International Women’s Day is here, and the theme is “Accelerate Action.” With the 2024 World Economic Forum report stating it will take 134 years for women to achieve gender parity, we need that sense of urgency.
We also need more than acceleration. We need exponential growth. The power to take action is completely in our hands if we can all focus on how to “double ourselves.”
The power of doubling creates exponential growth that can make the difference to close this huge gap. Consider this: Would you rather see one million more women in executive positions today, or put one woman in that spot on day one and double that number each day for the next 30 days? The latter approach gives us 10 million women in those positions in just 30 days.
While that number sounds daunting, each of us only has to be responsible for two women. If we each look behind us and pull up two women―and in turn, they do the same―we can achieve this type of growth.
In 2013, I started Signature Leaders, a leadership development company that has focused on accelerating women into more leadership roles. We have made a difference, with more than 3,800 women, globally, making impacts for their teams and their companies while pulling up other leaders.
With the current administration in the U.S. combatting DEI as if the very word is a viral illness, companies are having to make changes to how they talk about their goals. While we continue to see so many individuals and companies committed to making people feel included and developed, the progress remains slow. If we allow these obstacles to stop us from doing anything, we will go backwards.
But no matter what is going on within the political landscape, we can contribute our individual efforts. In fact, the very essence of International Women’s Day, and of Women’s History Month, is to honor and celebrate the individual women who set out to make a difference―in spite of the laws in place or the environments they were in―by speaking out to earn the right to vote, to obtain better working conditions, or to have their voices heard.
Take ownership and Accelerate Action. Double yourself. Choose two women you can support in their careers and make an exponential impact for them and for future generations.
About the Author
Carol Seymour: Global Executive, Speaker, Author and Founder of Signature Leaders
Carol Seymour is a sought-after business leader and seasoned global executive of large and mid-cap size companies and private-equity backed turnarounds.
She founded Signature Leaders in 2013 which focuses on accelerating women into next level leadership and helping leaders create greater impact and influence. Signature Leaders was recognized last year as one of Inc. 5000 “Fastest Growing Private Companies”.
The Signature series of leadership offerings support the growth of women from Manager level up to and including C-suite executives. Today, more than 3000 global leaders across 6 continents have experienced a Signature program. Signature Leaders partners with more than 140 market-leading companies for their selective investments.
Carol is also a Founding Member of Paradigm for Parity and named one of the Top 40 Women Keynote Speakers for 2020 by RealLeaders Magazine.
Carol resides in Cashiers, NC. She has two married children, four granddaughters, and a grandson.
