Pandora's CEO on Tips for Gender Equality in the Workplace

I don't know what I love more: seeing a male executive discussing the value of gender equality, or an advice article that is fresh and easily applicable to most modern offices.

Tim Westergren, you won me over.

Tim's Pulse article showed up in my LinkedIn feed at the perfect moment this weekend. The five tips that Tim offers are accessible in content and application. 

1. End meetings on time

I have had the fortune to conduct several phone screenings with potential job candidates recently. In two of those phone screenings, I ran over by 3 - 5 minutes. Those are just a few minutes, but it meant that I broke my obligation to the candidate in respecting what they had agreed to as a time window. 

It was important that I apologize for the call running over. I emphasized that their time is valuable to me, and I appreciated the time they had already given me. Both times, the candidates said they understood. One remarked that they had never had someone acknowledge, much less apologize, for taking up more of their time for a meeting. Most of the time those few minutes don't matter. But when they do, it's hard to shake off.

2. Be open and vocal about your own family commitments.

I'd extend this to being open about all commitments, and treat them as a way to connect with the team. Early in my career, I did not have the ability/experience to strike a healthy work-life balance. Over time I learned that most of my managers want this, for themselves and for me.

One of my former managers, in particular, was the benchmark in commitment-cool. When joining his team, I was co-leading a group within a volunteer organization that required my presence at particular hours. Not only was he encouraging, he went out of his way to tell me how impressed he was by my commitment and passion for this work. Isn't that what we all want to hear?

3. Actively work to be gender-neutral in how you interact and communicate.

In particular, "make sure you acknowledge and reward all styles of contribution - not just the loudest or most aggressive. Don’t overlook the quiet contributors, or the more reticent personalities. They can be your most effective leaders when empowered." 

Say 'thank you', and mean it. This is a lesson I have to proactively practice. It's easy to toss out a quick 'thanks' over the shoulder, but much of the meaning is lost. 

Here's how I practice thanking my team members: first, I physically pause so that my focus is on my words and the tone of the message. My hands are still and my eyes are on them. While looking them in the eye, I thank them for what they did and tell them how it helped or why much I appreciate the effort. The reward of their smile is always worth the little bit of time it took.

4. Be a vocal advocate for your female employees.

It is important to remember that many employees, male and female, do not feel comfortable asking for a manager to advocate for them. We expect it of our managers, but do we always receive it?

I work with team members of all personalities. Keeping a particularly sensitive eye towards those easy to overlook (quiet, young) and advocating on their behalf is a responsibility I take seriously as a member of management. It's hard to measure the impact the practice of this 'soft skill' has, but it is impossible to deny the increase of trust and confidence it establishes.

4. Understand the value of female leaders and help create more of them.

Studies are coming out every few months about the value of gender equality will have on companies, both in terms of internal trust and external revenue. Tim's message here is short and to the point: "It's just plain good business."

Tim Westergren (Founder, CEO of Pandora) on "Five Ways Having a Kid Raised My Consciousness About How Gender Operates in the Workplace"