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Equality in the creative community.

It’s no secret that men make up the majority of executive teams in the United States. There’s also a discrepancy between men and women leaders in the creative community. And while it can be an awkward and uncomfortable topic to discuss, it’s an important one.

We recently attended Mpls MadWomen’s “The Man Event” to gain actionable insight into this issue, and specifically, learn what men can do to support women. The event featured an all-male panel to discuss everything from parenthood to equal pay to work-life balance to “culture fit”– all with the intent of creating an open dialogue to support cross-gender collaboration and form a deeper understanding of it.

Here are some of the takeaways from the discussion:

We tend to get comfortable in our situation, so it’s important to look around – We all have unconscious biases. It’s easy to get comfortable in your setting and not notice underlying gender disparities. It is important to take a step back and acknowledge prejudices. It’s okay to ask difficult questions and learn from the people around you.

We need people to advance the culture, not just fit the culture – “Culture fit” is a term used in the creative community in reference to hiring people who match a company’s culture. However, this concept often leads to hiring similar candidates and not advancing diversity. There is beauty in people’s differences, and more agencies should be adapting to the candidates, not the other way around.

Don’t ever apologize for being a good parent – People have commitments outside of work that interfere with physically being at the office. This is just part of life. A great leadership team will get creative in finding ways to provide flexibility and will prioritize a work-life balance.

Get beyond “the pipeline problem” – It can be an easy out for men in leadership to blame the lack of women in executive positions on a smaller talent pool, but it’s not necessarily true, and it’s certainly not a solution. Sometimes it takes working a little harder to find diverse candidates; sometimes it takes doing a better job of investing in the growth and success of women in junior roles; and sometimes it requires taking a hard look at what internal factors might be making your workplace a less attractive option to female candidates.

These are steps we all must take as individuals and agencies, and we’re proud to be a part of a community that’s committed to changing the creative landscape. A big thanks to the panelists for opening up about their experiences, the audience for asking tough questions and the organization, Mpls MadWomen, for hosting the great event.