Would I be where I am?
“Our world would be much better if women were allowed to make as many mistakes as men.”
Christophe Barman, Co-founder Loyco
If you were a woman, do you think you would have made it to the top leadership ranks? Why (not)?
Honestly, when I started my journey as an NGO President and Entrepreneur it never occurred to me that gender could have an impact on the ability to manage or lead. It was too far away from my way of thinking. I pretty soon noticed that there were no women in the Boards I was involved in…-it kind of shocked me and I decided to take gender equality in leadership functions as a mantra. Coaching brilliant women to take the lead taught me this: men do not see many problems in performing badly. Women often prefer to give up rather than take this risk.
How have gender stereotypes influenced your career choices and professional development?
And do you feel these stereotypes are present in your current work environment?
When we founded Loyco, about 7 years ago, we aimed to build a sustainable company taking care of our impact on people and the environment. The strong values that we put in place at that time survived in our steady growth and we are now one proud BCorp, fighting to make business a force for good.
Gender equality has always been at the core of our values and, looking back, I think that we really succeeded in giving equal chances to women and men. Half our staff and half our team leaders (Loyco does not have a hierarchy) are female.
How do you personally act against gender stereotypes in your environment?
After years in Committees and boards I’ve stopped being shy on gender equality topics 😉. Every time I enter a new leadership team, I ask, why are there so few women and I emphasize every single sexist remark, saying or behaviour. It may offend some sensitivities but it has been impactful.