A half full glass: my takeaways from the 3% Conference

I’m thankful for the 3% Conference, which offered me an opportunity to think about the progress we’ve made over the last ten years. There is still a lot of work to be done for our industry to reflect the diversity of our society and for everyone to be accepted as their true self.

Despite the challenges ahead, I believe it is important to celebrate all that we’ve accomplished so far. It’s important to see the glass as half full and energize everyone to keep moving forward, because taking impactful action requires energy—a lot of energy.

Shaping our industry for new generations
While attending the various presentations, I was struck by how far we’d come. Ten years ago we talked about the impact of individuals on other individuals. Today, we’re so much further ahead, with structured programs in agencies and entire industries. It feels like we are starting to see change that will have a real impact. Programs that will still be in place when individuals move on. Programs that will shape the makeup of our industry for generations. Programs such as BECA, which will deliver more diversity in the corridors of influence and power to further the pace of change. Hearing Jerri DeVard, Kimberly Paige, and Ruth Martin talk about the program gave me a lot of hope.

Influencing our societies and communities positively
I also strongly agree with Damon Jones, chief communication officer at Proctor & Gamble, that we have an important role to play in controlling and influencing the images and stories that society sees. He discussed with Justine Armour, CCO of Grey NY, how diversity in our boardrooms and in our creative and production processes is vital to bringing diverse stories to the forefront in authentic and unbiased ways.

Leveraging our strengths
Speaking of bias, Jen Ostrich suggested a new way to look at team members that I believe could help. What if we looked at each other through the lens of what is right versus what is wrong? What if we focused on each others’ strengths? What if we spent our energy looking for opportunities to leverage each other’s strengths instead of focusing on things we need to improve? Could this change how we interact with each other and allow people from all walks of life to flourish within our industry? This kind of shift could generate momentum that has a better chance at righting the wrongs we’ve seen in our industry.

All in all, the 3% Conference inspired me to pay attention to the great progress we’ve made in the past decade and the bright future the industry has—not just for a select few, but for people from all walks of life. It’s tempting to get caught up in challenges, but true reward comes from recognizing wins, too. I look forward to seeing how we can positively influence the stories that society tells for years to come.