In this edition, we address themes of self-image and identity and how we can celebrate ourselves in all our complexity while simultaneously enriching our careers.
The challenge of gender (in)equity is that it exists between individuals and systems; we cannot address individual bias without addressing systemic factors, nor can we ignore that systemic change must also shift individual behaviors. This interplay is reflected in the question of identity. Identity markers pose systemic challenges to groups of people but are also more complex aspects of an individual’s inner life. A person’s sense of self can be of great importance to their work; personal challenges can lead us to epiphanies and innovation or inform our leadership strategies. So, how does one navigate identity in the terrain of a workplace that demands a certain image of professionalism, especially one that is heavily biased by systemic inequality?
Hold on to Your Complexity: Bringing Multiple Identities to Work
HBS Professor Lakshmi Ramarajan studies the relationship between holding multiple identities and maintaining social roles in larger groups. She explores this dynamic in an episode of HBS’s Cold Call Podcast; Ramarajan discusses the case of how Carla Ann Harris embodies her many identity markers—including being Black, a woman, Catholic, an investment banker, and a singer—with authenticity.
Spotlight: Arab American History Month
In honor of April being Arab American History Month, we’re sharing two stories highlighting the vitality and diversity of our Arab community.
NYU Abu Dhabi Professor May Al-Dabbagh presents: "Dwelling/من بيت لبيت "
At RGE’s 2022 Annual Symposium, Professor May Al-Dabbagh presented “Dwelling/من بيت لبيت,” a poignant and reflective talk on how to navigate one’s own identity, based on her courses on gender in the Gulf. She speaks of a method called self tracing, which uses the body and one’s emotions to locate oneself while interacting with the world. She uses this method to help her students learn as their authentic selves, contextualizing the class content in their own experience instead of simply absorbing it.
Case Studies: Untold Stories of Entrepreneurs in the Middle East
HBS Professors Katherine B. Coffman and Shikhar Ghosh work with the MENA Research Center to study businesses in the Middle East and North Africa. In this 10-year-anniversary special, they discuss their findings on how personal growth is integral to entrepreneurship. They highlight the case of a young Lebanese entrepreneur who, as a swimmer, developed a new type of goggles to solve her own problem, illustrating how identity and personal experiences can lead us to fresh solutions and innovations.
