Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 13

about it and said, "Clara, I've never coached
teams. I coach individuals."
And she said, "My team is a bunch of individuals."
I said, "It's a challenge, let me try."
I enjoyed that a lot. And with it came a big
realization. I don't have to be loud to be influential.
I can command a room without being obnoxious. I
can be a leader on my own terms. Never in my life
had I felt happier and more confident.
When AARP reached out to me, I said to myself,
"Marriott is huge and I have a huge team. So why
would I go to work in a small division of AARP, a
for-profit part of a non-profit organization that
was really just a start-up?" But then I thought,
"What the heck, let me try it. I don't have to
prove anything to anyone."

A NEW VIEW OF
LEADERSHIP
The truth is that I had changed a lot.
The old me, when I walked into the big corporate
environment, always left the real me outside. I
walked a different way, I spoke a different way,
because it fit the perception of how leaders
should behave.
If I disagreed with someone in the room, I often
wouldn't speak up. If the rest of the team was
gravitating towards a particular solution, I went
along with the others. I was successful, but I felt
like I wasn't really being me.
These days, I lead from my heart. When I show
up at work, I'm the same person wherever you

1
2
3

see me. If I do not agree, I speak up. I may be
overruled, and that's fine. But I make sure I'm
heard, I make sure I explain why I disagree.
In the traditional leadership paradigm, the leader
is the authority; she tells people what to do.
These days, although I know what I want from
the business end, I know how it should scale, I
know how we should operate, I listen to what my
team has to say.

BECAUSE THEIR OPINIONS ARE
HEARD, MY TEAMS ARE MUCH
MORE INVOLVED. THEY'RE NOT
ORDER-TAKERS. THEY ARE
THINKERS. THEY ARE DOERS. THEY
ARE BELIEVERS.

Because their opinions are heard, my teams
are much more involved. They're not order-takers.
They are thinkers. They are doers. They are
believers. When I say something, they push back.
It's not that I don't have an opinion; I do. But it's
not the opinion. I want to be challenged - and I am.
We recently created a mobile app for our
business, and the conversations during its
development were amazing. We increased user
engagement by 50%, and it was because we
were all so passionate about the project.
I think being able to be authentic to who you
are is very important for women, particularly as
leaders. We are often told, "Walk like that, talk
like that." But I'm finding you have to ignore those
voices. Be yourself as a leader. It doesn't matter
what people think. The energized performance of
your teams will be what matters.

As a woman, you can have a family and a career. It's a myth
that you can't have both.
You don't have to be loud to be a leader. In fact, you can
play the role on your own terms.
If you can be yourself and let the individuals on your team
be themselves, your team will be much more productive.
13



Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology

Contents
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover1
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover2
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 1
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Contents
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 3
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 4
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 5
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 6
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 7
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Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 107
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 108
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover4
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 108
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 1
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 2
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 3
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 4
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 5
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 6
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