‘I Was Never One of the Boys’
I do not buy the argument that women are competitive with other women, that there is no room at the top for more than one woman, blah blah blah. In my experience, that’s just an ugly myth.
But I do have a suggestion for every woman reading this. Starting today, let’s all pick three women to mentor. I’m not just talking to those at the top, but to those in the middle and those scrambling up by their fingernails. There’s always someone lower down the rung than you are. Reach out and give them a yank up.
Joyce King Thomas is the former McCann Erickson Chief Creative Officer who originated MasterCard’s “Priceless” campaign, and is now the partner and director of brand partnerships at Longreads, where I have the pleasure of working with her. She’s also one of Ad Age’s 100 most influential women in advertising. Here, she talks a little bit about why she doesn’t believe a woman has to be “one of the boys” to become successful, and the importance of mentorship, which I’m all for.
No one is lower on the totem pole than me :(
@julebsorry Twelve-year-olds? I really could have used a mentor as a preteen/teenager.
@wallsdonotfall That’s a good point, actually.
@julebsorry I dunno, I’m not even ON the totem pole
Even in kindergarten, I had this sense that I should compete with the boys and befriend the other girls and try to boost them up. Now I try to be more gender-neutral in my interactions, but I think it was because there were 4 of us who got accelerated curriculum, and I was the only girl.
Anyway, yes, let’s mentor each other more! Especially in industries and communities where women are often left behind. I’ve learned a lot from my boss b/c he isn’t afraid to teach me things and delegate. I had another boss like that at another job, and she was a great example to me fresh out of college. She was very patient and gave me opportunities to try new skills.