Pride in Perspective
A talk with my new boss Rachel Renock.
Rachel Renock is the CEO + Creative Director of tech startup Wethos. Wethos is the first socially-conscious outsourcing platform that’s bringing highly skilled professionals in marketing, fundraising, finance & IT to the ever expanding and world changing nonprofit sector. There are many nonprofits serving the LGBTQ+ community and the wide range of issues they fight for. As Pride Month comes to a close, I talk with Rachel on what pride means to her and her perspectives for the future.
Rachel celebrated this year by being what she wants to be everyday, which is just “out and open and not bothered.” She celebrated amongst friends and her girlfriend, openly showing love for her by sharing a kiss in the street. Rachel reflects on her pride as coming from the ones who came before her:
“Pride is incredibly important. The LGBTQ community has pride because we are actively discriminated for who we are. There are generations and generations before that put their lives in danger to have pride. My pride comes from the people who came before me. I might be able to get drunk at a bar with my friends and call it a day but it wasn’t like that 20–30 years ago. So, it’s really not about me. It’s for the people who came before me and the people who come after.”
Being part of the LGBTQ community gives Rachel perspective on how the non-profit sector struggles with being dismissed and she uses this understanding to better serve them. It’s also given her perspective on how she wants to lead her company. She advocates for diversity and inclusion — making sure she’s listening more and acknowledging:
“I do a lot of reading. I try to gain as many perspectives as humanly possible. I think no matter what I do or what I experience; there will always be another side. There will always be 10 more sides. The biggest part to me when talking with other people is gaining other perspectives, new backgrounds — I make sure I’m always listening and never assuming.”
Listening is most important to gaining perspective. Empathy combined with active listening is the most effective way to begin understanding. We first need to care about what the person is saying or at least be respectful of their view — and be ok with it being different. People often make judgments too quickly, without trying to understand the perspectives of the people they judge. Rachel’s tactic to active listening is to ask the questions and let the other side reach their own conclusions:
“I think to take a quick reaction and turn it into your opinion forever is a poor way to navigate through life. If you’re not open to the other side, the other ideals and other situations, you box yourself in.”
Rachel is hopeful that the next generation will be born into a different world. She knows it will be hard and uncomfortable to get there but that will be necessary for change. Listening to our differences and ultimately the acceptance of our different perspectives will unify us more than ever.
