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This Women’s History Month, Let’s Detroit is honoring metro Detroit women making an impact, ranging from business owners to students and Let’s Detroit Ambassadors. This week, we are featuring two leaders at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), Blonnie Taylor, Enterprise Records department leader, and DeNae Shelton, senior financial analyst. They co-chair the BCBSM Employee Resource Network (ERN), leading a team of women that pursue inclusion and diversity at the organization.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

How did you get into your field?

Being actively involved in BCBSM helped open opportunities for us to be seen and heard, making space for us to be identified as the next leaders for professional women. We are twice nominated leaders for the ERN, POWER, which stands for “Professional Optimistic Women Exploring Resources.”

Our mission is to promote an inclusive culture throughout the organization, provide individuals with resources and tools to enhance their personal and professional development, and establish and align ERN goals and activities with business objectives to advance Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in the marketplace.

What is it like being a woman in that field, and what challenges do you experience?

While pursuing inclusion and diversity, we noticed many of the struggles that women face, one of most well-known issues being that they are not held to the same standard as their male counterparts. There are expectations that perhaps we put on ourselves to perform at what could be considered an unhealthy level of perfectionism. We recommend that you try not to get caught up in that. Instead, understand the need, present your thoughts, fulfill the need, and don’t compromise your values.

What strengths do you bring to your field?

Women bring unique strengths to the table. Namely, we present and balance diverse perspectives and challenge the status quo.

In what ways could your industry be more inclusive for women?

We are fortunate that BCBSM supports a diverse culture. For other companies where this support is not as available, we recommend company leaders recognize the talents women bring to all industries and levels. That would ensure an inclusive and accessible environment for women and everyone.

What advice would you give to women entering your field?

The advice we would give to women looking to enter our field as diversity leaders is, “we have not arrived, but know that there is a road called progress, and we’re on it!”

Over the past few decades, the workforce has made progress in valuing women, but women are still significantly underrepresented at all levels of management. To add to that, women are more likely than men to have their competence and authority questioned or undermined. Women of color are especially more likely to face bad-mannered behavior.

The good news is that companies are investing more in all aspects of inclusion, diversity, and equality training. This creates a culture that leverages a diverse workforce, where women’s (and everyone’s) unique ideas, perspectives, and experiences are heard, which helps cultivate a happy and productive work environment. When people are happy at work, they are better producers.