"So smart and caring" - Chris Evert hails Billie Jean King for sharing powerful message on equality and inclusion
Chris Evert praised Billie Jean King for sharing an invaluable piece of advice for leaders in the business world and people everywhere to help promote equal pay and equality in all aspects. King urged people in power to use their position to constantly promote equality in their respective workplaces.
King was one of the speakers at the recently held Forbes 30/50 summit in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of International Women's Day, and was joined by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In response to a question by Clinton on King's advice for CEOs, the American tennis legend highlighted the importance of equality and also shed light on her company's contribution toward the same.
Evert hailed King for her words.
"So smart…. And caring….." Chris Evert wrote on Twitter.
So smart…. And caring….. twitter.com/morning_joe/st…
King advised business leaders to 'make things happen' quickly. The 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, who founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative several years ago, also revealed that her company always promotes the message of equal pay in their discussions with CEOs.
"The more powerful you are, the faster you can make things happen. One of the things our company does is we meet with CEOs and ask them to make sure it's equal pay for equal work. First thing we ask, 'Do you have that here?' We get a lot of, 'Not sure'," King said during the panel discussion.
She further urged leaders everywhere to consistently raise awareness about workplace equality.
"If you're a CEO yourself or you know other people that are in positions of power, go to them and stress this. You are an influencer, every single person, every single day of your life you're an influencer," the 79-year-old added.
"We do not understand inclusion unless we've been excluded" - Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King went on to stress the importance of talking to people outside one's usual circles and promoting the message of equality, while also 'actively listening' to others to help bring about positive changes in society. The American great shared her views on inclusion, receiving a round of applause for her words.
"You have to actively listen to have change, to have engagement. That's how things change...That's how we change for the better is to actively listen, engagement with each other, talk to people that don't look like you, don't think like you," King conveyed.
"Every human being deserves to be represented. We do not understand inclusion, unless we've been excluded."
King herself is a prominent leader, known for being a trailblazer in women's sport and is one of the key figures in promoting equality and inclusion in the world of sports. The 39-time Grand Slam title winner is also the founder of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the Women's Sports Foundation.