Guest Speaker Series – Stephanie Livingston – Head of Sales at Birdie Care

“Allies form cultures owned by everyone and show what everyone can do in the business.”

10 years ago Stephanie Livingston started out as a Research Assistant and has gone from strength to strength, working her way up to Manager at Michael Page and now Head of Sales at Birdie Home Care Software. Stephanie offered invaluable advice and was able to shine a light on issues that women face in business. 

Women in business 

At the beginning of Stephanie’s career, there were decisions she didn’t agree with and she wanted to change the way the industry operated. Stephanie opened up about her experience being a woman as she progressed. Starting out she felt like she didn’t have a voice so she looked around her to her boss, her peers and her external network and found mentors, joined LinkedIn groups and aligned with peers, which was extremely beneficial. 

How to be an ally 

Previously, there was a lack of support financially and emotionally. Leadership and allies need to celebrate differences and give everyone a voice. Allies form cultures owned by everyone and show what everyone can do in the business, including: 

• Listening.
• Allowing an open space for thoughts and feelings. 
• Speaking up on gender bias. 
• Praising the work colleagues are doing. 

Activity: 

Celebrate your strengths by writing down 25 things that make you awesome. Praise and celebrate yourself.  

Gender pay equality 

Helping women in their careers and narrowing the gender gap is something Stephanie prides herself on. She believes an organisation with greater diversity will have higher profits and long term value. 

Stephanie realised that men would apply to jobs where they matched 6/10 skills, while women applied to jobs where they matched 10/10 skills. Men demanded more and would ask for high pay, while this wasn’t always the case as a woman. At Birdie everyone has full pay transparency and they encourage each other to ask for what they deserve. 

Company culture

Decisions shouldn’t just come from leadership, they should come from employees too. 

Culture is owned by everyone – top-down – down top. What does the company culture mean to you? Define each value and how it’s being embodied. 

Key takeaways 

• The language you use matters – be careful with negative self-talk. 
• Let’s work together on continuing to narrow the gender pay gap.
• All employees set and uphold the company culture – what does your company culture mean to you?
• Don’t underestimate the power of listening.