Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 20

You'll be ahead of the game if your organization
encourages the development of women's
leadership, the way we did when I co-founded
Oracle Women's Leadership (OWL) or started
WomenLEADIT, a similar initiative at HM Health
Solutions. If your organization does not offer
programs like these that help to create access
to networks, mentors and development, you'll
have to be more proactive, identifying what you
want and who you can add to your network in an
effort to reach that goal.
For instance, people often ask me how to go
about finding a mentor. It might seem daunting,
but it's not as difficult as you might think. To
begin with, pick a focused issue or topic that
you are trying to learn more about, then find
someone you think might help you do so. Ask
your prospective mentor for ten minutes of his or
her time. It's difficult for someone to turn down
a request for ten minutes. Start small in building
the relationship and identify what you can
contribute in return.
A deeper understanding of leadership.
After working about 15 years, I had led teams
through difficult situations, led high-profile
transformations, and optimized businesses
in ways that took millions out of the bottom
line and added millions to the top line. Still,
sometimes I asked myself: Is this leadership?
That's when it struck me that leadership is
not about your title, the size of your team, or
your reporting relationship to the C-suite. It's
about helping others to find the potential in
themselves, and then removing the roadblocks
that get in the way of helping them to develop
that promise, because that's really what is going
to drive results and growth for a company. To
borrow a phrase from my current company's
mission statement, our job as leaders is "freeing
people to be their best."
Emotional engagement. For years, I focused on
driving for results-driving, driving, driving, all
the time. Then one of my mentors, John Hall, a
Senior Vice President at Oracle, taught me the
importance of leading not only with my head but
also with my heart. This was an adjustment for an
analytical thinker and trained engineer like me.
20

Part of the lesson was simply sharing more
emotion, but the more important part was
learning to lead with empathy. I've found it's
critical to start off that way. One of the most
common missteps managers make when
they take on a new role is assuming that
what made them a superstar somewhere else
will work in the culture of their new unit or
organization. You need to spend your first 90
days listening, observing, and understanding
your organization's culture, your team, and your
business partners.
The courage to ask. The best piece of advice I
ever received was from Alison Levine, who led
the first all-female expedition up Mt. Everest,
when we were working together on women's
leadership. She said, "If you don't ask, you
don't get."
This is common sense, but it's just not our
inclination as women to ask directly for what

I WISH I'D STARTED EARLIER IN
MY CAREER TO DEVELOP MY
NETWORK. THAT GROUP OF
FRIENDS, COACHES, MENTORS,
AND SPONSORS IS ESSENTIAL
FOR PROPELLING YOU FORWARD.
BUILD YOUR PERSONAL "BOARD
OF DIRECTORS."

we want. Whether it's asking for a raise, to sit
in on an important meeting, or for more
resources, we tend to find ways around asking.
Any time I think about whether to ask for
something, I hear Alison's voice in my head.
I have found that I get what I want faster for
myself and my team when I am more direct. The
only way to ensure the answer is "no" is to never
ask in the first place.
A desire to "pay it forward." The leaders I know
who have achieved true long-term success not
only know where they are and where they're
going but also where they came from. They
understand that they didn't get there alone.
We all need a little help on the journey. I think
it's important to realize that if we're going to



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
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Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover4
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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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