How About We Solve a Problem Instead of Admiring It? Building a Solution-Focused Mindset
Issue 232 — June 19, 2023
I often quote Mellody Hobson, President and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, in my speeches and training. She said, “We have admired the problem long enough.”
I don’t remember what she was referring to but to me this wry comment applies to every injustice people face, every complaint we may have even if it is fully warranted. We can spout data about how awful this is and how discriminatory that is, but until we are willing to roll up our sleeves and take action, we’re just “admiring the problem” and failing to get to the solutions.
It is easy to fall into the trap of merely admiring problems. We often find ourselves voicing outrage or citing statistics to show we have a problem without taking meaningful action to fix it. Why? Because that’s easy. Actually solving a problem is hard.
Mellody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments.
Or it feels hard. Because there are choices to make and responsibility to take, right? But doesn’t it feel so good when you’ve done it? Right again.
All of this is why Take The Lead’s mission includes the word “propel” in the phrase delineating what we do: “prepare, develop, inspire, and propel all women of all diversities and intersectionalities to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025.”
Our intention is to signify focusing on solutions, not problems, and taking action on those solutions. We act on that intention whether in training programs like 50 Women Can Change the World in Entrepreneurship that will launch in the fall or in our upcoming Power Up Concert and Conference. It’s August 26 of course, because that’s Women’s Equality Day, in person in Los Angeles and streaming wherever you happen to be!
Get your tickets HERE for the Women’s Equality Day Power Up Concert!
But as Hobson wisely pointed out, it’s way more productive to shift our mindset and focus on taking action on solutions.
In the quest for achieving gender parity in leadership roles, women will stay stuck in inequity unless we move beyond identifying barriers, though that may be a valid starting place, and instead focus the bulk of our energy on implementing solutions. These solutions must start at the core with shifting the power paradigm from oppressive power over to generative and innovative power TO, as I found in my research for my book No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power.
With a proactive mindset that prioritizes problem solving rather than admiring it, and proceeding to break down our culturally learned ambivalence about power, we can break through the barriers that have hindered women’s progress for far too long.
Here are five tips to accelerate that progress, once we have clarified our mindset to embrace our power in a positive way:
Celebrate Success Stories:
Rather than fixating on the challenges women face in achieving leadership parity, let’s highlight success stories of women who have broken barriers and risen to positions of influence. By showcasing these role models, we inspire other women to believe in their own capabilities and potential. Celebrating success stories helps shift the narrative from problem admiration to solution-oriented thinking, fostering possibilities and achievements. Providing role models is another pillar of Take The Lead’s programs — the inspire part — and there are others to tap such as the recent launched Marble Collective (full disclosure, I’m a founding member).
2. Use the Power of our Voices to Advocate for Equal Opportunities:
To address the barriers to women’s leadership parity, it is vital to advocate for equal opportunities at every level. This includes promoting fair hiring and pay practices, implementing gender-balanced family friendly policies, and providing mentorship and sponsorship programs for aspiring women leaders.
3. Invest in Education and Skill Development:
Training can’t solve all problems but investing in education and skill development initiatives tailored specifically for women (that’s the “prepare” part of Take The Lead’s mission) is a good start. Provide substantive training programs and leadership development courses that equip women with the necessary knowledge, mindsets, and skills to succeed in leadership roles. Bonus — women, especially millennials rate training and development opportunities among the top reasons they want to work for and stay with a company.
4. Create Supportive Networks:
Building strong networks and support systems is crucial for women seeking leadership parity. Encourage the formation of peer mentorship programs, women’s leadership circles, and professional networks that provide a platform for sharing experiences, guidance, and opportunities. By fostering a sense of community and support, women can overcome the isolation often associated with breaking through barriers, especially in male-dominated industries such as finance, construction, and technology.
5. Engage Men as Partners:
I know this is usually referred to as “allies.” But to me being an ally reinforces the power imbalance between genders. So I prefer to say “partners.” Achieving leadership parity requires the active involvement of men, whatever you call it. By fostering collaboration and shared responsibility, we can create a more inclusive and balanced leadership landscape. I believe wholeheartedly that once men see the economic and social benefits to themselves and their companies of greater gender balance, we will see a swift movement toward parity.
Embrace your power on Women’s Equality Day at the Take the Lead Power Up Concert!
Mellody Hobson doesn’t stop her proactive approach with her work at Ariel Investments, the country’s oldest Black-owned investment fund, though that would be noteworthy in itself. Now, she is spearheading a new private equity fund called Project Black, with the goal of getting more Black executives into the upper tiers and c-suites by connecting them with customers and capital.
You and I might not be able YET to operate at that high level, but what CAN you do?
By changing the power paradigm in our own minds and in how we work, celebrating success stories, advocating for equal opportunities, investing in education and skill development, creating supportive networks, and engaging men as partners, we can pave the way for women to achieve leadership parity.
Together, let’s shift from admiring problems to actively pursuing solutions.
GLORIA FELDT is the Cofounder and President of Take The Lead, a motivational speaker and expert women’s leadership developer for companies that want to build gender balance, and a bestselling author of five books, most recently Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics, and How Women Will Take The Lead for (Everyone’s) Good. Honored as Forbes 50 Over 50 2022, and Former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she is a frequent media commentator. Learn more at www.gloriafeldt.com and www.taketheleadwomen.com. Tweet Gloria Feldt.