #ChooseToChallenge — importantly reminds us to not just to reflect upon what women have achieved to date, but also to take action to create a society, economy, and work environment that supports and empowers women to unlock their potential to succeed tomorrow.
I have been blessed throughout my life to be guided and inspired by brilliant and brave women — from my working mom to my immigrant grandmother restaurateur to my college thesis advisor, an avid feminist who established the university’s Women and Gender Studies program and first opened my mind to the unconscious bias that exists in society and within ourselves.
Yet, it was my mentor on my first “real” job, on a weekly business magazine, that both exposed me to the challenges that still exist for many women in the workplace and the intelligence, the drive, and, more often than not, the extra efforts needed to succeed in spite of it. As the news editor, she was a master at rooting out a story and a stickler for clarity in every sentence. Most inspiring was her deft ability to stand her ground and lead in a male-dominated newsroom — all while finding time to provide candid feedback on my copy and pass on her experience. Her advice on how to conduct an effective interview has stayed with me as invaluable counsel on how to lead and succeed:
“It’s more valuable to ask good questions than to feel the need to provide the right answer.”
I continue to put her advice into practice. As part of my role here at Citrix, I’ve had the privilege to speak with and interview some of the most inspiring women of our time — women who were able to challenge entire industries, and sometimes an entire world, not built for their success.
Here are just a few things I learned from these glass-breakers:
- Condoleezza Rice, the first female National Security Advisor and the first female African American Secretary of State (among a number of other firsts), offered valuable lessons on leadership in the face of adversity and overcoming bias both growing up in the South and competing in a male-dominated world. Yet, it was her family’s trio of mantras that revealed the secret to her success. (You can read them all in my recap our our discussion here.) The childhood advice that best illustrated Dr. Rice’s struggles and strength was, “Don’t let someone else’s prejudice become your problem. If someone doesn’t want to sit next to you because you’re Black, that’s fine. So long as they are the ones who move.”
- Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, an ambassador, professor, and New York Times bestselling author, is an original pioneer for #ChoosetoChallenge and urged us to call out biased behaviors and embrace the need for gender equality “because companies and societies are better when women are economically and politically empowered.” (Learn more here.)
- Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Girls Who Code — with whom Citrix partners to increase the number of female candidates for positions in our company and across the tech industry — shared this invaluable advice for women in her best-selling book Brave Not Perfect: “The desire to be perfect holds us back in so many ways. … It takes bravery to aim for 100 percent but be okay if you come in at 90, to make mistakes and own up to them without sliding into shame.”
- Carey Lohrenz, the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy told us what it takes to become a fearless leader in one of the highest pressure, extreme, and male-dominated environments: “Knowing your value, speaking up, and not flying under the radar — this is what fearless leadership is about.” (Learn more.)
- Diana Nyad, is the first, and still only, person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage. She completed the historic feat at age 64, on her fifth attempt. And, while the global pandemic sidelined her plans to keynote Citrix Synergy last year, Nyad, the author of Find a Way, still offers both inspiration and advice to all of us: “Never, ever give up. I failed and faltered many times, but I can look back with regret because I was never burdened with the paralysis of fear and inaction.”
I have been incredibly fortunate to live and work alongside a great number of innovative and brave women throughout my career. Their perspectives and fearless leadership helped our organizations build better products, design more empathetic and inclusive messaging, and showed me personally the power of having equal voices at the table. It’s also helped me be a better father to my daughters, from whom I continue to learn and gain inspiration from every day.
It’s also helped me be a better leader, and I try to challenge myself daily to take these lessons and turn them into actions that can build a more inclusive world for the next generation of female leaders. There’s a lot of talk about shattering the glass ceiling. But we need more action. And not just for a day — or a week, month or even a year. We must progress and create a world where there is more equity and opportunity for women in the workplace in a sustained way.
Businesses can take the lead, creating diverse and inclusive environments where women are given the space they need to unlock their full potential and succeed — and where there’s incentive for businesses to do so.
Here is a brief glimpse of just some of the inspiring women who are helping Citrix create a better way to work:
I encourage you all to embrace the theme of International Women’s Day and choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality — not just today but every day. And work to give women everywhere the space they need to succeed.
