Tackling The Scarcity Myth

Take steps to create an environment which undercuts feelings of scarcity

Years ago, a client came to me for help. Sue was a middle-aged Asian woman working at a law firm. A rock star in her field, she was a partner, the only woman, and only woman of color, in her firm. Recently, June, a newly minted law school grad, had joined the firm as an associate. Sue came to me because June had been eviscerating her in meetings and just about every other place they intersected. Sue couldn’t understand it and was looking for strategies on how to stop the dynamic. She was at the end of her rope and at this point was so furious with June she had begun pre-emptively cutting her down at every turn. Sue was feeling completely demoralized—she had pushed to hire June, excited to finally have another woman in her firm, and they seemed to be locked in a battle to the death!
 

This is an example of what can happen when employees fall victim to what I call the “scarcity myth,” a harmful belief that can be a source of conflict when you are onboarding new employees.

To understand why this happens, look at history. Traditionally, women have not had access to power and resources--the highly covered seats at the tables of power. If a woman was there, she was more likely to be White than Black, Asian, Latinx, or Indigenous. And these women were often alone at the top and fighting to stay there, after having fought tooth and nail to move up the ladder. It can be hard to shake the feeling that there are not enough resources to go around, so you have to get what you can before it runs out. This historic memory, this feeling of scarcity, still remains, and we must directly address the “scarcity myth,” if we want to make room for everyone to succeed at work. 

Think of power as a layered triangle. At the top of this triangle is a mini-triangle. That tiny triangle at the top holds the most power and has traditionally been reserved for men, and more specifically white men. The lower you go on the triangle’s layers, the less power you have.

When women somehow make it into that top triangle, they often feel, subconsciously, as if there is room for only one woman at the top. And that’s understandable. Often that has been the case. This is why women sometimes go after other women, and more so when that woman is in their demographic. In Sue’s case, June felt there was only room for one Asian woman, and that feeling of scarcity caused June to go on the attack.

 Here’s generally what happens:
 

1. The woman who’s already in the power position subconsciously feels threatened by the up-and-comer.
2. The up-and-comer feels she’ll never be able to move up if the woman already there at the top isn’t pushed down.

Both of these responses, ironically, don’t just hurt women in the moment. They also reinforce male power structures. While they are busy eviscerating each other, men are locking arms, going out for drinks, hiring, collaborating, and promoting each other. And the cycle continues.

In Sue’s case, I advised her to call June into her office and tell her how happy she was to have her working there, how she felt they had gotten off on the wrong foot, and that she would like to mentor June and support her however she could. This would help June to feel less threatened by Sue and probably put a stop to June’s attacks.

After Sue launched into her prepared speech, she waited in silence. After a moment, June looked at her and then unloaded about just how hard it had been for her from day one, and how scared she was that if she made one false move she’d blow it. They ended up talking for an hour about their mutual experiences. They didn’t leave as friends, but they left as allies.

Things got markedly better after that. Today, the two are regular collaborators. Together they have helped each other ascend in the firm and successfully advocated to hire more women. They claim space together, and they are augmenting each other.

We all can help reduce the impact of the scarcity myth by doing the following:
 

1. EDUCATE - Educate staff about what the scarcity myth is and why it happens. Most people don’t want to participate in such damaging phenomena. Once they know what it is they are much more likely to be able to stop it.
2. MENTOR - Set up mentorship programs. When onboarding a new staff member, find a senior staff member in a similar demographic who can mentor her. By creating a nurturing, supportive dynamic right off the bat, this phenomenon can’t be stopped before it starts.
3. RECRUIT - Work to recruit more people of every background. The more inclusive leadership is; the less likely folks will feel like there is only room for one group in positions of power.
4. RETAIN - Set up support groups for up and coming leaders. Be sure to think carefully about spaciality. Many people, understandably, do not feel safe talking about their challenges in front of others outside of their demographic. Create safe spaces for targeted groups and you will have better retention rates for those groups.

The scarcity myth is real, but it can be prevented. Take steps to create an environment that undercuts feelings of scarcity, and you will optimize human capital. More importantly, people will feel safe, seen, and heard.

Author Bio

Eliza VanCort is an in-demand consultant, speaker, and writer on communications, career and workplace issues, and women’s empowerment. The founder of The Actor's Workshop of Ithaca, she is also a Cook House Fellow at Cornell University, an advisory board member of the Performing Arts for Social Change, a Diversity Crew partner, and a member of Govern For America's League of Innovators. Her first book, A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space, publishes May 2021. Visit www.elizavancort.com Connect Eliza VanCort