Page 58 - Shaw Wall of Honor

I believe in the importance of uplifting and supporting other women's advancement in the industry. I see women who have finally made it into these exclusive, predominantly male groups too often shunning other women.
supporting other women's advancement in the industry. I see women who have finally made it into these exclusive, predominantly male groups too often shunning other women. It's almost as though we want other women to work as hard, if not harder than us, to make their way into these groups. Sure, the room full of agency principals had many more suits than skirts when we first entered the game, so we had to adapt, but that doesn't mean we can't help make that skirt-to-suit ratio a little more even. Especially if it means we will finally have industry friends who understand what it's like to be a mom and run a successful agency.
For a large part of my 35 years in the insurance industry, I had young children at home, and all I wanted was for somebody to understand what it was like. Not only did I have to take care of all my home-life responsibilities, but
I was surrounded by male counterparts who didn't understand what it was like to hold those responsibilities and those of running an agency. They only ever understood how half of my day looked.
I can't count the number of meetings I have been in where I would hear my male counterparts talking about their wives picking up their kids from school, going to practices, attending to all extracurricular demands, making dinner, going to doctor appointments, etc., while they were out networking. Meanwhile, I have yet to hear them talking about running out of meetings or out of the office to pick up their kids, making sure uniforms were ready for the next day, or any other daily task that comes with being a mom. This is one of the biggest challenges moms face in the workplace.
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