Why I support the GLOWI Initiative
I’ll keep this short as I just sent my regular newsletter earlier this week, but this topic needed its own spotlight. Tech still tends to be male-dominated, but women continue to prove that they improve the work environment and the bottom line. Today, the GLOWI Initiative launches its campaign to bring affordable professional coaching to women to increase those impacts.
Why Should You Care
Here are the top five ways women positively impact technology organizations:
1. Increase innovation through diverse perspectives.
2. Boost financial and team performance.
3. Inspire inclusive and empathetic leadership.
4. Expand access to talent and market insights.
5. Champion diversity, equity, and social progress.
Need proof? Check these articles.
Why I Care
In my first 10 years in software, guess who were my best managers? Women. One of my first managers, Joan, managed the technology group in a rapidly growing web media organization. She taught me you could be compassionate about the needs of staff and still help them strive for excellence. The CTO of this organization? Also, a woman. She artfully balanced the demands of market pressure, innovation, and stubborn incumbent leadership.
Years later, as I made the pivot from software leadership to professional services and agile coaching, who were most of my mentors? They were women who showed me how to balance professionalism, empathy, and precise execution based on years of hard-earned skills.
The co-authors of my two books? Highly skilled and brilliant women. See my book on distributed agile teams with Johanna Rothman and my upcoming book on personal transformation with April Jefferson.
As I consulted with numerous technology organizations across multiple industries, I observed the balancing force of women. Those five points above are not just statistics for me. They are the observations of my 30+ years in technology and professional services across multiple industries.
We need more women in tech!
We need more women leaders!
We need more women creators!
And these women need coaching to deal with the pressure and biases in the tech industry.
What We Can Do
I'm proud to be volunteering my coaching services for The Glow Initiative's first official fundraising campaign. In just two years, this grassroots organization has matched over 300 women with professional coaching, mobilizing 100+ coaches who've donated nearly 1,000 hours. I’m one of those coaches. That works out to roughly $255,000 time, all to make coaching accessible to women who need it most.
Now they're fundraising to scale operations and impact for women in need. Their goal is just $4,200. That's all it will take to scale this important work to the next stage.
I've donated coaching sessions to this fundraiser because the model works - 96% of participants report meaningful transformation.
If you can donate $100+ you can get a professional coaching AND you provide coaching services for women in need. Not a bad deal, eh? This is how we build a world where transformation isn't determined by your zip code or bank account.
Donate today at glowi.org
Let’s stay human out there,
Mark