How Mini Disrupters Drive Change

It was International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March and I find it incredible to think that the first observance of IWD was in the early 1900s. These women were standing up in the face of oppression and inequality and became vocal and active for change, demanding shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights. Fast forward 122 years and gender discrimination and the gender pay gap sadly continue to be realities for us. We are still facing oppression and inequality. It is very visible (think how many leadership teams/boards are dominated by men) and when women are promoted to senior roles, they still often earn less. The time it will take for the gender gap to close was revised and extended by 36 years in just 12 months, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Global Gender Gap Report. The report estimates that it will take an average of 135.6 years for women and men to reach parity, and that is just too long for me. 

While we have made so many strides towards gender parity and can feel proud of our accomplishments, there is such a long way to go that even I find it overwhelming and have often thought, "How in the world can I have any impact on this huge issue? How can I be a big disrupter? I am not a Ruth Bader Ginsberg or Susan B. Anthony or Gloria Steinem…" And then I realized, I do not have to be a big disrupter—I can make an impact by being a mini disrupter. I believe that having many mini disrupters can make a huge change. Our contribution can take multiple guises; you could volunteer with the HBA, support an organization’s DE+I group, insist on a diverse pool of candidates during the hiring process, or mindfully assign employees to high-value projects and raise your voice against double standards and stereotyping. Whatever you choose, you are facilitating the incremental changes that need to happen to disrupt the usual way of working.

IWD was started by disrupters, and we must continue their work. The theme for this year's IWD is Break the Bias; whether conscious or unconscious, we deal with a multitude of biases daily—affinity, proximity, gender, age, the list goes on. 

A story was recently shared with me in which a friend who had grey hair was asked, “You must be looking forward to retirement!” My friend was shocked; although older, she is very active and retirement is a long way away. Bias, whether deliberate or unconscious, holds us back. 

Days like IWD help us to reflect on the achievements of women. I am sure we all have someone who has been our spark. One of mine is Marie Curie, a Polish-French physicist and chemist. She discovered radium and polonium and made a huge contribution to finding treatments for cancer. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. I do not think that Marie Curie had the ambition to change the world, but she was driven by science and did not allow gender bias to dissuade her from her research.

She was, however, a disrupter.

You may have seen the photo of her with a group of men from 1927—she is the only woman pictured. Interestingly, I have a similar photo from 2017. I participated in a small conference for CEOs, where there were 60 participants but only 6 were women. It is remarkable to think that the demographics have changed so little in a century. 

We all likely have similar stories. Perhaps you earned less than a male colleague with the same experience, or you were passed by for a promotion, or your ideas were not heard. Share these stories and, most importantly, find ways to enable change. When we decide to stand up, use our voices, and exercise our influence, we become mini disrupters who will make the difference.

Coming together on IWD is empowering, but what about tomorrow and the next day? My challenge to you all is: What will you do to Break the Bias and be that mini disrupter?

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Authored by Sabine Hutchison, CEO and Co-founder of Seuss+  a creative, hands-on, and collaborative consulting firm helping life science organizations and leaders create the right business narrative, get stakeholder buy-in, navigate growth and reach their full potential. 

Over the years, Sabine has founded multiple life science organizations and also actively volunteers as Regional Council Chair, HBA Europe.

Strong but down-to-earth; Sabine believes that great leaders share their knowledge with those around them, giving them the opportunity to achieve. “Empower your team by being their safety net when needed, guiding, and supporting them while giving them the space to make and learn from mistakes.”