BeCOME an Agent of Change | Connect

A few years ago, I was having coffee with a couple of friends of mine. Like me, they were all too familiar with the struggles women face in the technology industry—being the only woman in the room, fighting to be heard and seen. It was over that cup of coffee that we decided we needed to do something about the gender equity gap in the tech industry.

During that conversation we agreed one of the biggest hurdles to gender equity is access—access to business opportunities, leadership positions, venture capital funding, and so on. The door doesn’t just swing open for women in tech. Historically, when we knock, no one answers. And that’s when we can actually find the door. Oftentimes, the entrance is hidden or inaccessible.

I remember after that discussion asking myself, how had I survived 27 years in this industry when the deck was stacked against me? How was I able to climb to a leadership position in one of the largest tech companies in the world, while others couldn’t even find the door?

It was because I had access to opportunities that eluded so many others. Of course, I worked my tail off to make the most of those opportunities. But it was the connections I made—and that others made on my behalf—that set me on a path to success. There was a key in connection and networking. I was one of the lucky ones who had found that key.

With that in mind, a group of women I work with created an organization called Women in Cloud (WiC). It’s a community-led economic development organization focused on access, action, and acceleration. Working with global leaders, corporations, and policymakers, WiC’s goal is to help women entrepreneurs create $1 billion in economic access and opportunity by 2030.   It is led by an incredible woman, @Chaitra Vedullapalli, who is a force!  Without her drive, commitment to action and dedication, we would not be able to reach each of these critical milestones.  And my friends in that discussion, @Karen Fassio and @Gretchen O’Hara, have continued their support alongside me to create access for all women. 

As WiC has evolved over the past three years, we’ve watched the community of women business owners grow exponentially, connecting hundreds of entrepreneurs to a network of peers and investors. Through its Cloud Accelerator program, WiC has helped 22 women-led companies build and market enterprise-ready technology solutions, creating $50 million in opportunity.

That’s what can happen when we take intentional steps to make a difference. And we need to do more.

I recently had the honor of giving a TEDx talk about the gender equity gap in technology. I am on a mission to bring gender parity to the industry. To get there, we need 8+ million additional women in tech roles than we have today. It’s going to take a lot of work. But together, we can do it.

During my talk, I shared four specific things every single one of us can do to close the gap and #BeCOME an agent of change. Over the next four weeks, I’ll be posting articles here on LinkedIn about each deliberate action we can take. The first is CONNECT.

Connect | Make intentional connections with women in your network. Reach out and give women access to yourself and to everyone in your community.

This intentional action can make all the difference in the world. Think about the introduction someone made for you that led to a new role or business opportunity. We all have those connections that changed our path and opened a door. What if that connection hadn’t been made? Would you be where you are today?

It’s time to return the favor by connecting. Join an organization like Women in Cloud or @The Women in Technology Network—another organization I sponsor. There are at least a dozen organizations that are dedicated to connecting women in the technology field and creating access to opportunities. When you #Connect, you #BeCOME an agent of change.

Next week, I’ll share the second way you can make a difference, through #Outreach. Until then, here are some organizations you can #Connect with:

Women in Cloud (Women in Cloud: Overview | LinkedIn) – Women in Cloud is a community-led economic development organization with a massive mission: to take action with global leaders, corporations and policymakers to help women entrepreneurs create $1 billion in economic access and opportunity by 2030. With its Cloud Accelerator program, Women in Cloud helps entrepreneurs build and market their distribution channels.

The WIT Network (The WIT Network: Overview | LinkedIn) – The WIT Network is a global community of professional women and men who encourage all women and girls to study STEM and pursue careers in technology. With more than 80 communities in more than 30 countries, they enable more women to attain leadership positions and career advancement, and help companies change the landscape of gender equality within their business.

Women in Tech (WOMEN IN TECH – Global Movement: Overview | LinkedIn) – Women in Tech is an international organization with a double mission: to close the gender gap and to help women embrace technology. They focus on 4 primary areas of action: Education, Entrepreneurialism, Social Inclusion, Science & Innovation. With a global footprint, Women in Tech aims to educate, equip and empower women and girls with the necessary skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed in STEM career fields.

Girls in Tech (Girls in Tech, Inc.: Overview | LinkedIn)– Girls in Tech is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the gender gap in tech. With more than 60,000 members in 50+ chapters around the world, organizers host hackathons, coding bootcamps, startup pitch competitions, and more.

Girls Who Code (Girls Who Code: Overview | LinkedIn) – Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmed looks like and does. They’re reaching girls around the world teaching not just coding, but also the values of bravery, sisterhood, and activism.

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWiT AiC (The National Center for Women & Information Technology- Aspirations in Computing) | Groups | LinkedIn) – NCWIT is a non-profit community chartered in 2004 by the National Science Foundation. They convene, equip, and unite change-leader organizations to increase the influential and meaningful participation of girls and women in the field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development. NCWIT help 1,400+ organizations recruit, retain, and advance women from K-12 and higher education through industry and entrepreneurial careers by providing support, evidence, and action.

