Whether your company or department has 15 people or 150, if you did not start your business with a gender-balanced team, achieving gender parity can feel like an insurmountable challenge. I’m here to tell you it is not.

Jefferies Financial Group CEO Rich Handler and President Brian Friedman wrote an open letter to their staff stating “We cannot control the markets but we can control how we act and behave... we choose fairness, integrity, transparency, inclusion, openness, meritocracy, and equal opportunity for all.” It is beautifully written and in direct response to a recent Bloomberg article in which 30 Wall Street executives describe how they “avoid women at all costs” as a result of the #MeToo movement.

Last week I had the privilege of participating in the inaugural New York Times New Rules Summit. Two hundred leaders across industries came together to identify how to create inclusive, equitable workplaces that empower women. One of the key topics that came up over and over was how to motivate male leaders to drive gender equity in a transformative and impactful way.

There is nothing worse at work than a leader who talks about supporting their people but won’t put their words into action.  Male or female, it's equally bad.