We know! That seems to run counter to the holiday spirit. But it sums up some thoughts we had when we were doing our morning reading. It started with an item in the Globe and Mail on leader and feminist, Mary Eady. On the same day, Jean Brittingham’s response to criticism of her blog on why women should do startups showed up.
Brittingham has a new book, The SmartGirls Way. There’s also a SmartGirls Way website. But it was the last paragraph of her blog post that got us thinking. It said, “Women’s entrepreneurship isn’t a gender issue as much as it is a social and economic issue. If we women do our part, we can and should expect the same opportunities as our male counterparts to realize our dreams.”
The key for us two-fold: the “do our part” part, and the “can and should expect” part. Mostly, it’s about expectations. One obstacle we often observe our women colleagues in the entrepreneurial world experiencing is the confusion of “expectation” with “hope”. Expectation is insisting, demanding, or claiming that which we’ve earned by doing the work. Hope is just that – dreaming, wishing, or desiring – without necessarily either doing the work, or stepping up and asking for what we have rightfully earned.
So today, if you’re one of the many strong women we’ve worked with, we’d like to ask you to cast a critical eye on whether you have done your best, and if you have, please, step up and speak out for what you’re worth. Abandon hope, and focus on expectation.
Heads held high,
Megann & Steve
