Aubrey Blanche, Atlassian’s Global Head of Diversity & Belonging, on how to impact D&I at work

Aubrey is currently the Global Head of Diversity & Belonging at Atlassian. She’d describe herself as an empath, data nerd, and highly impatient with white feminism. She’s helped Atlassian increase the representation of marginalized people, developed a new paradigm for workforce diversity reporting, and designed and fielded the only internationally representative survey on attitudes and behaviors toward diversity & inclusion in the tech industry.

In January, Tech Ladies hosted an #AskMeAnything with Aubrey to discuss:

• how women can work together and use our privilege to support members of other marginalized groups
• advice for folks who are interested in diversity & inclusion
• how to figure out whether a company will support your career and growth
• ageism in tech
• why cookies for allies is a great strategy to create change

Below are some of our favorite Q&As. Head over to the community for the full #AskMeAnything (you’ll have to join the group if you’re not currently a member).

Q: What advice do you have for someone in tech who is interested in working in D&I?

Aubrey: My first recommendation is “Don’t work in D&I”. I’ll explain: I absolutely love my job, but also recognize that the people who make the *most* change don’t work directly in the field. The people who do the most to change the industry are the P&L leaders, managers, and engineers who just care.

If after reflection, you decide you literally can’t do anything else, here’s a roadmap: Remember that job descriptions are generally lies. I had 3 months of an HR background, and got hired to lead the function at Atlassian. While I don’t love that this is the structure, likely the most promising way to move into D&I — especially at a smaller company — is to take on the “second shift” and do it in your spare time, and begin making moves to transform it into your full-time. I’d also encourage you to apply for open roles, with a very strongly worded cover letter than explains exactly why *your* specific experience is a value add to the team.

If you’re interested in D&I, you should be studying critical race, gender, queer, and accessibility materials. I’d also look at social and organizational change, influence (esp. in the business book section), as well as as much info as you can get on cognitive bias and what has been tested to mitigate it. The field is becoming increasingly social scientific *and* impact / results driven, and you’ll have a huge leg up if you demonstrate strong expertise in these areas.

Q: How do you — from the top — balance the need for top-down diversity initiatives while still supporting and empowering individuals in your company who are interested in grassroots initiatives?

A: The answer is most truthfully “I do my best, and try to admit openly when I guessed wrong.” I spend a lot of time taking the “external temperature” on a variety of issues related to social justice. My assumption is that the niche external will be ahead of our internal (and I’d like us to be ahead of the mainstream). That helps me make balanced judgments about where to invest at a corporate level.

I’m always on the lookout for more ways we can encourage and amplify grassroots efforts. I’ve had folks ask “Why don’t we do X for Y group?” and my response was “Nobody has asked, but I’d love to read a proposal.” You can’t really drive the grassroots change, just kind of garden it, once you get big enough.

Q: What are your top tips on being diplomatic/keeping a level head while talking to someone who doesn’t think D&I is “important”?

A: Remind yourself about the long-term payoff, but get good “walk away” skills! It’s unlikely you’re going to win someone over in one question. For every assertion, ask for empirical data. Don’t show your data first. I’d recommend Technically Wrong as a great primer on how diversity can improve product outcomes. And remember that you don’t *have* to engage in any discussion you don’t have the energy for.

Q: Can you comment on the intersection of ageism and women in tech? I’m afraid of aging — not because of wrinkles, but because I’m worried about the barriers against older women in tech and how that might impact my ability to support myself as I age.

A: First, this is totally real (and stupid). I think there are some “defensive” moves you can make, although I recognize that these things are personal choices (depending on how secure and how radical you want to be):

• Take your years off your degrees. This could introduce age bias, but given how few people have linear career paths, it probably doesn’t provide a *useful* signal to recruiters anyway.
• When applying or interviewing, *directly* assert that your age / experience are *value adds* to your candidacy. I dare a recruiter to argue with you.
• Ask questions of prospective employers about what types of benefits / practices they have to support folks at multiple stages of their life.
• Network now. Having a broad network of people who know you and your work will help insulate you from *any* issues that you face in securing employment.

I’m generally pretty optimistic re: ageism in tech, as the sheer lack of skilled humans to fill open tech roles means that it’s becoming more and more illogical to count out qualified, interested folks (it’s a candidates’ market!), and I hope the market will begin to correct what’s seriously broken.

Thanks to Aubrey for her time and wisdom! If you have an inspiring woman or non-binary person to nominate for an #AskMeAnything in Tech Ladies, shoot me an email: hannah[at]hiretechladies.com.

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