Encourage and Empower

Our oldest daughter Beatrice said some of her friends wanted to work at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk this summer and she was kind of interested, too.

"But you're only 14," I said. "I thought you had to be 16." 

"I guess you can get a work permit with parental approval for some positions when you're 14," my wife Amy said. 

"Got it," I said. "But Beatrice, I thought you wanted to be a junior leader again at the day camp this summer?"

"Actually, I do," she said. "I'd rather be a junior leader again."

That was music to our ears. Beatrice loves working with kids and she recently completed an online babysitting course. Once she was done, she was ready to get to work, and a dear friend of ours who runs a preschool recommended Bea put a resume together to be shared.

Of course she should, I thought. Considering I run a research organization called Talent Board that helps employers improve their recruiting, hiring, and candidate experience, I wanted to help her. 

"Let's write down your experience, Beatrice," I said.

"I don't really have experience," she said. I knew she was thinking literally about babysitting. 

"Of course you do. You actually have lots of experience that applies here. You were a junior leader at camp. You were a junior leader at the Kids in Nature program."

"I forgot about Kids in Nature," she said.

"You're a 6th grade teacher's assistant in class this semester, too. You definitely have experience."

"Oh yeah, I do."

In fact, Beatrice is interested in becoming a teacher someday, something we're behind 100%. However, while I helped her with her resume, I thought about the trials ahead for her and her sister when looking for a job. I know this all too well in helping organizations measure their job candidate experience, including in education. It's a small universe of organizations year after year that intentionally lean in to improve their recruiting and hiring experience for job candidates. Not everyone is qualified for jobs they're interested in, but everyone deserves a fair and positive experience. 

Developing professional and personal leadership is also something we'll continue to encourage our daughters to do. But I get even more disheartened when I think about what's been happening in the workplace today and the fact that women leaders are leaving the workforce at the highest rate ever. Based on Lean In and McKinsey research I recently found stated that 43% of women leaders reported feeling burned out, compared to 31% of men, according to Lean In and McKinsey data.

This is due to women in senior leadership who face more headwinds than men do, ranging from everyday microaggressions (like being questioned on their expertise) to carrying a greater responsibility in diversity and inclusion initiatives.

After recent progress for women in leadership, workplace burnout is painfully real, but we'll always encourage and empower both our girls to go for what they want to do today and in the future. To expect nothing less than to be treated fairly and positively whether qualified or not. To develop and nurture their leadership skills no matter what headwinds they face. And to not be afraid to put themselves out there and advocate for themselves and for other women.

For now, Beatrice just wants to babysit, so if you need a babysitter, let us know. 😊