Women Who Code (Women Who Code: Overview | LinkedIn) – Women Who Code envisions a world where women are proportionally represented as technical leaders, executives, founders, VCs, board members, and software engineers. Through a global community of networking, they empower women for professional achievement. They educate companies to promote, retain, and hire talented women. And they develop role models to support today’s generation of engineers.

Change Catalyst (Change Catalyst: Overview | LinkedIn) – Change Catalyst builds inclusive tech ecosystems through strategic advising, startup programs and resources, and a series of events around the globe. Using culture and behavior change strategies, we convene and advise the tech ecosystem to drive solutions to diversity and inclusion together: across education, workplace, entrepreneurship, policy, media/entertainment and ecosystem builders.

BeCOME an Agent of Change | Outreach

TedX Quote image - When you post a job, do you screen out candidates or do you screen in for diversity?

In 2016, @Enavate, an IT organization focused on Microsoft Dynamics, was at a crossroads. Revenue was down and the leadership team was unsure about the company’s future. During a meeting, a bleak report from the company’s Chief Financial Officer triggered something in the mind of Enavate’s CEO @Thomas Ajspur. 

 “I had forgotten why I started the business, which was to create an amazing place to work that inspired our team members. So, we made a conscious decision to focus less on the numbers and more on our culture and our people.” 

 As Enavate’s leaders set out to turn things around, they realized it wasn’t just a revenue and culture problem they had to solve. They had a gender equity problem too. Only 20% of the company’s workforce were women. So, they changed their hiring practices—not by creating policies to require diversity, but by changing their approach to recruiting. 

 Instead of hiring based on skills or “people they knew,” hiring managers were expected to look at candidates for who they were as individuals. They started hiring for quality rather than skills or expediency. That approach has doubled the number of women at Enavate. 

 “I‘m proud of getting to 40% gender equity, but I’m not happy. We need to get to a 50-50 split,” said Ajspur. 

 This is the kind of intentional leadership I was talking about in my recent TEDx Talk, BeCOME an Ally: How to achieve gender equity. It’s going to take the kind of allyship demonstrated by the leaders of Enavate to bring 8 million more women into the technology industry. That’s how many more we need to reach gender equity in high tech. 

 How do we get there? We need to scale. We need force multipliers. We need more men and women to become agents of change. That’s why I developed the BeCOME framework, which is made up of four actions every one of us can do to help move the needle:  

BeCOME, Connect, Outreach, Mentor, Empower

In a recent LinkedIn article I talked about Connection, and how critical it is for us to open our networks and create access points for women to connect with business leaders and with one another. The allyship demonstrated by the leaders at Enavate exemplifies the second action we all can take: Outreach. 

 Outreach is about examining your recruiting and hiring practices. When you post a job, do you screen out candidates, or do you screen in for diversity? And what about the suppliers you work with, or the vendors you hire—can they do more to create access for women? 

 A few years ago, I challenged the leaders in my own organization to stop hiring for expediency and to intentionally go outside the company and generate truly diverse candidate pools—and then ensure a diverse panel conducted the interviews. We were all inspired by the high-quality of diverse candidates that emerged. It changed the culture of our organization, and as a result, the gender diversity in our team improved dramatically.  

TedX Quote image - When you post a job, do you screen out candidates or do you screen in for diversity?

There’s something special that happens when you have gender equity in your team. There’s more collaboration. You get new ideas and fresh perspectives. And as an organization we’ve become more empathetic. More vulnerable. More human. We talk about our feelings and we’re more open about our opinions. We aren’t afraid to share what we think. Overall, we’re just a healthier organization because we have equitable representation.

Pushing for gender equity in the workplace isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do for your business. According to research by the Boston Consulting Group, organizations with diverse leadership teams have 19% higher profitability. They have greater levels of employee engagement, and higher levels of customer satisfaction. When you think about it, that makes sense. A diverse leadership team is creating products and services that better reflect their diverse customer base, right?

Enavate has experienced that first-hand. The company has doubled in size since making the conscious decision to change the culture of their company and move toward gender equity in their workforce. Today, 40% of its team members and 40% of its leadership team are women. And Enavate is now one of Microsoft’s largest Dynamics partners in the United States.

“We have an obligation as a company and to society to help people who have a harder time getting access to roles in technology,” said Ajspur.

By creating a culture of diversity and access, Ajspur says Enavate is now a favored destination for top IT talent, “It’s well known that you can be a person here, not just a number.”

To Thomas, and everyone at Enavate, thank you for being allies and leaders. Thank you for being agents of change.

Be sure to watch for my next #BeCOME LinkedIn article where I’ll share another way all of us can drive for gender equity in tech and become agents of change, through Mentorship.

BeCOME an Agent of Change | Mentor

TedX Quote image - When you mentor, you blaze a trail for others to follow, and you give back.

