How to Advocate for Equal Pay: ‘Stand in Your Success’ (All Things Video Podcast)

Jacqueline Twillie is the founder and president of ZeroGap, which provides training programs for women’s leadership development. ZeroGap’s mission is to eliminate the gender wage gap and increase the longevity of women in leadership roles, particularly within male-dominated industries. She’s also an instructor for General Assembly, career coach and the best-selling author of “Navigating the Career Jungle: A Guide for Young Professionals.” In the latest episode of “All Things Video,” Jackie offers suggestions to help women improve their executive presence, risk and resilience, and negotiation skills. “Through my research over the years,” she explained, “I’ve identified those three core areas as a catalyst to help women be successful in leadership roles.” Improving these skills is especially important for young women in male-dominated industries, so Twillie advises them to work hard and be willing to accept recognition. “Stand in your success,” she tells them, because “If you’re not owning your success, if you don’t feel like you’re doing a great job, then other people may begin to question your competency as well.” Twillie also shared some negotiation tips from her upcoming book “Don’t Leave Money on the Table.” She highlighted differences between how men and women negotiate, especially since most traditional negotiation theory is presented from a male perspective. According to Twillie, “Women cannot negotiate the same way that men negotiate because they experience backlash,” so she encourages them to apply her LATTE framework: Look at the details, Anticipate challenges, Think about the walk-away point, Talk it through and Evaluate the options. Finally, she explained how men can support their female colleagues’ professional development. “Now that we are in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, we recognize that a lot of men are hesitant to mentor women,” she said. “But we also know that in Fortune 500 companies, 96% of leadership are males, so if women are ever going to ascend to these ranks, they’re going to need to be mentored by men.” As a result, Twillie said men have a shared responsibility to help create an environment where women feel safe and can benefit from professional mentorships. “Men are often promoted on their potential, and women are often promoted on their performance,” she said. “So if you have a woman in your organization that you see potential in, give her those stretch assignments, and don’t judge her based on her past performance.”