4 Ways to Redefine Power at Work to Include Women of Color | Rha Goddess & Deepa Purushothaman | TED

Rha Goddess: We are in a moment of reckoning.

An epic global plague,

a massive workforce peace-out

and a worldwide racial awakening

have revealed that current corporate structures

are not living up to evolving expectations.

Work is just not working for most of us,

especially when it comes to women of color.

And while there can be no question that the last two years have harmed us,

it's also encouraged us to rethink how, where and why we work.

We have an opportunity to reimagine,

and women of color are ready to share and to lead.

We want to bring the world of work into the 21st century

so that it works for everybody.

And that starts with getting real.

Our data shows that one in three women are considering leaving the workforce

in the next year.

Deepa Purushothaman: One in three.

RG: And when we consider

all of the backs and shoulders that we've stood on to get here,

corporate America,

women of color allies,

are y'all ready for us to leave?

When it comes to the world of work,

I describe Deepa and I as corporate refugees.

Thirty years ago,

I was an only,

a Black woman in the specialty chemicals industry,

working for a Fortune 100 company.

Now, back in those days, company cultures didn't talk about race,

and glass ceilings were often impenetrable,

even to the toughest set of stilettos.

I got that memo early, so I left.

And for the last 25 years,

I've dedicated my life to supporting courageous leaders.

As a coach,

I help them pursue their purpose and callings

in service to a more just, harmonious and sustainable world.

DP: Rha, she calls as corporate refugees.

I spent 20 years rising in corporate America,

and I got my seat at the table.

I was the first Indian American woman to do so in my global firm,

and I sat on senior committees,

influenced policy

and led large parts of inclusion programming.

I had a successful career,

and I was on an upward trajectory when I decided to walk away from it all.

Why?

I was stressed.

I was chronically ill,

and I was questioning my larger purpose in the world.

I knew I wanted to leave,

but I felt responsible to the women of color coming up after me.

I met Rha,

she changed my life,

and she became my coach.

And together we started gathering women of color.

To figure out if I should stay or if I should go.

What we learned from these women

was that their struggles were not personal.

The system is broken.

And we decided we would work together to learn more.

And now we've started a movement to change it.

RG: Since 2018, Deepa and I have interviewed thousands of women,

and about six months ago we launched a data-driven research project

to hear from over 1,700 women from all backgrounds

about their work experiences.

We wanted to have the data to support the stories we were hearing

from all of the women we met.

So much of the research that we see out there

around women of color

talks about us in the third person.

We wanted to do something that enabled us to speak for ourselves.

Some of the questions we asked in the research were:

“How does race show up at work for you?”

"Has your company created a clear plan to support your advancement?"

"Who or what has been most instrumental to your success?"

The results and the response have been startling.

DP: The system was not created for women of color.

It doesn't show up in the same ways for us.

And we all need to let go of the idea that it's a meritocracy.

People everywhere are talking about being burnt out.

But women of color, we're not just burnt out.

We're traumatized.

The weight of microaggressions,

racism and hatred at work,

it takes a toll on us.

And it takes a toll on our companies.

We need to talk about that.

Our research showed that the path for women of color is very different.

It shows up differently for us, as I said before.

And what we saw was, first,

that women of color face many more negative stereotypes in the workplace.

Secondly, we have to prove ourselves more often.

Seventy percent of the women of color we met

said they have to prove themselves over --

RG: And over.

DP: And over and over again.

We get paid less.

We get promoted less.

And we also get hired less often.

And when we do the right thing and speak up about racism at work,

what we find is the system turns on us.

We're actually retaliated against

and very often traumatized yet again.

We also heard from women of color that DE and I isn't working,

in fact, it's failing.

So there is a lot that has to change.

So that's the bad news.

But we do have some good news for you.

The good news is we have some ideas for you.

We have some recommendations.

And some of those things you can do right now

to make the workplace work better for women of color.

And as a result, make it work better for all of us.

One of the things our research identified

is that you, and when I say you, I mean companies and leaders,

need to do a better job of dealing with toxic rock stars.

You know, that guy puts up big numbers on the board, sells big deals,

clients love him, bosses love him, but --

RG: He's a hot mess everywhere else.

(Laughter)

DP: You know that guy.

We have them everywhere.

They're in every workplace.

Well, we're asking you to take action against them.

