Bland recently worked for a woman who was both black and overweight. She was hard-working, dedicated, and intelligent. He reported to her for about five months, until she was promoted and transferred to another city.
Four of the last six immediate superiors bland has had have been female. He has known women throughout his career in positions of significant authority. He has never seen a woman denied promotion because she was woman. He has seen women rightly chosen for positions over men who were less competent. And vice-versa. Bland has personally made many decisions to promote individuals throughout his own career, and he has always overwhelmingly based his choices on competence and reliability, period. The best and brightest candidate available at the time: man or woman, red, white, or blue.
In short, X is right: the greater part of the battle truly has been won. It's not so much a matter of being male or female, or of what race you are...it is truly more a matter of being willing and able to do what it takes to succeed, without expecting everything to simply be handed over to you just because you sacrificed enough of your time to show up. Attitude, effort, and acuity count for far more than anything else in any workplace bland has ever been associated with. |
