At this very moment, there is a lot of debate on LinkedIn about the female dress code in the corporate world, due to an article that was written about Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015. The journalist argues that Helle Thorning-Schmidt never has been taken seriously - with all the work she has done - due to her colorful dress code, red nails, Chanel bags. No matter if one agrees with her previous political agenda or not, is that really necessary? To focus on clothes instead of impact, skills, competencies, influence & hard work. Just think about this! Do you think any article exists about a male prime minister's choice of clothes? How can a female journalist have the audacity to write such a statement! Excuse my language - but have some "efing" respect!
The sad truth is that many people place judgment on people that don't follow the norm and dare to be original. I have experienced that very judgment multiple times as a leader (Especially in DK). It is truly sad, limiting, narrow-minded and old-school. Honestly, don't we have bigger and more serious problems to focus on? Yes, we are standing in the midst of a pandemic lockdown, people around the world are losing their jobs and income, we have some serious climate changes and so much inequality exists all over the world.
What I see is a powerful woman with great style - what's not to like?! Sadly we live in a world, where 'The Pink Shirt Dilemma' exists!
A story that will always stand out to me, is the day I was interviewed for an article about
stepping in as a young Managing Director in 2018 by a journalist from the IT University of Copenhagen. 3 years earlier I had finished my Master's degree in Digital Innovation & Management. ITU became the place where I found my calling of connecting my creativity with strategy, business development, and technology. A toolbox I use every single day as a leader. Fast forward 3 years later, I was sitting as the Managing Director of ALSO A/S - the market-leading IT-distributor both in Denmark and Europe (Among the top 40 companies in DK in terms of revenue, with 250+ employees in DK).
So, what happened that day, that is worth writing this article about? The journalist asked me all the normal questions, which I had been exposed to multiple times!
How is it to be a Managing Director at such a young age?
How have you coped with the pressure?
How do you plan to make an impact?
How do you empower people to follow you?
We finished the interview and I had a good feeling that the journalist would tell my story! She
then said: So, let's take a photo of you! I remember looking down at myself and thinking "Oh hell no I'm wearing a pink shirt" (Excuse my language)! As I write this today, I can only laugh and think the same as you - so what! My reaction came from a ‘reality check’ of what I was up against. I had just been appointed Managing Director after 8 months of being at the company. I was only 32, I was a woman, I was not from the industry nor did I have 15 years of work experience - people were thinking ‘How can she possibly do this? The judgments, hesitation, critics, questions were ON from every corner! All eyes were on me, expectations ran high, hesitations even higher and there was only one way to take on this new role. To believe in myself and trust my toolbox of skills and experience would lead me to grow into the role. I knew everyone would doubt my skills and competencies. It's a normal reaction for people to react to things that seem out of the ordinary, and not fitting into a box. This awareness of my surroundings' judgments, gave me a powerful strength because I didn't let people's hesitations affect my performance. I trained myself to have a mental state-of-mind of accepting the judgment. That became game-changing to me. I knew within myself, I would figure it out, roll up my sleeves and learn everything required for me to do the job, and lead myself from a place of believing I could make an impact. And that is exactly what I did.
At the time of this interview, I was only 6 months into the job and I had already started to make huge changes and create an impact to adapt the organization in alignment with the Group strategy. Most importantly I had managed to build trust within my team, which was my highest priority. The management team and I were standing together to drive a lot of change within the organization, so we needed a strong foundation to stand by each other. In doing so, I know when looking back, I achieved that collaboration and teamwork, because I had great trust in my team. I truly learned from their knowledge and my job was to challenge with questions, not answers. To disrupt old ways of working and empowering the team to push the boundaries of what was possible. All the while standing by their side to support them and remove any obstacles they would run into!
But at that exact moment, I was afraid to wear a pink shirt in a photo! Why? Because I was already very different. So in my attempt to 'fit in', I felt the need to be dressed in black or navy on a photo, like the traditional corporate world. I didn't want my pink shirt to affect people's judgment. I wanted people to read my story to be inspired and not be provoked by a pink shirt!
I'm writing this story because I believe all of us have tried to experience that moment when we try to fit it and adjust ourselves to society! And you know what, it's perfectly okay to have that need and desire! We all want to be part of a bigger whole! But isn't it sad, that a color of a shirt can equal the risk of not being taken seriously, which then equals that we may be perceived as incapable and lack skills?
In the midst of all those who choose to fit in and put judgment on those who don't follow the norm, I want to recognize those who dare to stand out. You, that strives to be your authentic self and not let the world dictate how you dress - because instead, you focus on the job at hand. At least I have made that choice! Because today: I will wear pink before I wear black in any photo!
I hope in the future we won't see a female journalist place extreme judgment on other women for the sake of a dress code! Let's stand together, support each other, embrace diversity, roll up our sleeves (Pink or black), and focus on being the best we possibly can - to learn, explore and grow with the incredible human potential we all possess.
Be you & be proud of that! Wear pink, green, yellow - whatever makes you feel like you! And never change yourself for anyone or any job!
Camilla
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