‘Gender-balanced leadership teams are more productive, deliver better results and reflect customers’ needs,’ so says recent research. Given that Funny Women is dedicated to helping women to perform, write and do business with humour to give them a voice personally and professionally, we naturally concur. I was delighted therefore to be a guest last night at the launch of ‘The Little Book of Diversity’, a practical guide to supporting women in the workplace.
The book is packed full of tips, ideas, and case studies from companies including McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Shell and IBM – all organisations that promote gender diversity within their management teams and reap the commercial rewards as a result.
The book has been published by Women Ist, an organisation that sets out to transform the face of boards in hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism, and support women who aspire to senior leadership roles to fulfil their career ambitions.
The star attraction of the evening was undoubtedly the keynote speaker, Jo Fairley, founder of the hugely successful organic chocolate brand, Green & Blacks. Clearly making chocolate is a sure fire way of making female friends and influencing them and Jo was lucky enough to have the vision, resources and support (her co-founder is husband Craig Sams of Whole Earth Foods) to get what has become a ‘women’s best friend’ product to market!
I first encountered Jo in my previous journalistic career on the 14th floor of King’s Reach Tower, then the home of IPC magazines, when she worked on the uber-cool monthly glossy Honey magazine and I worked on the more lowly weekly rag, Mirabelle, famous for its boy-meets-girl picture stories, both of which no longer exist. Josephine went on to have an illustrious career as a freelance journalist writing for leading women’s magazines and national newspapers. Her name has peppered media lists throughout my career so it’s even more surprising that Josephine's rise to fame and fortune hadn’t crossed my radar as being the woman behind the successful phenomenon of Green & Blacks.
God loves a woman who set up her business because, as she says it: ‘I thought I could change the world one square of chocolate at a time,’ and includes in her list of top tips for business success important things like having fun and looking after yourself. I admit to being envious that she has time for a yoga class every Friday morning but guess that comes with the territory when you sell something as universally popularas chocolate for a living! Clearly easier than selling comedy!
But back to the book and the purpose of the evening. This is a valuable resource for those wanting to improve their business performance by achieving a better balance.
To buy 'The Little Book of Diversity' now please visit www.women1st.co.uk and click on the link HERE. Available in hardback for £14.99 and £9.95 in e-book format. Please say that Funny Women sent you!
Lynne Parker
Pictured: The Little Book of Diversity, Jo Fairley.
