Allyship in Action ft. John Cleary
As part of our ‘Allyship In Action’ series, we caught up with John Cleary, Freelance Fractional CTO.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ content series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech & data, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech & data teams for women.
Amber: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role?
John: Hi, I’m John Cleary and I’ve been in tech for over 20 years in various roles from hands-on software engineering to leadership. I’ve also founded a couple of tech companies, but right now I’m working freelance as a Fraction CTO.
Amber: What does being an ally for mums in tech mean to you?
John: For me it means always thinking “how is this thing is going to affect mums” and by “thing” I mean any changes to the business, changes to processes, a communication that is being sent out, or how job specs are pitched or phrased. In other words, if I was a mum, how would this affect me?
Amber: What are the most important traits it takes to be a good ally?
John: I would say respect is the most important trait. Let’s face it, it takes some time and effort to be a good ally, and it’s easier to do nothing. But if you truly respect your colleagues, then you’ll take the time to consider their full set of needs. And not just those that conveniently overlap with your needs or the needs of others in the team.
“ Let’s face it, it takes some time and effort to be a good ally, and it’s easier to do nothing. But if you truly respect your colleagues, then you’ll take the time to consider their full set of needs. And not just those that conveniently overlap with your needs or the needs of others in the team.”
Amber: Why do you think it’s important to make the tech industry more inclusive of mothers and working parents?
John: Imagine a young person coming out of school or university and joining their first tech team. The team works well together and has a manager who cares about each the professional development and happiness of everyone. If that team includes people from different walks of life, different genders, and backgrounds, and is respectful to the needs of working parents, then that young person’s expectations have now been set - potentially for the rest of their working lives.
We want and need to normalise this, so that we change the story forever. If they see these things in their first role and see it working … well that’s very powerful!
And that’s also why the MotherBoard Charter is so great - it’s helping companies to take the right sorts of policy and hiring decisions which make that environment possible. That, as well as working with allies, especially those in leadership roles will also make a real impact.
Amber: What do you think is the main hurdle stopping employers from being more inclusive?
John: If I were to be generous, I would probably say they have many competing priorities or something along those lines. However, from my own personal experience having worked alongside some leaders who are, shall we say, doing little (perhaps nothing) to make the workplace more inclusive, I would argue it’s more likely to be various biases. I do think it’s getting better slowly and in many cases the biases are unconscious, so a little bit of education goes a long way in these areas.
“Getting in early is key…working with the companies that hire the most graduates, or presenting talks at CTO-specific or other tech leadership events and conferences would likely produce the best results. ”
Amber: What do you think the priority should be for creating tangible change for working mums in tech?
John: If I was wearing my “data has no feelings” hat, I would say, find out what has had the biggest impact so far and put our energy into that. Putting my hat to one side for a moment, I would say that getting in early is key. This could be working with the companies that hire the most graduates, or presenting talks at CTO-specific or other tech leadership events and conferences would likely produce the best results.
Amber: Who do you think is responsible for making the change?
John: Business leaders can push this message out to their teams, but also further afield with posts on LinkedIn and the like. But there are fun ways we can all take responsibility and make a small difference. Why not talk to your kids about diversity in the workplace, what it looks like, why it’s important - at least they then have an image of what good looks like for when they get their first job. You could also “challenge” your manager or in your next one to one to find out what the company does in terms of diversity and inclusion. And of course, you can contribute to the various community events and activities - just by showing up.
“When in doubt, ask - if you have a mum on your team who reports to you and you’re not sure how better to support and encourage them, just ask them! Sounds simple because it is.”
Amber: Any final words of advice for other people looking to better support mothers in the Tech Industry?
John: When in doubt, ask - if you have a mum on your team who reports to you and you’re not sure how better to support and encourage them, just ask them! Sounds simple because it is.
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