The Or Ditches Gatekeeping and Formalities for Their Newest Women’s Leadership Event
Often, traditional networking events for women cater exclusively to those in leadership roles, creating a barrier for emerging talent. It was this exclusivity that inspired creative agency The Or to launch 3 Good Things, a new series of women’s leadership events.
3 Good Things is designed to be inclusive and welcoming to women of all experience levels, to help them connect in a friendly environment. Each session features a brief interview with three inspiring women who have taken unconventional paths to success. The format includes three questions and answers, followed by a social hour with drinks, encouraging attendees to make at least three new connections.
Last week, I visited the inaugural event and had the opportunity to watch the three-question panel that included stories by the brilliant Colette Laxton, co-founder and CEO of The Inkey List, Madeline Riley, marketing manager at Tinder and podcast host, and Marcia Brissett-Bailey, dyslexia and neurodiversity advocate and managing director of ReThink learning consultancy.
Moderated by Sarah Oberman, The Or’s strategic partner and co-founder, the panel showed the attendees the importance of sharing real-life stories and experience, providing a platform for genuine advice and support. Not just restricted to special guests or big names in the industry, but really, placing everybody in the room at an equal plane. As we all sat at the Mother London staircase, there was something different in the air – a true sense of community, of shared burden, of shedding the expectations about what ‘success’ means.
So, still inspired by last week, I sat down with Sarah to ask her more about coming up with 3 Good Things and why now is the time for events like this one, more than ever before.
LBB> How did the idea for 3 Good Things come and why was it important to make the event a reality?
Sarah> 3 Good Things was born from frustration. A lot of leadership events don’t really reflect the diverse needs of women today. They’re either filled with great advice – but gatekept for those at the top – or they’re formal and filled with cliches (embrace failure) and the implicit assumption that there is one goal (of becoming CEO).
3 Good Things is about creating a space where women of all kinds, with different backgrounds, goals, skills, and perspectives, can come together to connect and gain insight.
We had three different speakers, who were asked the same three questions.
LBB> Do you think that the industry puts enough effort in creating authentic spaces for women to connect and network? If not, how do you think this can be improved upon?
Sarah> There are lots of organisations that are working hard to bring diversity and accessibility to the industry. But when it comes to women’s events, they often reflect an outdated creative landscape.
We need women's spaces that show up for what it means to be a woman in 2024 and beyond. This means not only helping us navigate our working lives but understanding that we’re more than work. Our personal lives define who we are and what we’re looking for. And this can often be the greatest source of inspiration.
It’s also important that we’re inviting allies to attend these events. Often lessons learned in these sessions would benefit not just women, but other identities.
LBB> How did you decide on the three questions you wanted to ask your guests? What were you aiming the message to be?
Sarah> We wanted the three questions to be simple to allow each speaker to give their own take.
What’s something you’ve learnt from your career, from your life and from someone else.
The goal was for them to share something completely true and unique to them, and say it in a way that you would if you were giving someone close to you advice.
LBB> And how did you decide on who the first guests would be? What were you looking for when picking them?
Sarah> We really wanted guests that reflected a changing world. There isn’t one route to success anymore – you could have built your business through social, or you may have developed your brand due to a pivotal life change.
Colette is an incredible female entrepreneur who has built a skincare empire – a brand that focuses on the affordable and accessible – but has been incredibly honest about the bumps along the way. Marcia meanwhile, is from a completely different walk of life, using her own experiences with neurodiversity to fuel her successful career as a dyslexia advocate. Then Maddy not only has experience in the tech world through Meta and Tinder, but builds her personal brand through her own podcast that was born from a painful time.
They’re three women that probably would never have met before, which is exactly what we’re trying to achieve with 3 Good Things – connecting women regardless of age, background, or experience. We wanted to set up a panel who wouldn’t say the same things in different ways but offer honest discussion based on their unique experiences.
LBB> What role does authenticity play in this kind of event, and how did you ensure that the room felt like a big community that is there to share experiences with each other?
Sarah> This is one of the hardest things to achieve. But we knew that by opening our doors to anyone who wanted to attend, we were automatically building a community of individuals who wanted to be a part of something new. Invites were extended out to a whole array of individuals, meaning that the people in the room were varied in age, background and experience.
Having everyone sat on Mother’s lovely staircase made it feel like we were all sat in someone’s (rather nice) living room. No frills, just good chat, great drinks and lovely snacks. The aim was to create something that feels real and accessible.
LBB> What does the future of 3 Good Things look like?
Sarah> Bright! We were so excited by the reception to our first event. It really showed us the need for an event series like this, and we can’t wait to deliver more content and build our community. Watch this space.
