On Working Women's Day

Well over 80% of my superiors in the workplace have been women. I still keep in touch with a few of these women, but for the most part they existed the way most former coworkers and bosses do- they are an integral part of your day to day life, and then suddenly they are gone. I do have a more sentimental connection to my work than a lot of people do, especially people my age, but nonetheless I genuinely believe that work relationships are valuable and historically they have stood to teach me as much or more about myself and others as natural friendships have.

My first job was working at Calaway Park for a few summers. My team leaders for those summers were very young- they were all still in high school when I did my first summer. It's crazy to look back on that now and think that corporation trusted 17 year olds to properly supervise other teenagers, but all things considered they did go above and beyond what you could expect. Their job was impossible, too- guests who asked to see my manager were immediately thrown off when a teenager wearing only slightly more professional garb would approach us, and thus naturally they were given little to no respect from anyone except maybe (and rarely) my coworkers. I have never seen people in leadership positions strive with such confidence despite being universally disrespected, belittled, and also given shockingly little pay compensation or training. It should come as no surprise that the teenage male supervisors were also subject to the same belittling from coworkers, but less so by park guests. For some reason, a 18 year old man appears infinitely more worthy of leadership positions than a woman of the same age. These women taught me that you will be vulnerable and may not be respected in the workplace for years, but nonetheless strive forward with confidence because you either stand to exist as someone constantly disrespected and miserable, or as someone who believes in themselves even when they are set up for failure.

At Camp Chief Hector, my female superiors were not subjected to this level of humiliation at all. Camp Chief Hector was run by four women who oversaw various regions of the camp. My immediate supervisor was a personality I have yet to see reflected in anyone since- she was a wayward Australian who had fallen in love with the Rockies and had an unbridled passion for ascribing basic strokes of luck and misfortune to greater cosmic plans for personal development. Every challenge and triumph was recognized and written in to this beautiful narrative she upheld about each of us facing our fears, pushing ourselves, and discovering our true inner strengths. I have no idea whats become of her since 2013, but occasionally I think about her when I go hiking. The women at Camp Chief Hector showed me that women can be strong, feminine, independence, and soft and all of these things can exist together because no one trait defines your womanhood- in a way womanhood doesn't exist at all, we are just people traversing this same baffling world together. I have always been insecure and uncomfortable with my femininity, or lack thereof, so seeing these women work through situations which required a nuanced approach of equal parts masculine grit and feminine gentleness continues to be an inspiration today.

Perhaps the most feminist workplace I have ever been in was the Lethbridge YMCA. Not unlike Camp Chief Hector, the place is mostly run by women who oversee various departments. Every single one of these women have absolutely given me more perspective and learning opportunities than they could ever know. When I started there, I absolutely felt like I was too young to garner any real respect. However, at every opportunity I was shown that being open, vulnerable, and honest about yourself only makes you stronger as a team member. Not only does it allow for more learning opportunities, but I quickly discovered that children do not want leaders who are trying to uphold any kind of image- they benefit and connect with leaders who are comfortable and happy with themselves as they are. If I had never been exposed to this perspective and practice in the workplace, I can absolutely guarantee that I would be less successful in my current pursuits in social work. The supervisor I spent the most time with was Mikail. Not only was Mikail just all around approachable, enjoyable, and supportive as someone to be around and be supervised by, but her daily aspirations to be kind and patient with herself and others was something I'd never seen in a person before. Women in the workplace are always subjected to this terrible pressure to be professional and uphold this distorted persona of being overzealous, confident, forthright, and demanding because they need to "stick out" amongst the more domineering presence of men. Mikail didn't seem to buy in to that even once, for any moment of time. Though it was technically her job title, I never felt like she was supervising people so much as supporting them in their own work and aspirations- she absolutely encouraged a strength based approach, independence, and creativity wherever employees saw fit. Mikail, even more than the other wonderful women I had the privilege of working with there, taught me that community support is invaluable but in the end only you have the power to change yourself and decide what kind of energy you want to bring to others. There is no experience which better exemplifies the "strong independent woman don't need no man" ideal than I had while working there.

Quest was a very interesting workplace experience for me. On one hand, some of the most devoted and compassionate women on this planet Earth work there, but on the other hand the business model itself is one of the most atrociously offensive organizations I've ever seen. Set aside my concerns with Quest and how they allocate funds, staff, and other resources, the supervisors I had there are absolute angels on this Earth. Sadly, many of them were given criminally low wages, little to no time for self care, and were absolutely forced to make awful decisions on a daily basis. Perhaps it was because of the oppressive structure we existed in that I felt such honest and meaningful emotional support amongst these women, but whatever it was that did it, I feel I owe at least that much to a corporation which both gave me explicit direction and purpose in life while also breaking my heart. I learned a lot of really valuable lessons from these women, not the least of which being that patience and being able to wordlessly express to someone that you care is more valuable to a supportive relationship in the long term than simply being able to produce results. Best practice in social work and support services is attained by finding your own way to connect with others so that it is genuine and compassionate. Again, the message I had been encountering all throughout my working life was being driven home- your strengths are not going to be immediately recognized and respected, but that does not mean you should abandon them in place of superficial professionalism and confidence. Your work is a delicate practice- be yourself and be genuine. Your clients live in a world where the majority of their relationships are just about people trying to get something from them- if they are not blatantly being taken advantage of or used, they are in relationships which depend on results and are often rushed, formal, and lacking warmth. Whether you are a strong silent type, a frazzled and energetic type, or an optimistic and friendly type- even if you are all three at once, whatever it is just focus on being open, approachable, and genuine. Finally, one thing I learned from women at Quest is that people will do everything they can to take advantage of these strengths once they do discover them- they will exploit your kindness, eagerness to please, and patience. They will take advantage of your devotion to people and mistake it as a devotion for their corporation. You don't owe them anything, you can leave. I was hesitant to leave Quest for many months even when I recognized that I needed to. It wasn't until I saw one of my superiors stand up for herself that I realized I, too, have that same right.

From each of these women in the workplace I have leaned something meaningful and grown as a person under their leadership. I have been incredibly fortunate to have nothing but wonderful bosses throughout my life. From each of these women a gained a more nuanced understanding of leadership and what it means to be a woman with aspirations for herself and others. Each of these women has shown in me and driven the point home in one way or another that I am valuable, capable, and have every right to aspire to greater things in the workplace. Though obstacles exist and I haven't gotten the promotions I've applied for, that needn't stop me. Currently, I still work under the supervision of women- exclusively women in this case. I think this may finally be the place where I can make a leap to join the ranks of these women who have inspired me over the years, and this is a feeling I am so grateful for.

Happy Women's day to all working women!