Re-Release: Highlights from Gensler’s SE Women’s Leadership Forum
For many of us, working from home during a pandemic has turned the notion of workplace wellbeing upside down. As architects and designers immersed in the world of work and workplace — in which productivity and engagement is directly related to the mental and emotional health of employees and cultures — there’s a big question on all of our minds: “How might we radically reimagine workplace wellbeing for the WFH and hybrid era?”
Gensler’s Southeast Women’s Leadership Forum was born as an organic, uplifting digital meeting ground for people to share insights on our current world, professional experiences, and hopes for the future. The Forum hosts a series of conversations with emerging leaders and those in leadership roles who share their personal career journeys and experiences, while addressing topics relevant to developing leadership skills. In honor of Women’s Equality Day, we’re re-publishing an episode from earlier this year where we share our favorite moments, key takeaways, and specific calls to action from these enlightening dialogues that will help emerging professionals navigate their unique path to leadership.
“Open, safe discussions are critical to addressing challenges and looking for opportunities for innovation and connection.”
— Tory Winn, Principal, Co-Managing Director, Gensler Atlanta
The challenges of working from home during the pandemic this past year have provided a level of transparency into each other lives that we had previously not experienced. With this transparency came greater autonomy and flexibility for everyone. The openness and vulnerability of the panelists and the participants in Gensler’s Women’s Leadership Forums revealed a need for greater understanding and compassion for the complex challenges we all face as we attempt to balance the demands of a high-performance work environment with our own needs and those of our families and friends.
Virtual meetings such as these Forums can make those interactions less intimidating and have led to more frequent communications through instant messaging, texts, and quick conversations. Because hybrid work environments help to increase the range of communication opportunities on hand, they can close gaps between people of different generations, roles, and communication styles. Our ability to balance the variety of needs of our people with those of our business will be a critical challenge in the coming months and years.
As we evaluate our own hybrid work practices, Forums such as this help us stay connected whether we’re working virtually or in-person, while supporting that need for human connection and mentorship in our workplaces. We hope the lessons learned from the Forum encourages design professionals to seek out creative ways to open up a dialogue within their teams and organizations, and particularly women leaders.
Read the full show notes for this episode HERE.
If you’re interested in hearing Tory speak about her path to leadership and hear a live Women’s Leadership Forum session, register here for the AIA South Atlantic Region’s Aspire Conference and tune in on September 17 at 8:30am EST.
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As always, thanks for tuning in!
