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“I hire for passion, train for skill. I was passionate about what I was doing, resilient. I knew I was onto something, and I wasn't going to stop.”
— Shelley Zalis
Among the United Nations' seventeen sustainable development goals, one is actionable for every leader—gender equality. The existing disparities between men and women in the workplace come from a legacy mindset gap, and leaders can proactively strive to narrow this divide. To gain insights on how to undertake this crucial initiative, we spoke to Shelley Zalis, Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient.
At the Female Quotient, Shelley collaborates with organizations to curate experiences, thought leadership, and solutions aimed at fostering gender equality in the workplace. She is also the founder of OTX, a research company that was subsequently acquired by Ipsos OTX. In recognition of her achievements, she was honored with the Matrix Award by the New York Women in Communications in 2018.
Tune into the latest episode or read the transcript below to learn more. Here are some top takeaways:
- How to successfully innovate
Despite widespread hesitations surrounding online research today, Shelley encountered even more skepticism when she founded OTX in 2000. As a trailblazer in the field, she assumed the roles of the "first," "second," and "third" in the innovation journey. The first is the innovator, who makes mistakes while creating something new; next, the copycat, who imitates the innovator without understanding the inner workings; and finally the sweeper, who refines and builds upon an existing ecosystem. To embody all three roles, Shelley continually disrupted herself, emerging as a true pioneer in online research.
- Taking matters into your own hands
Before launching OTX, Shelley worked at a traditional research company. She went to her boss with the idea of migrating research from offline to online, and they all told her it was the wrong time. Simultaneously, Shelley found herself on a panel with Larry Mock, who was then the Chief Research Officer at Procter and Gamble. Seizing the opportunity, she arranged a meeting to discuss her concept with him. However, when she informed her boss about this, he opted to send three male colleagues in her place, citing it as a "boys' club" affair. Recognizing that her vision would only materialize if she was in charge, Shelley took her idea to Nielsen, embarking on the path that eventually led to the establishment of OTX.
- Hire for passion, train for skill
One thing is clear from Shelley’s journey: she had conviction and perseverance, two crucial qualities for a successful entrepreneur. She used her passion to build resilience for her cause and ultimately created a legacy for online research. Now, there are several off-shoots of online research. As a leader, she has sought out others who share her passion and helped them gain the skills they needed to perform at a high level.
- Creating a “Girls Lounge”
After years in a male-dominated industry, Shelley realized it was time to create a network of women supporting women, something she wished she had during her career. To kick it off, she went to CES and invited fifty women to walk the floor with her, gaining “power of the pack”. This eventually became The Girls Lounge, the female version of the boys’ club that had been ever-present in Shelley’s career. She started doing pop-ups for women in various industries to connect and collaborate and avoid feelings of isolation at male-dominated conferences. Initially, she sponsored these herself. Now, The Female Quotient is global, working towards changing the equation and closing the gender gap.
- Be intentional about gender equality
The Female Quotient is actively advancing gender equality in the workplace, spurred by Shelley’s own experiences. She explains that leaders need to be intentional about their actions to push for gender equality. Out of all the seventeen sustainable development goals, gender equality is controllable. Leaders have the data to fix where they are going wrong and reverse the legacy issues contributing to gender inequality at work.
