Having had a week to reflect on International Women’s Day 2023, it seems to me that a key way Nimble and the industry can improve and grow, is by producing more collective awareness of why allyship is so important. Not just for women; for all.
Last Wednesday, we held a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® session hosted by Angel Takooree that was focused around two brilliant themes:
- Build for Change
- Build to Inspire
How did the themes of IWD affect us at Nimble?
Simply, we don’t have enough women in hands-on tech roles at Nimble. Not even just at Nimble. In tech, full stop. But how do we at Nimble ensure that we are leading the charge in inspiring women to join the tech workforce and when they get here, helping them to stay?
Angel posed us some thought provoking questions and builds over the 2 hour session:
- Thinking about inspirational women, build a model representing the impact an inspirational woman has had in your life?
- Build a model representing the most significant challenges still facing women in our current era?
- Build a model of what core positive behaviours we could do at Nimble to empower women in tech? (This can be a personal experience – in or out of Nimble)
- Build a model of negative behaviours which would impact these positive behaviours to empower women in tech at Nimble.
I have to say, I was utterly blown away by the diversity in thoughts, answers, builds of Lego and what these questions meant to the people sitting around the boardroom table.
The challenges we were faced with opened up a really frank and open discussion about how some of the women, in our Nimblers lives, led to a real lasting impact. No matter how small or large it was. We all had memories of them.
The last image was my own build in response to the question “Thinking about inspirational women, build a model representing the impact an inspirational woman has had in your life?”
The woman I built is not a woman I know or is in my life physically. It’s a build of Lee Miller. If you haven’t heard of her, Lee Miller was the ultimate badass. She was a model, turned photographer, turned war journalist, who, when she became Vogue’s War Correspondent, went to the front line and captured some of the most historically important images ever taken of the conflict.
In fact, she was so incredibly brave, that she was the first person to reach Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” and photographed it in flames – she was there even before the Allies.
So my build was titled “Hitler on Fire”. Not a particularly forgettable moment…
Again; how does this affect Nimble?
It’s my passion to work to ensure that women’s voices are heard. I’m no Lee Miller, but I refuse to rest until I can be sure that I have done enough to achieve equity wherever I am. It doesn’t make me necessarily popular, but it makes me a powerful Ally. And I ask you to consider this:
“Have you done enough to ensure that the tech industry has the right people and the right allies to achieve our goals?”
We know there is plenty of evidence to suggest that diversity in the workplace makes us better. Helps us produce better products. Helps us build the right things. Increases revenue. The list goes on.
So how can we get there?
We need You.
Allies.
Supporters.
Friends.
People who know that the best way we succeed is by doing it as a team. A mixed team. A wonderfully blended team, with people from all walks of life, backgrounds and aspirations for the future.
Being more successful starts with us. With you.
So please; when you think about how we can do things better… Involve a woman 😉
Authors Bio
Mhairi Davidson, is Head of Portfolio at Nimble Approach.
Mhairi joined in 2021 as Agile Delivery Lead and became Head of Portfolio in 2022.
With a diverse career spanning recruitment, sales, insurance, project management and agile, Mhairi is now a key part of the senior leadership team at Nimble.
She is passionate about equality, and drives for inclusivity. She actively takes part in talks, awards and content to help raise awareness both inside of Nimble and for the industry.
She was nominated for Outstanding Achiever at the TalkTalk Women in Tech North West awards.
“We are a product of the people that we work with, so let’s nurture that.”