When you don't, what it tells us

is that performance trumps character.

And when you leave them in seats of power,

what you're telling us

is that profits matter more than people.

It's time we humanize work.

And that you care about our well-being, too.

RG: Another important takeaway from the research is that women of color

are corporate America’s greatest underutilized resource

and yet we could be your greatest competitive advantage.

We understand diversity

because we've had to navigate a world that never had our success in mind.

We are inherently culturally competent because we've had to be.

And our lived experiences make us natural-born leaders.

Imagine what it's like to be the first in your family

to make a start in a new country

or to be one of a few to raise three kids as a single parent

while you work and go to school.

Or to be an only in executive leadership

in a company that employs thousands.

Women of color have had to overcome so much just to be in the running,

and we've been successful because of these experiences,

not in spite of.

Corporations, we are your innovators.

Give us opportunities to lead beyond DE and I,

in product development, marketing,

finance and engineering.

Go beyond your usual suspects.

Take the time to see us

and learn about our unique qualities and lived experiences.

We are your truth tellers, baby,

(Deepa laughs)

in a moment where it's time to tell the truth.

If work environments don't get better,

we will continue to leave.

Take the time to reexamine your company values,

then get in touch with the day-to-day realities of your people.

DP: One of the truths we also need to talk about

is as women, we're not helping each other.

I know that's a taboo topic to talk about,

but we need to talk about it if we're going to change it.

Women we speak with, when they tell us that,

their voices drop, and you can feel the shame

because it's so hard to talk about the fact

that we don't help each other.

More than half of the women of color we spoke with

said that white women make them feel invisible at work.

And only nine percent of the white women we interviewed

are actually sponsoring a woman of color,

even though 91 percent of you say you want to.

Nine vs. 91, that’s a significant difference.

So we're not doing as much as we can for each other

and maybe not even as much as we intend to.

We need to change that.

RG: We also need to talk about power

and the traditional notions of hierarchy

we've all been taught to emulate.

We've bought into the belief that a gain for one

means a loss for another.

And even if we truly don't believe that,

we're under immense pressure to conform

because most workplaces operate that way.

As women, we tell ourselves with the best intentions,

"Let's just make it to the top,

and then once we get there,

we'll turn around and create opportunities for others."

The problem is,

so many of us never seem to get there,

and when we do,

we become all-consumed with maintaining our seat.

One woman of color we spoke to in the research

gave us our greatest "drop the mic" moment

when she said,

"We're competing with other women for a seat at the table.

And there’s only one broke-ass chair.”

And that's the problem.

The designation of one seat

makes it feel more like charity

than an actual recognition of our dedication and hard-won results.

And we see all women grappling with this.

Not just women of color.

To our white sisters,

it's time to become true co-conspirators

because this affects all of us.

(Applause)

We can create more room.

We can do this differently.

Let's not just talk about it,

let's be about it.

Billie Jean King is phenomenal at this.

She has been a champion of equity on and off the court for over 50 years,

mever settling for anybody’s broke-ass anything.

(Laughter)

Our collaboration with Billie Jean and the Leadership Initiative

on this research

is yet another example.

You know, there used to be a saying: “Be more like Mike.”

Well, my sisters, we are asking you

(Both) to be more like Billie.

DP: Women of color, I want to speak to you now.

We need to reimagine power and leadership in our own terms.

We need to know that we can do it our own way.

We need to let go of the idea that success comes on certain terms

and not forgive or forgo our hair,

our history or where we come from.

We need to know that we can lead in full voice in cultures that see us

and reward us

and give ourselves permission to walk away from the ones that don't.

And we need to take good care of ourselves.

And remember not to go this alone,

this is hard, and we need our sisters.

And we told you early on this was about getting real.

Well, I want us to get real with ourselves too.

Rha and I, we know we're not a monolith,

that women of color have different histories

and different paths to get here, and we recognize that.

But we need to work together to change the status quo.

As we rise, we need to take others with us.

We have to do this together and let go of the idea of one seat.

This has to be a collective effort.

We don't just want more power in the same broken system,

we want more.

The last few years have served us some sobering truths about the workplace.

But they've also given us a chance to reimagine.

Women of color are tired.

RG: Aren’t you tired too?

DP: This is our moment to make work work for everyone.

Let's remake the table together.

Thank you.

RG: Thank you.

(Applause)