There’s no question that climbing the corporate ladder is tough.  Ashley Brundage, the Founder and President of Empowering Differences and the VP of Diversity and Inclusion at a major financial services organization, managed to do just that - twice. In her recent book “Empowering Differences,” Brundage shares her story, as well as the strategies and actionable insights she has used to accomplish what others would consider the unthinkable - rising the ranks of corporate America despite being a non-college-educated, transgender woman. 

Prior to her book, Ashley founded Empowering Differences, which she considers “is the intentional action of using power and authority for yourself or others while positioning ways in which you are not the same as the people around you. Using your differences, what makes you unique, to empower yourself and others to move your career forward.” She uses her book as a way to share the lessons she has learned on her continuous journey toward self and systemic improvements, allyship, and advocacy. Without spoiling the book, here are some top takeaways:

Knowing Yourself 

While this may seem silly at first, Brundage’s description is not what one would expect. Of course a level of self-awareness about who you are and what makes you unique is fairly evident to most, Brundage doesn’t stop there. In her quest for self-discovery, she encourages people to dig deeper into their traits and experiences, and that means educating ourselves on what those differences mean, what they bring to the table, and leveraging data to craft a narrative that will be relatable to others. 

When interviewing for a job, Brundage recommends “build[ing] the business case as to why you (and your differences) are the best person for the job. Once you build the case for yourself, the hiring team will have a much easier time selecting you. Understanding what makes you different and then translating those differences into business, hiring, buying power, etc. makes all the difference.” 

In practice, her example is quite noteworthy. While many may initially see her lack of a college education as an indicator of laziness or an absence of smarts, the narrative she created to prove her differences are actually an asset is quite compelling. “Some may see my lack of higher education as a disadvantage on paper, I see it as an advantage because it shows tremendous work ethic.” Even further, she continues to advocate for others by highlighting accessibilities issues with degree-focused hiring criteria. “College or continued education is not for everyone and it is a privilege to have access to it. If an organization only hires college graduates, they will be excluding a large demographic of people and are losing valuable people that can bring new ideas to the table and have a great work ethic. Recognizing that my educational background is something that I can bring up as a positive difference gives me a unique perspective of the world, that not everyone has. There is always value in a different perspective and a different way of thinking.” Understanding and then controlling the narrative in a way that appeals to others is critical.

Knowing Others

While understanding you and your own differences is essential, understanding others’ needs, motivations, and languages is also key. “In understanding the people around you and the identities that they have, you are able to forge connections with them and are able to relate to one another,” Brundage says. 

As an example, she offers, “being in a room full of men talking about Monday night football, I’m the one who stands out, unless I prove to them that I know what I’m talking about. Because I am not a man, I am not a part of the inside group. I have to find a way to connect with the group in some way if I want to be included in the social circle. In doing so, I am able to gain their respect and connect with them on a more personal level. When I need it most, I will have their support.” 

Beyond a social setting, in relation to work, it’s important to understand the qualitative and quantitative data and research that will attract leadership is key. When talking about ways to attract new customers, she mentions, being able to join conversations in a highly knowledgeable fashion can help you speak the language of your co-workers and company leaders and gain their respect. 

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and Accessibility 

In addition to understanding yourself and others individually, understanding the needs, limitations, and privileges of different communities is key to inclusion. “If you don’t know what impact you are having on others, you will not be able to make the impact you want to make when you need and want to,” Brundage says. That’s why she highlights accessibility throughout the book in pretty eye-opening ways. 

Often, she points out, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is used to maintain the status quo of privilege and ableism. And, it stifles innovation needed to improve the lives of others. “People who have the right to vote typically don’t think about that right until they hear a story from another country that has limited the ability to vote. Men in the workplace typically don’t think about how women are treated until they hear a news story covering a sexual assault allegation. Middle and upper-class people typically don’t think about how many kids survive off of school lunches until they hear a story about how a school is ending its meal program from kids living in poverty. It’s typically not until we see through the eyes or hear the stories of people who are disprivileged that we realize the privileges that we have.”

Throughout her book, she highlights privileges and disprivileges of certain groups and communities. While many think about accessibility as an issue like ramps on buildings, she points out accessibility goes well beyond. For example, younger people today often struggle to land jobs because they “need experience to get a job, but can’t get a job without experience.” Outside of age, people living in poverty may not have access to healthcare, a college education, or technology. By “learn[ing] about different communities,” she says, we’ll be able to “identify accessibility gaps” of others. 

Know Your Stuff

As a leader in corporate America, Brundage understands the value of data.  “Data and metrics are your friend,” she says. She recognizes the critical role research, metrics, and data analysis has played in her career development. “When you walk in with data showing your impact, it is going to increase your confidence in everything you are about to do, and it will enlighten the leadership about the work that you have been doing.”

In addition to leveraging data in annual or mid-year reviews, job interviews, or in sales and leadership meetings to enhance your career, data can also be an important way to educate and empower allies. More specifically, “enlightening [someone] about how pervasive an issue is, and what they can do to help be an ally and advocate,” is a great way to create allies. “Come prepared with all of this knowledge, wherever you go, let the data and metrics back up every single part of your authenticity,” she says. 

In summary, as we move into 2021 and recover from the coronavirus pandemic, what Bloomberg has called the first-ever female recession, and system racial violence that has led to protests around the world, more organizations and individuals are realizing that we’ve got work to do. With Ashley Brundage’s help (and book), hopefully we’ll be able to work together to create the right narratives, discover our differences and the value those differences mean, and work together to build an inclusive workforce and society.  

About Ashley Brundage & Empowering Differences

Ashley T Brundage is the Founder and President of Empowering Differences, an organization that focuses on leadership-based training to empower and inspire diverse individuals. She offers motivational speaking, leadership development and organizational training around leveraging differences to impact change. 

What makes Ashley so successful is her personal story: while seeking employment at a major financial institution, she self-identified during the interview process as a male to female transgender woman and subsequently was hired. She was offered a position and started as a part time bank teller and worked in various lines of business before moving to VP, Diversity and Inclusion in less than 5 years.

In addition to moving up the corporate ladder, her community involvement and activism to promote awareness and acceptance of gender identity and expression has landed her on several corporate and not-for-profit advisory boards, roughly a dozen awards, and featured on several local and national publications and media outlets about her transition, workplace equality, and leadership. 

Learn more about Ashley’s offerings including the Empowering Differences book, 10 Empowering Actions Online Course, and 10 Empowering Actions Workbook.