What got me so hooked on the game, wasn’t the fancy footwork or tactical play, it was a joy to see representation of a team working in complete unison, rooting for each other, championing their wins and risking everything without judgment. A joy to hear the stories of looking adversity in the eye and carrying on anyway. It’s an example that will have lit a fire in the souls of millions around the world, who were sharing in their success, believing in their dreams and witnessing individuals working together to deliver exceptional results.
Representation is a funny thing, isn’t it? It’s easily misunderstood and underestimated. We are often told to ‘follow our own path’, however that can be almost impossible to do without those who have walked before us leaving the light on so we can actually see where we are going.
That old adage ‘if you can see it, you can be it’.
Looking for representation
I’ve worked in financial services since I was 18, mostly, in fact almost exclusively, in male-dominated environments. I’ve never reported into a female leader, that’s not to say that I haven’t benefitted from representation.
In fact, the first time I saw a fellow woman stood on stage, authentically being themselves – it had such an impact on me that I could still tell you the time and date.
Representation gives us a goal if we choose to adopt it, it gives us the freedom to speak knowing there is at least one ally out there, a beacon of hope or light to follow if you will. Most of us can agree that positive representation is the chicken and noodle soup of our careers (insert other feel-good food as you prefer).
So why, just why, are we all so uncomfortably British about standing out from the crowd and being counted?
If you are doing cool things, it really is so important to be visible, not to inflate your own ego or tell the world how amazing you are (by all means, do that too), but really just because, well – you have no idea whose future path you are helping to dust off by shining a little light for them to help brighten the way.
What do you stand for?
Why did I call this article ‘Calling all the Emmas’? Well, I don’t have data on the whole market at my fingertips, but thankfully I do have Skipton’s.
Would it surprise you to know that of all mortgage brokers registered to submit business with us, there are 481 Davids, 431 Pauls, 389 Andrews…the list goes on, until you get to Emma, 24th on the list (with just 127 Emmas) this is the most commonly occurring name of all the female brokers*.
This is my call to you, to all the Emmas, Sarahs, Lauras and more, what do you represent?
Where is your stage? What are your successes and how have you achieved them? How can you use your platform as a woman in financial services to illuminate that path, and inspire others open some doors?
OK, it might not be quite as spectacular as a Euro 2022 win but take a leaf from our Lionesses’ book and feel comfortable, dare I say it unapologetic, to slide around in the confetti of your own achievements and while you’re at it, sprinkle it over a few others too.
*Female as determined by prefix given upon registration
