LET THE FACTS DO THEIR JOB
Candace King Weir and Amelia Weir are a mother-daughter team that own Paradigm Micro Cap, a mutual fund specializing in small companies. The Albany, New York, mutual fund manages $800 million for its clients. Paradigm Micro Cap is one of the few mutual funds operated by women. Currently, women operate about 10% of all mutual funds.
That fact is not lost on the Weirs. They have routinely encountered stereotypes and misperceptions by some people. Amelia Weir acknowledges that reality yet she moves beyond it with a mitigation strategy (Bodnar, Janet. “All in the Fund Family” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance . December 2016, p. 21):
“ People sometimes make amazing assumptions. For example, they often assume that Candace inherited the business from her father or husband. But you don’t take offense. If you’re not going to see eye to eye, you just move on. In this business, you stand on your credibility. If your ideas are good, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. ”
She expresses a truth that I have observed repeatedly. First, people do make assumptions and second, you don’t have to let those assumptions stop you from doing your job. In short: let the facts speak for themselves. As the Weir team has simply handled business professionally and proficiently, Paradigm Micro Cap has demonstrated its worth to its customers. The facts speak for themselves.
The next time someone stereotypes you or makes blatant assumptions about you, don’t take it personally. Be gracious, move forward, do your job professionally and proficiently. Let the facts speak for themselves . . . they always do.
