From politics to VC to Hollywood – we see headlines lamenting how far women have to go in order to be seen as equal. While it sits heavy on our hearts, festering in anger sometimes, it also ignites a sort of passion that drives us to make change happen. Now.
It’s this passion that we at Women Tech Founders call our WTF Moment, the moment that pushed us over the edge to start our companies, create a fund to invest in women-founded companies, and lead in a way that allows our next generations to see what’s truly possible. This sounds aspirational, and in some cases it is, but it’s also reality. So many women in Chicago are writing their own stories right now, raising their voices and using technology – what some see as the evil driving the negative headlines – to scale change during a time in history that offers a unique opportunity.
It’s why we created the Midwest Women in Tech Awards that are happening this month (November). It’s why Mayor Rahm Emanuel and JB Pritzker will be among the men joining the Awards to support us. They get it. Men shouldn’t hold the only platforms that define success for women. Women in the business world need platforms around their own terms, through criteria that matter to them - like leadership authenticity, business acumen, innovative resourcefulness, grit and integrity. Acknowledgement like these awards equalize the concept of power in tech and leadership and create role models so tomorrow’s girls see themselves as more than what today’s society tells them they can be.
Each of the women who will receive an award has gone beyond reaching their potential and become leaders in the community and the tech ecosystem. They’re examples of progress. The awards and the women recognized celebrate the wins over the losses.
So, yes, while the losses weigh on us every day, we need to hear the horror stories. Not to put all men in a box and go on a witch hunt for every minor indiscretion in every industry in the past. We need to hear them so that we can continue chipping away at that power dynamic that for so many decades has kept women out of leadership positions. Because when we hear them, each story ignites the fire within another female leader to stand up, raise their voice, and take action that will change history.
Making these women’s stories visible shines light on what is possible and creates an army of role models and champions. Like the #MeToo campaign demonstrates, inequity of power endangers the less powerful. But by using these WTF moments in our lives and in the media, women can flip the script.