I am quite sure that many of us do not give much thought to life on a submarine. We know it is tight, and every nook and cranny are optimized for efficiency. Still, “The Jersey Girl” is the first submarine intentionally designed with women in mind. It was created from the start and 40 women live on it. Why is this significant and a big deal? In my opinion, it says that everyone belongs from day one. If you build things with everyone in mind from the start, you will get better performance. I have seen this proven in Fortune 500 boardrooms and in senior-level roles across companies. Diverse demographics make for better performance. This lead to a 20% performance improvement on the submarine. Life on a submarine can be a very demanding and dangerous environment.
On a leadership level, almost half the wardroom consists of women officers. This composition reveals true representation at the leadership level. Women are successfully proving themselves to be just as capable (sometimes more so) than their male counterparts.
If one submarine can show this level of success through intentional inclusion, imagine the possibilities across other industries. This is the template to build and implement truly inclusive places where the potential for better results is immediate? Can one conclude that any organization can create an environment that completely embraces diversity? From where I sit, it is a win-win.
Submarine life is not for everyone, including me. Nevertheless, these trailblazing women are showing us what is possible when we design spaces and opportunities with everyone in mind.
Anchors aweigh.
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