France Poirier,
Manager, Learning & Development and Lean-in Program Lead
It all started with a book, an idea and a small group of women who wanted to support each other and maybe challenge gender bias a little…(okay maybe more than a little). My leader Dainna Datchko, Director of Learning and Development, was one of those women. Being the great leader that she is, she challenged me to start facilitating Lean-in circles, which was out of my comfort zone. Dainna and her peers were inspired by Lean-in circles, where small groups of women meet regularly to engage in peer support, learning activities, and accountability partnerships. We started facilitating these circles informally in 2015, beginning with our Liberty Oakville office. As it turns out, women were interested and I quickly felt ‘in’ my comfort zone, leading circles. In 2017 we were ready to come out to the world to spread the joy with others across the organization.
This is when we reached out to the business to seek volunteers across the organization to lead Liberty Lean-in circles. A small group of passionate women decided to jump in. For many of them, it meant coming out of their comfort zone and learning new leadership and facilitation skills to become the local Liberty Lean-in leaders. We ended up with eight active circles across the U.S. and one in our head office in Canada.
In 2019 we received great news; we became one of three Business Resource Groups under the leadership of our newly formed Diversity and Inclusion Council. Also in 2019, we started expanding our circles to our allies and it has been a great experience. We believe allies are part of the solution and we appreciate them ‘leaning in’.
In 2020, women and allies who are involved in Liberty Lean-in, shared their ‘why’ with us. Here are just a few:
“…because it is both the right thing and smart thing to do. On a personal level, it is essential that my colleagues, teen girls (3) and wife have equality and empowerment. I believe that men have a role to play while women increasingly lead. Men need to listen, think and learn, and then act. Men need to challenge other men to understanding and advance equality and empowerment.”
Ryan Farquhar
Senior Vice President, International Development and Liberty Lean-in Sponsor
“…from my first Circle session, I met a non-judgmental ear... Having a supportive environment where we know someone has our back is a powerful boost to push us towards the best empowered version of ourselves.”
Alya Moolna
Oakville (ON) Circle Leader
“…I want to encourage my daughter and those around me to have the courage to step up when it counts, even if they find themselves in the minority, and continue to thrive in both the workplace and in life.”
Elise Forrer
Lake Tahoe (CA) Circle Leader
“…I wanted a way to “give back” to the younger generation. I’m so proud to be a part of an amazing circle where the members learn both professional and person skills in a compassionate, non-judgmental environment.”
Jill Fitzpatrick
Londonderry (NH) Circle Leader
Unfortunately in 2020, we took a bit of a step back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many of us were forced to focus on other priorities. We currently have five active (virtual) circles and a Committee of very dedicated leaders to continue supporting our initiative. Despite the fact that we cannot meet in person for now, we are hopeful that we can continue to grow and provide women and allies in our organization, opportunities to keep meeting online. In fact, we are currently working on developing a support package that can enable all our offices to establish their own Liberty Lean-in circles both virtually and in-person, to empower women and allies across our enterprise.
See p.60-62 of our 2020 Sustainability Report for more information on our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion and more specifically on p.61, to gender diversity.
Personally as a Program Leader, I am encouraged by the possibilities and the dedication of our Liberty Lean-in Circle Leaders and Diversity & Inclusion Council to support gender diversity in our organization.
- France Poirier