Why Aren't You on the Roster?

I was incredibly flattered, today, to find that Ian Capstick had named me on a list of 20 Leading Women in Social Media. The impetus for his list was Todd Defren’s list of Social Media Marketing Leaders, which included only two women. As Ian found this to be a surprising ratio, he posted a list of women he feels are leaders in this brave new world of social media. This list was augmented by Ian’s readers, and we can now find a pretty astounding list of women who inspire and move the social media space forward on the Media Style blog.

The conversation that follows in the comments on Ian’s blog centres strongly around the absence of women speaking at conferences such as MESH, PodCamp, CaseCamp, SXSW, Marketing Week, and TedXTO among others I’m sure.

Shortly after reading Ian’s post and the subsequent comments, I received a message from Alexa Clark asking why I’m not speaking at more events. Her blog post, “Why Aren’t You on the Roster?”, is a pointed and timely issue.

There’s been a lot of attention on this topic over the past weeks. In some respects, deservedly so and not surprising. Women are missing, as they traditionally are, from industry rosters and panels. I don’t feel any of this is part of a master plan to keep us out of the Boys’ Club, but it’s an issue we, as women, have to grab by the balls (yep; had to say it), own and correct through action. Respectable, professional action I might add. Whining about it and stamping our feet won’t move us forward. Stepping up to the plate, asking to be included, talking about it and being involved will move us forward.

To answer Alexa’s question though, I’m not on the roster by choice at the moment. I’ve received a couple of invitations over the past few months and for various reasons, which I won’t go into here, have chosen to decline. Does this mean I’m doing professional-woman-kind a disservice? Geez, I hope not. Why aren’t other women on the roster? I think many are. I think more can be, and I hope to be invited and on those lists in the not-too-distant future.

I also think we’re in a period of extreme and rapid change. A period of change that is accelerating at a rate that is difficult to keep up with. The technology industry has, for years, been a male-dominant one, as have many industries, and we are seeing more women in this space now than ever before – YAY US!

But in the grand scheme of things, on a timeline that is decades long, this is a short few steps on a path that will stretch out before us for many years to come. We are making strides. We are taking steps forward. We have to continue to ask to be invited to the table. We will see a greater balance of women to men at the table. We are in this for the long haul.

We can only affect this change by participating in it. Cliché, I know, but be the change you want to see. Don’t wait to not be invited to speak. Don’t wait until after the panel has been announced and complain that you were once again forgotten.

Own the outcome of this. Find the events and panels at which you believe you have something of value to contribute and ask to be included. Insist if you must. If you truly do have something of value to bring to the industry you will not be turned down. And then when you do it, do it with conviction, style and integrity. This is a trend we have to own and set.

There isn’t an end to this. We will not one day hope to be part of a female dominant space – will we? The point I’m making here is that gender should not be part of the criteria (nor do I think it is) when choosing speakers on a panel, mentors, or industry leaders. Vision, passion, courage, insight, wisdom, integrity, innovation, compassion. These all seem like far better criteria to me. Don’t they?

Photo courtesy of Rannie Turingan Photography

Comments

[Ian Barr]

Well said Paige. I'd love to start hearing some new voices on the circuit with fresh perspectives who are willing to create new discussion about the space.

Ian