A Change in Our Collective Mindset

Changing the Collective MindsetLast night, I finally got to go and see the documentary I AM. I was reminded and inspired again about the power of shift in the collective mindset.

Throughout history, humanity has been blessed with moments in time when, after considerable work by many, many people, there is finally a seismic shift not just in behavior, but in the fundamental core belief of the collective.

A few of these moments we can recall with such pride: the world is not flat, abolition of slavery, civil rights in the United States, Mahatma Gandhi, no more apartheid in South Africa, the right of women to vote … the list goes on and likely includes examples from your own experiences and from your own country and community.

One thought and passion that occupies my heart and mind are the questions:

How can we fundamentally change the world’s collective mindset about the place of women in society?

What will it take for women to be viewed as equal partners in every aspect of society in every country in the world?

What will it take for us to achieve gender equality?

Not better than – not more than – just equal to men. Not taking away men’s power but expanding and improving by sharing power.

This is not about quotas, more training, better pipelines, more education, more mentors, more sponsors, or more confidence, although I endorse and wholeheartedly support all of those strategies. The question is:

What will it take so that at the core of the collective mindset is the belief in the truth that women are equal to men?

When we experience this fundamental shift in the collective mindset, women can be equally represented at every kitchen table, in every lab, hospital, school, office, courtroom, work site, village, city, and government in the world. When we experience this shift in the collective, we will reduce our dependence on policies, practices, laws, discourse, and disagreement, because we will rely and drawn upon our fundamental belief that women are equal to do the right thing in all instances.

I hope you will join me in searching for the way that we can change the mindset and not just in changing practices and policies. It will take many small and large thoughts and actions on the part of each of us. Here is one of my attempts to change the dialogue, “We Need a Market Correction,” which was so graciously published by Vision 2020’s Equality in Sight yesterday.