I truly enjoyed this year's Women In Automotive conference. There were so many'moments that mattered' and laughter and serious conversations. Being asked to contribute to two sessions was such a privilege. I appreciate the partnership of those who were there with me as we delivered important information with candor and honest, all the while encouraging others to manage themselves to higher levels.
I want to thank so many people who work all year to make this a reality. Subi Ghosh, Kathy Gilbert, Evelyn Chatel, Jody DeVere, Lisa Copeland, Kerri Reese Wise, Christy Roman and many, many more...thank you. And Shasta...and Charlie and Eliana...and more!
We Meet Again
The conversations were as hopeful as I have yet to see and hear.
Relationships and camaraderie are spreading.
The messages are becoming more focused on inner and professional strength over 'girl power' themes.
All excellent signals.
We Contributed to A Good Cause
We all walked in with no idea we would be instrumental in packaging food for 10,000 meals for kids. I join the dozens of others who measured, packed, sealed and counted these small tokens of nourishment who shared my overwhelming appreciation for being included in this operation. Thank you for thinking of this- thank you for allowing us to help- thank you for the conversations we shared ( and the hairnets and the laughs) as we celebrated each box being filled by the ringing of the cowbell and the subsequent cheering.
Feeding Children Everywhere had an outstanding team on hand to keep us from harm's way and on task! Thank you. We all were better for this.
Women in Dealerships
But with all of this being said, with over 18,000 franchise dealers and another 8,000+ independent operators, there were probably not even 150 female dealership personnel at the conference. It's a big country, friends. So maybe 3 women per STATE were there. All business has room to cover with this conversation, including our factory and vendor partners. But I return home concerned that most of the women who are in automotive at the retail/dealership level are still grossly under-served and unnoticed. 3 per state. We can do better.
These women constitute under 20% of the total headcount at retail stores.What is even more alarming are the reports that their collective comp is under 8% of the operations they work in. They're not collecting the big 'car money' we hear about.
What does this mean?
We're not attracting women to work in this industry.
We're not growing them. This applies to the largest organizations. Fact.
They leave at a greater frequency even if they do stay initially.
They are not becoming Leaders, Decision makers, Influencers. Rather, they continue to be at the short of the power equation for the decisions made, primarily by male leadership who may or may not appreciate their skills.
They are not allowed or included in conversations. Those casual chats at work are full of info that can be easily absorbed and applied. But not if you aren't in them.
Less than 2% of our stores are led by women who worked their way up in the organization.
Only an added 3% are led by women who grew into the family business.
So while there was much fun, much to be encouraged about, we have so, so much work to do.
If you believe, like I do, that we truly are #BetterTogether, that is.
It is now time to set the table and invite more women to it if we are going to start to experience the benefits women and a diverse workforce can provide. We can no longer simply bring them in simply to have them clean up after the meals.
Yes, we've seen the break room at your store. And we know who empties your fridge.
New Partnerships and Relationships
To our female friends in the Vendor spaces and our OEM partners, please keep pressing ahead in your worlds. We're here to help you also. But please, please do take time in your travels and conversations to look out for those women occupying seats in our dealerships. Your interaction with them might be the first encouragement they've had in a while. And be ready to learn from their inside perspective as well.
Thank you again to all of the great people I met and those who wanted to be or were introduced to me. I am eternally grateful.
Back to working on all that is possible. Signing off for now, but not for long-
Laurie
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