![]() ![]() I leaned into my strengths of being analytical, data-oriented, and customer-focused. So I gave up golf, gave up trying to fit in and embraced authenticity. When I leaned into those strengths, I started to see more customer wins and more success in my role. I brought a depth of understanding to customer conversations, I asked deeper questions, and I was genuinely curious about what motivated customers to make decisions. And it wasn’t relationships - it was my understanding of a customer or prospect’s business. I realized golf wasn’t the answer for me and that’s when I started to think about what actually made me successful with customers. I also had two kids at home so I didn’t have time to finish a 9-hole round, forget about a 18-hole round. So, I started learning golf - that’s what I thought others were doing to build relationships with customers. ![]() I felt I needed to change in order to succeed in my role. I was good at logic, first-principles thinking, and being analytical. But coming from an engineering background, building relationships was not my strength. I was working in sales at the time, and sales is a lot about relationships. I didn’t see anyone who looked like me and I tried very hard to fit in. I don’t know if the room treated me differently, but I certainly treated the room differently. I was not confident about my strengths and did not feel like I had a place in “the room”. I tried to change myself to be more like others in the room. When I first started working in tech, there weren’t that many women in the room - let alone women of color. This is something I learned in my career. But embracing what makes you unique is incredibly powerful and empowering. As women in tech or in leadership roles, it can be tempting to not bring our authentic selves in order to fit in. ![]() As we celebrate International Women’s Day this week, I want to reflect on why it’s so important for women to be authentic to who we are. ![]()
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