The Feedback Lever for Gender Equality in VC

After attending a conference on Monday, I found one panel particularly thought-provoking. I'm ruminating on how to take action within my small sphere of influence... But here's the thought I've been sitting on since Monday at 3 PM: Do we have a feedback gap for female talent in VC? 

Here's why.

The VC/PE world is really competitive for men and women and full of "A-types". And as the dollars become bigger, the game becomes more competitive. Investment is also an "apprenticeship business". You have to use every angle to learn, advance and thrive.

Men don't necessarily have an easier but men have an advantage. In almost all organisations, they will be able to find pools of other men they can go to, have a sounding board, help them navigate and get good advice and feedback. All the freaking time.

As women are less represented, especially at the top, there are often no female mentors and few female peer support. They are often the resident alien at the office.

Yet, in VC, the best way to develop is to get feedback right on the spot, even very informally, as long as it is right away.

Things like "You effed up on the model. And here are all the reasons why". Some of this might come across as aggressive. Still, it's a way for this person to understand that they should never do that again. It can also be stupid (but meaningful) things that help you polish your career and build an executive presence. "Dude, you need to get a new shirt", or "Your hair is terrible"...

But like all this, it is gold because it's instant feedback—from silly to superficial to quantitatively skill-based.

And whilst entry-level women are similarly "unpolished" talents as they start their careers, as unpolished as the guys, they're just not getting that same kind of candid, instant, and valuable feedback. 

 For three reasons.

1. There are fewer females, generally and specifically seniors, to help junior women.

2. But even if there are female peers, many have an underlying (and useless) fear that they must compete for the few female seats at the organisation's top.

3. Male colleagues are afraid of giving feedback to their female colleagues. They don't want to get into trouble or don't know how to deal with it when it might be emotional. (This is not to say that this has to be emotional!)

So, they wait for the annual review, but that's not as meaningful as honest and impromptu feedback. Again, VC is an apprenticeship business. If you don't get rich and often feedback, you fall behind. 

Fast-forward a couple of years, and the male colleague you started with might now have the craftmanship, executive presence, confidence, looks, and demeanour that help him advance. And women are left wondering what the f... happened?! 

Here's how to potentially fix (or at least address this) 

• As a younger talent, let the people you're working with know you are claiming feedback. And that even if you get upset, you should ask others to ignore it if they can. Your reaction (if there is any) is only because you care. You would like feedback on the spot because that's how you learn and improve.

• Then, more at a high level, it's education around unconscious biases and training to give candidate feedback respectfully and explain why it matters to everyone on your team.

What else can we do to make feedback a norm in (VC) teams?