When I first met Isa Mendes, she was looking for her first big opportunity in the tech industry. She was struggling. After graduating from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, she felt trapped in the IT jobs she had landed. Isa wanted to be a product and program manager, but she wasn’t getting the opportunities. Time and again, her ambitions were dashed by hiring managers and recruiters unwilling to take a chance on her.

“I feel like I have the resume, the skills, and the desire, but no one will give me an opportunity,” Isa told me. “I feel defeated, and I’m worried I’ll never get an opportunity.”

It was a familiar story. Many young women I’ve mentored over the years have suffered the same rejection. I can relate to the self-doubt that had crept into her mind. We all can, can’t we? Think back to a time you knew you were the best person for a job, but you were told you just didn’t have what it takes.

What stood out to me about Isa—in addition to her energy and her drive—was her vulnerability. Although her confidence had taken a hit, she was truly interested in learning, growing, and understanding how to break-through. I remember telling her she wasn’t alone and that she needed to believe in herself.

We talked about what she wanted to do and we came up with a strategy. She applied for an internship program at Microsoft, and absolutely shined. When the internship was over, we hired her for a full-time position.

TedX Quote image - When you mentor, you blaze a trail for others to follow, and you give back.

Mentors have played a key role in my success in the technology industry. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the many men and women who have mentored me along the way. They have shared the value of their successes and their failures and have helped me avoid the invisible trip wires and unwritten rules of business. They have lifted me up when my confidence waned.

To return the favor, I’ve always made a point of mentoring others and sharing my own experiences—the good and the bad. I’ve had people tell me that the 30 minutes I spent with them changed their perspective dramatically. And oftentimes, that introduction to one of your contacts, can lead to a job, career change and become a life changing pivotal moment for someone else.  As I see it, when you mentor, you blaze a trail for others to follow and you give back.

In my recent TEDx Talk, BeCOME an Ally: How to achieve gender equity, I talk about mentorship as a key component of the BeCOME framework I developed to help all of us become allies, leaders, and agents of change. I outline four actions each of us can take to help bring 4 million more women into the technology industry. That’s how many we need to reach gender equity in high tech.

BeCOME, Connect, Outreach, Mentor, Empower

In a recent LinkedIn article I talked about Connection, and how we can move the needle by opening our networks and creating access points for women to connect with business leaders and with one another. In another piece about Outreach, I shared how we can create opportunities for women by examining our recruiting and hiring practices—screening-in candidates for diversity rather than screening-out for expediency. Being a Mentor is the third action we all can take.

According to Chronus, a technology learning organization, 71% of Fortune 500 companies offer mentoring programs to their employees. They understand mentorship benefits everyone: Studies show that good mentoring leads to greater career success for the person getting the advice. The person giving the advice broadens their network and can strengthen their position as a leader. And mentorship benefits organizations by developing a culture of learning and growth, which increases employee engagement and attracts high-quality talent.

In my team at Microsoft, we talk a lot about the importance of mentoring—not just for early or mid-career employees, but for senior employees as well. As a Corporate Vice President, I currently have multiple mentors I look to for advice. I call them my personal advisory board and reach out to each based on their experiences and skills.  Most of them are former colleagues who know what I may be working through but are now far disconnected from the organization so they can provide me objective guidance and coaching.  

How can a mentor help?

In my experience, a mentor is typically someone who has experience you’d like to learn from.  You may turn to a mentor when you want to learn how to work with different people in the industry, how to navigate the sales organization, or to learn more about specific roles. 

Most often, people think of working with mentors only when they’re planning their next career move.  But I’ve personally reached out to mentors to gain their perspective on a challenge I’m facing in the business and to understand how they would handle it based on their experience.

And it’s not uncommon to have several mentors at once, for different reasons.  When I moved from licensing sales and marketing into product management, I picked two mentors – one in product planning and one in engineering. That way I could understand the perspectives of the people I would be working with and also have a sounding-board from someone with experience overcoming the challenges I would face. 

Mentoring—and being mentored—is a beautiful and fulfilling endeavor. It is a simple action you can take to bring light, energy, and focus to someone’s life. And I know first-hand it is a key component to bring in and retain more women in the technology industry.

I’m sure Isa would have eventually gotten the break she was looking for. But I am so grateful I was there when she needed some guidance and a confidence boost. When she said she wasn’t getting anywhere with recruiters and hiring managers, I told her, “Don’t listen to them! Listen to yourself. Believe in yourself. If you think you’re ready, be bold and don’t take no for an answer.” I encourage you to be that light for someone else. It’s a wonderful feeling.

Isa told me later that our mentoring sessions inspired her to launch her own mentoring circle for early career employees—specifically for women and minorities. Isa, thank you for giving back and blazing a trail for others to follow.

Be sure to watch for my next #BeCOME LinkedIn article where I’ll share the fourth action each of us can take to drive for gender equity in tech and BeCOME agents of change: Empower others.