Raj Goodman Anand, a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) in London, is the founder and CEO of Goodman Lantern, an English content writing and software development company that helps companies sell better and grow faster. As the leader of a predominantly female team, we asked Raj about his experience with gender equality and equality in the workplace. He announced the following:
I am the founder of a company with a predominantly female team. That seems like an odd opening speech for a male CEO – and that’s part of the problem we’re dealing with in business today.
During my career I’ve come across mostly male dominated spaces. Unfortunately, this is not surprising in technology and marketing, more so in some countries than others. However, I see a clear lack of female representation and leadership in all industries worldwide. And there is a gender pay gap that is estimated not to resolve for another 257 years.
What experience has taught me?
I’ve worked in a male dominated environment, a female dominated environment, and even a mixed environment. In my experience, a mix of masculine and feminine energy leads to the best business results. A diverse work culture with good gender, ethnicity, race, and heritage representation is key to creating a dynamic and successful workforce.
The mix of people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds creates a melting pot of growth opportunities. It creates the opportunity for innovation and something new. Isn’t it about progress?
If nothing changes, nothing changes
When I started my current business, I realized that if I just kept hiring the same candidate over and over, my business wouldn’t change. It would just be a constant reshaping of the old. Why not try something new and see what happens?
In order to bring this vision to life, we made a conscious effort not to find just people like us. We deliberately chose a women-led approach to make our entire ecosystem more neutral.
Justice versus equality
Slowly but surely, companies around the world are moving closer to gender equality. But while the conversation revolves around equal opportunities, it is clear that something is still missing. We are at a critical point where we need to start correcting the historical mistakes that women in the workplace have left behind their male counterparts. By closing gaps in gender equality through policies and gender-specific programs that change work culture, we can do more to support women.
gender equality
Our company pays employees of the same rank and experience in the same amount, regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Managers and tech teams are paid per hour, while our content team is paid per project.
Thanks to our flexible working arrangement, team members can choose when, where and how they want to work. This enables employees to reconcile work, family and personal needs. We also encourage mentoring and an “open door policy” to discuss additional training, mental health and career growth.
We strive for an integrative work environment that offers employees a fair chance to prove themselves professionally. The team members show their strongest skills and work for clients all over the world.
The response from employees has been mostly positive: “It is great to work in a company that is open and inclusive. At GL, it doesn’t matter whether you are male or female. Our different backgrounds, skills and experiences are valued,” said Vasyl Lashkay, lead tester on Goodman Lantern’s tech team.
5 main benefits of equality and gender diversity
In moving from a homogeneous to a more diverse and comprehensive environment, we saw the following advantages:
1. Customers love diversity. The thought process of our diverse team is hugely beneficial to customers: by delivering marketing content authored by team members of all castes and beliefs, we expand the reach of customers and make them more accessible to society at large. This strengthens the brand value of the customers and at the same time contributes to an equal society.
2. Performance levels increase. In my experience, hiring more women helps companies achieve higher levels of success. Gender-specific organizations are almost always more productive, efficient and have fewer blind spots than homogeneous ones.
3. Effective problem solving. Diversity helps teams find pitfalls more quickly and overcome them more quickly. I believe in female leadership and the fantastic work women do when given the platform and opportunity. Take a look at the current pandemic: Countries with women-dominated leadership have done a better job in the fight against Covid-19 than countries led by men.
4. Enjoy greater fulfillment. It is inspiring to pursue goals that go beyond financial success. Our mission is to get the narrative in all voices and solve a greater challenge. We strive to align with UN Sustainable Development Goal # 5 to create gender equality and diversify the global economy.
5. Lead by example. As a manager, CEO and company founder, I have questioned and confronted my preconceived ideas, and I try to remain open-minded. However, I am aware that the world does not necessarily think like me. But I make the decision every day to lead in a way that tells the world that there is a new way of thinking. That there is a more comprehensive and beneficial alternative to the status quo. That men and women share the same roles for equal pay and can work together harmoniously to make the world a better and fairer place.
It is not always easy to stand up for what you believe in. But I can confirm: it’s always worth it.
The opinions expressed by Inc.com columnists here are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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