Women and immigrants, go for it!

Women and immigrants can face real barriers when trying to get ahead at work. I acknowledge that. But in this video from April 2011, I also want to challenge the idea that resistance makes trying pointless. My message is blunt: Face the difficulties, use the opportunities you have, and go for it.

Women and immigrants need room for their ambitions too

It’s been a while. I’ve got a lot on, and I only want to talk to you when I think I’ve got something to say. This started with the reactions to my previous video about the Law of Jante. Plenty agreed, plenty disagreed, and that’s fine.

What struck me in some of the comments disagreeing with me was the story that society and everyone else are against you. I got the impression that these were often people who felt unlucky time and again, rather than people who had made things work. That’s my impression of the comments, not something I can know about everyone who disagrees with me.

My frustration is that blaming the Law of Jante can be easier than looking at your own effort or reluctance to take a risk. It made me think about something related: How many people actually live up to their potential?

It takes something to keep going after a no

Living up to your potential is hard. It takes serious effort and a willingness to keep going through rejection after rejection and setback after setback. It also means putting something on the line. You might make a fool of yourself, lose money or lose people’s respect.

I say that nothing comes without effort and sweat, not even sex. It’s my way of driving the point home: You can’t have an exciting life by always sitting safely and waiting for other people to sort things out.

What did the women in the network do to get a board position?

I was with a group of very capable businesspeople. Some of the women were talking about the men getting the good board positions, and men typically being the CEOs too. That’s how we described the situation back then, and I acknowledged that the usual image of a CEO was a middle-aged man.

There can be several reasons. Maternity leave and time away from the labour market can make it harder for women to reach the top. I’m not dismissing that. But I also asked: What are you doing yourself to become a board member?

Then it went quiet. The answer was that there was no point, because women weren’t chosen and the men had their networks. But we were already in a network. A fairly prestigious network with roughly equal numbers of women and men.

So I asked whether they had used the network and talked to the men about board positions. Had they actually tried? The response was that it was pointless. That’s what gets to me: If you decide in advance that you can’t do it, you won’t explore your options either.

I believe women are every bit as capable as men. In the video, I also discuss differences in skills and mention physical strength, but my point about leadership is that different abilities can be useful both as a CEO and as a board member. Being a woman is not in itself a reason to give up on that ambition.

I put it very bluntly and say that you’re the only one who decides whether you become a board member. That’s my call to take responsibility for your effort. Of course other people make choices too, and it’s no guarantee of a position. But if all your energy goes into blaming men or society, you won’t make progress on what you can do yourself.

Racism and difficult circumstances are real

I see a similar issue among immigrants. There’s no doubt that getting a good job can be harder, and I imagine that getting a good education can be harder too. Many people start out in difficult circumstances.

Your parents, or you yourself, may have experienced terrible things that have left emotional scars. And some Danes react negatively to a different skin colour. I condemn that racism outright.

I get angry with people who blame immigrants for their own miserable lives and claim that someone else has taken their job or their woman. I call them idiots in the video. People like that exist, and their behaviour can make it harder for an immigrant to get an education or a job.

So yes, other people may share the blame. But my question is still what you’re going to do now. Your life won’t improve if every defeat is explained by other people holding you down. That can end up giving you a reason not to try again or put in the effort it takes.

Acknowledge the resistance and change your approach

I want you first to acknowledge that you may have a harder time. And then change your approach. I’m blunt and use words like "loser" when I talk about ending up giving up on your own life. I’m asking you to challenge that sense of defeat, not to deny the difficulties I’ve just described.

As provocative examples, I talk about people without arms and legs swimming across the English Channel, and a black man becoming president of the United States. In this 2011 video, the latter refers to Barack Obama. I use the examples to say that something which looks difficult doesn’t have to be impossible.

A board position or a good job still requires someone to choose you. But I want you to give it a go, use your network and work towards what you dream of. You won’t get any closer by deciding in advance that you can never succeed. Also read Skab din egen succes about working towards your own path and ambitions.

A historical advert for Amino Plus

At the end, I come back with an advert. Fairly often, almost every week, I sit down for a friendly chat with Amino members. I’ve got a camera and microphone, and members type questions that I answer live.

It usually takes an hour or an hour and a half. I sit in the office, eat peanuts, drink a Diet Coke and talk through the different questions. I really enjoy it. It’s something I do for our Amino Plus members, who support Amino.

In April 2011, I explain that membership costs DKK 99 a month, and that the first month includes Peter Beier chocolate worth DKK 200, on top of the other benefits. I invite people to a chat on the Thursday before Easter at 9.30 pm, the same day this video was published, 21 April 2011.

The invitation and offer belong to the original advert from 2011. The reference is to Amino Plus. My greeting back then was: Perhaps we’ll see each other, and have a very happy Easter.