Words of Wisdom from 3 Women in CommunicationsWords of Wisdom from 3 Women in Communications

In an ideal world, we would not be here, in 2019, still talking about the lack of gender diversity in technology and the challenges that women enterprise IT professionals regularly face working in a male-dominated field. But gender disparity is still very much an IT reality.

But on a positive note, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of attention brought to the issue over the last couple of years. The need for gender equality is much discussed these days, which means there are more opportunities to enact change and drive progress.

At the recent Enterprise Connect Orlando 2019 event, we made this one of our missions, taking on initiatives to help engage people in this discussion and promote the advancement of women in IT and throughout the industry.

As part of this effort, we asked three women in enterprise IT to share their experiences and career advice with attendees at our first-annual Women in Communications luncheon. I took away countless pieces of advice from the panel, and here I’ll share the top six that resonated with me (click here to listen in on the full panel discussion, and watch this video to learn more about our women’s initiatives at EC19).

1. Take a Chance on Yourself

Jeanne Spinosa, telecommunications manager at Brown University, shared that a defining moment for her was in the beginning of her career, almost 40 years ago. “The cliff notes version is I was a grad school dropout. I had no income, and no future in sight,” Jeanne said. Then at a softball game, she ran into an old college friend working at Rolm and teaching people how to use their computerized telephones. “And I said, what the heck does that mean? And she told me, and I thought, well that’s kind of cool.”

Two years later, Jeanne was hired on the spot for that same job when her friend took a promotion. “She said, you’re smart, you’ll learn this, you’re hired.” And that’s how she began her career in communications.

“I didn’t know anything. I figured I could learn it, and I wasn’t afraid to say I don’t know. … Never be afraid to say I don’t know and take a chance on yourself, Jeanne said. And don’t stop there! “Take a chance on someone else as well.” (For Jeanne’s full story, read the No Jitter post, “From Brown Back to Brown: A Telecom Career Unfolds.”)

2. Ask for, and Give, Assistance

When it comes to taking a chance on others, being a mentor to younger women is important to all three panelists. Erin Leary, end user services agile transformation leader at Boeing, said mentoring is the best part of her day. “I love being able to talk to people about what makes them excited about work, how they see their future going, and how to empower them to take the right steps,” she said. These conversations, especially with younger women, often come down to discussing roadblocks and how to get around them, Erin said.

Gauri Bhalerao, senior manager of collaboration, networking strategy and engineering at Yum! Brands, pointed out the difference between mentoring and sponsoring. Sponsorship, she said, goes beyond the type of advising that comes with mentorship to propelling a person forward -- as a sponsor you’d say, “OK, this is a person that will be great for this job, and I’m ready to vouch that [she or he] will be great,” Gauri said. In her experience, every time Gauri has received a promotion was due to sponsorship.

She shared an experience where she was asked to move out of software development and lead infrastructure at Yum! Brands. “I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? I had never done this before,’” Gauri said. Her sponsored assured her that she had the technical prowess for the role, and that she’d be great at it because she brought something unique to the table. “So sponsorship is the key for me more than mentorship, because that’s what really takes you to the next level,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for sponsors.”

3. Be the “Woman in the Restroom”

It’s great to have women supporting other women, but as an attendee pointed out in a question to the panel, women aren’t always supportive of other women, and too often we hear stories about women working against one another. Panelists attributed competitiveness as the likely culprit -- as Erin said, “It exists. It’s a fact.” With that, she added, “we shouldn’t either shy away from it or overreact to it. It’s just part of getting through a corporate experience.”

In providing advice on how to combat or mitigate stereotypes of women in the workforce, Erin used the “women in the bathroom” meme – “It’s like, women in the bathroom will help you with anything, right?” So, she continued, “You need to be the women in the restroom, not the ones out on the dance floor.”

Women in the workforce need to raise each other up. You might say that’s her personal mission, in fact. “Supporting women is a huge part of what I want to be able to leave as a legacy, and to look back and say, in that zone, I did more good than harm.”

Gauri agreed, saying, “A lot of times, I think women are harder on women -- and that shouldn’t be the case.”

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4. Take the Personal Out of It

Advanced in her career and as senior as she is, Erin acknowledged that speaking up during meetings may be easier for her than it is for younger women or those who aren’t culturally used to challenging men. But she had some suggestions for how to get over this fear – “Channel your inner man,” she said. “When trying to be a woman speaking up in a man’s world, use them, emulate them -- it works.”

And don’t be shy about voicing when you don’t agree with something. “Say, ‘I don’t agree with that.’ It doesn’t have to be personal, it is simply business. Take that personal piece out of it.”

A catchphrase Jeanne said she’s learning to use more and more is: “I humbly disagree.” But while Jeanne said she feels safe saying so, she acknowledged that that’s not always the case. You just have to have confidence in yourself, she said.

And when you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation -- like at a tech industry tradeshow in Vegas, with women dancing in cages, as one attendee shared -- just laugh at it, Erin said. “I try to diffuse a situation that makes me uncomfortable and not become adversarial about it.”

5. If They Can’t See You, Stand Up

Early in her career, Gauri had been asked to pitch her ideas to a group of about 20 men in leadership positions. As the men took their seats at the table, Gauri wasn’t sure she should join them, so she ended up sitting off to the side. Her sponsor urged her to take her seat at the table, so she did. But Gauri is petite, and said she wasn’t really sure the men would be able to see her well enough.

“I was like, you know what, if they can’t see me, I’m going to stand up. So I did. I stood up and I went in front of the room and talked,” Gauri said. “There are a lot of times that we are just one single woman in a sea of 15, 20, or 30 men, and you have to make your voice heard. … And what you bring to the table is really important.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve, Erin added. “You know, just speaking up and taking the seat at the table, I have had to mentally coach myself that same way, especially if I’m in a role where I’m like covering for my boss, and I go into a meeting and I think, OK, I’m not really entitled to be here. But then I realize I am, and I need to sit at the table, I need to represent this role. And I can do this, even though it feels a bit intimidating because I might be the only woman in the room or the only one at the main table.”

6. Be a Change Agent

Participating in conferences like Enterprise Connect provides a good opportunity for women in IT to meet – and learn from one another. “This venue is how we meet each other,” as Jeanne noted. “So keep participating. And keep being you because that’s what’s going to make it work.”

Watch the video below to learn more about our women’s initiatives at Enterprise Connect: