Are you willing to keep waiting?

“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still define the master’s house as their only source of support.” — Audre Lorde

We help women unsubscribe from conventional leadership. We inspire this change so you can lead powerfully on your own terms. With less of what they, the dominant systems, want, and more of what you, a brilliant woman, desire.

This is what we talk about when we bring groups of women together. 

The hidden rules that hold you back

Examining a set of rules you unconsciously follow is one way to unsubscribe from conventional leadership. These rules are the hidden "shoulds" behind how you navigate your career. Though we call these rules, they are not. Instead, they’re a set of best practices invented by dominant culture. They become known as the the right way for women to lead — even though there’s no right way. 

These practices feel like rules because they’re the predominant narrative represented in corporate culture (and beyond). They are so pervasive that the ability to choose how you show up evaporates under their power. They bury your choice, which is by design of the dominant culture. When you follow in line, the system can continue without change. 

When we raise awareness of these rules, women see how they follow them. You've followed these rules for good reason. They've served you to some degree. You’ve grown in your career, and you’re successful by many external measures. Now the rules need examining and reimagining. Unsubscribing from the rules can feel like taking on more work. An impossible feat when you’re already exhausted from handling all the things. 

We get it. We know how hard you’re working at all of the things.

Who’s responsible for changing the rules?

Your resistance is normal. A brave woman usually gives voice to this resistance when we come together by asking: “Isn’t systemic change the job of our leaders instead of us?”

This is a very valid question, and the short answer is yes. There’s no doubt in our minds that the leaders above you hierarchically need to change. And that the people who hold power need to change the systems they control. If they’re “up there” on the ladder, they likely embody conventional leadership. The type of leadership that’s often ripe for breaking. 

The challenge with leaving the answer there is that you’ve been waiting a very long time. If you’re like me, you’re no longer willing to wait for others to create the change. 

The role you can play to create change is at the heart of Inside Out programs.

Yes, they need to change AND you can play a part.

How you can help change the rules

You can examine how the dominant culture has colored how you show up in the world. You can examine how who you are and what you do are shaped to deliver against society's expectations. Where has what you want for yourself disappeared?

You’ll uncover opportunities to stop colluding with dominant systems. Changing your behavior as a form of activism.

We won't tell you exactly what activism can look like for you. That's for you to identify. Only you can know the depths of your lived experience. Only you can determine what is no longer serving you, even if it has in the past. 

All activism comes with risk. As a leader, you’re the best gauge for the risk you’re willing to take to be part of the change. There’s no right or wrong answer; there’s only your way.

Call for reflection: 

What are you inspired to do to influence systemic change?

Shine on, 

Alicia