Do the women in your company know they are supported and valued?
Originally published on LinkedIn.
I’ve been speaking with a lot of women lately about their work challenges and aspirations, and I am starting to see a pattern emerging.
What I’m seeing is that women are underutilized but overused — underutilized because they are working at a fraction of their potential, but overused because they are overworked.
Women, especially women of color, are used as workhorses. Because they are talented, passionate and committed, they get the work done, and so they get given more and more work, but without the trust and autonomy that would allow them to grow.
Or when they are allowed to grow, it is at tremendous personal cost.
This doesn’t just hurt women, or people of color, or anyone suffering under any form of systemic discrimination or oppression — this hurts everyone.
Think of the work and the value and benefits we could collectively experience from the creativity, innovation, and productivity that we would unleash if we could support ALL of our people in aligning with the greatest value that they could offer towards making the world a better place.
Here’s what I see — well-meaning companies and organizations, along with well-meaning leaders and managers (both men and women) who WANT to support women and to be more inclusive, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s also in the company’s best interest.
But, either they don’t know how, or their efforts are not creating the intended results.
And I see hard-working, ambitious, and to a large degree successful women hitting walls and becoming stuck with no way out except… out. Incredible talent is demoralized and walking out the door, and the cost not just to individuals but to their companies is great.
And so I ask you — do the women in your company know they are supported and valued?
About me and how I can help you
I’m Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick, and I’m a women’s leadership and team consultant. I help people, teams, and companies increase their impact without sacrificing themselves or others in the process.
I do this through a variety of methodologies that draws from a wide range of experience and training, most recently as an Advanced Certified Coach with the Gaia Project for Women’s Leadership, and a Myers-Briggs Certified Practitioner. I’ve found Myers-Briggs to provide an incredible depth of insight as a tool for individuals, teams, and companies to better understand themselves and each other and align with how they can create the most value.
I also draw from my background in architecture — I have almost 20 years of experience managing workplace strategy and corporate headquarters projects, which has given me exposure to and immersion in multiple aspects of business, teamwork and corporate culture.
I’ve worked for clients such as Time Warner, Nike, Sony, Nokia, MTV Networks, Aileron, and Alexander McQueen. I have held leadership positions at STUDIOS Architecture, Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership and, most recently, Gensler.
I’ve managed multi-million dollar contracts, projects as large as 1.4m square feet, and a team that was billing at up to $100K/week. I’ve negotiated six and seven figure contracts and change orders. I’ve worked with CEOs, CFOs and other senior executives at major brands. I’ve helped to pitch and win major architectural projects.
And I’ve helped to manage multi-million dollar profit centers — assigning resources, designing a performance evaluation system, reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates, leading in-house strategic planning, implementing team and professional development programs, and providing project manager training.
I’ve also run my own business, first as a family photographer, and then as a photography coach for parents through my business, Photosanity.
Over the past few months, my focus has shifted towards women’s leadership and team development as a consultant and coach.
And so far the conversations I’ve been having, the work I’ve been doing with clients, the workshops and talks I’ve been giving, and the opportunities that have come my way and the insights and experience I’ve been gaining have been transformative.
My new website and brand can be found at http://aletheafitzpatrick.com.
If you’re interested in bringing a women’s leadership or team development workshop or program to your company, group or organization (particularly in architecture, engineering, construction or related companies given my knowledge of the industry), or if you’re feeling stuck and would like to explore private coaching please feel free to reach out to me via my website or LinkedIn. If you prefer Facebook, feel free to connect via my personal profile or my business page.
Thank you!
PS A note to my Photosanity friends and clients: I still love Photosanity and, as a mom photographing my kids, I live what I have taught through Photosanity every day — finding joy and connection through photographing your kids.
Although Photosanity is going on the back-burner as far as business development and marketing, I’m still serving my past and current clients and available for photography coaching if anyone reaches out to me.