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Have you ever been in a meeting where someone is misgendered? Were you uncomfortable? Did you say something? What do you think it was like for the person who was she, he, sir’ed, or maam’ed?
Let me tell you what it is like for me (my pronouns are they/them):
- I am immediately distracted and kick myself for not sharing my pronouns in my intro.
- I go into “should I say something” mode.
- I assess whether or not it feels safe to interrupt.
- I either say something, make a note to connect with the person afterward, or deem the moment “over” with no action to be taken.
- I miss whatever has happened in this time period.
Based on experience, both personal and from my network — this is not uncommon in typical business settings. We know there is a growing number of people coming out who do not identify with their gender assigned at birth.
So, what is there to do?
At Mobilize, we have committed to inclusion and support — our current best practices are described, as following.
Intention: All Mobilize team members are humans with equal value in all aspects of work and life.
We are 100% committed to inclusion and will forever be evolving and growing our commitments, as outlined, below.
Current Commitments:
- Team members’ well-being is our #1 priority: above profit, deadlines, and any other “business” goal.
- All team members are provided with our in-depth handbook, which covers the practical and conceptual practices our company takes.
- All team member pronouns can be included in onboarding and company roster.
- Email signature template includes pronoun option (not required).
- Legal name vs. current name option.
- Zoom handle to include pronouns (not required).
- Meetings include written/spoken option to share pronouns.
A Bit About Me:
My name is Jade Baranski (they/them) and I am the CEO of Mobilize, Mobilize Comms, and M.A.S.H. — all technology companies, headquartered in beautiful and sunny Colorado.
I had the privilege to sell my first company, JoyLab, and went on to quickly purchase the technology company Mobilize Comms before launching several other products. My focus in 2022 is to bring Mobilize VISION to the entire DoD, enabling our defense innovation ecosystem to stay ahead.
My wife and I have a 3-year-old, Elliot Jade, and a 6-month-old, Atlas Max, and stay very active with ballet, baby gymnastics (the cutest), and toddler basketball.
I am also the founding board member of the Queer Business Alliance — and creating access and opportunities for wealth for aspiring LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs is my life’s work.
To learn more, contact: