With less than a week to AIASF's 4th Symposium — Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning & Matrices, EQxD Blog will be featuring "behind the scenes" interviews with the facilitators of the Symposium Break Out Sessions for Career Dynamics and Pinch Points. Julia Donoho, AIA, Esq. shares her insights on working with the Thought Leaders to shape this Pinch Points session.
Transcending the Glass Ceiling - Redefining What It Takes to Succeed
#EQxDTranscend
The glass ceiling has long been cited as the ultimate problem we face in leadership advancement. However, this idea of a single invisible barrier at the cusp of upper leadership is no longer accurate or useful. There are a spectrum of obstacles throughout a professional’s career and we must work continually to overcome them. This session will look at this spectrum and explore strategies for moving our careers forward. Session leaders will share their experiences and the tactics they have employed to achieve career advancement. Participants will share their own approaches and ideas and together the group will produce a playbook of strategies that everyone can apply to their careers.
Why were you interested in being a facilitator?
To move the profession more swiftly towards a culture that is diverse and inclusive.
Julia Donoho, AIA, Esq.
How have the Equity pinch points and/or dynamics informed your session?
Our pinch point is the “glass ceiling,” but we felt that was a concept that is no longer useful. People encounter glass ceilings at every level of their career. Each time you get through one, then there is a different landscape and another glass ceiling. So we felt that “glass ceiling” was a concept that we need to move beyond. The situation is more like a progression of landscapes with different rules. The important thing is to keep moving through them, and the more quickly you understand the landscape or obstacle, the quicker you can move through to the next landscape.
Are there any a-ha’s that emerged from the process of working with your team?
A-HA, we came up with the idea of creating a Playbook of how to get past certain barriers and obstacles on one’s career path. The journey is important, but strategy can make a big difference. The sooner you can understand your landscape, the sooner you can identify pathways through. We can use others’ experiences to learn strategies for getting past particular barriers, to go to the next level. Community service, additional credentials, specialization, awards, and service-leadership positions are all strategies that we have utilized to rise above a crowd. We hope that we can send participants home with a Playbook that they can share with others, and that we can develop and enhance.
Check out all the #EQxDM3 Break-Out Sessions Here
AIASF Equity by Design Symposium Sponsors
Special thanks to our amazing sponsors for their dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you there!
