LA Women Leaders Association Chapter Meeting: The High Achieving Woman

Hey everyone, glad to be here. Thank you LA women leaders for having me. Um today I'm going to talk about the high achieving women and five key themes that I myself have incorporated into my leadership um and have served me well frankly. So next slide. So uh I'll tell you a bit about me. Um, I'll define what I think high achieving means because that uh term can mean different things to different people. Um, and then give you an overview, a summary of those five key themes and then break down each theme in terms of what it is, why it's important, and what are some things that you can do to actually implement it and then wrap up with some final thoughts. Next slide, please. So, a bit about me. Um, I've basically made it my mission um to help empower women financially, personally, professionally. I have over 20 years in financial services. Um, started my career at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in bank supervision. Um, went on to work for the chief credit officer at Fanny May for several years. Um, spel spent the bulk of my career at American Express where I started in risk and information management. progressed my career, moved over to compliance and ended up as a VP um of the consumer line business operational excellence um and you know empowering women is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons. I'm a mom of three, ages nine, five, and two. Um, a boy and two girls. And so, um, talking about professional empowerment, career advancement, personal empowerment, um, and financial empowerment certainly is again very, uh, near and dear to my heart. And for the past year, I've been the vice president of consumer compliance and head of global compliance at a fintech by the name of a firm. So, that's a bit about me. Next slide, please. So, what do I mean when I say high achieving? I think of it kind of in terms of five components that I think go into truly being a high achieving leader or high achieving woman in the workforce. Um, I'm going on the premise that everyone is who's here, just looking at the illustrious panelists we've had and speakers we've had so far, um, is accomplished, is, you know, has reached a certain level in her career. So I'm going to kind of put that to the side for purposes of defining high achieving and talk about these next five elements. Next slide please. So firstly you are functioning to your highest potential in a sustainable way and then emphasis on sustainable particularly when I think of my own career. Um, I have had a tendency to kind of, you know, go out of the gate blazing, you know, ready ready to make an impact. Um, and then only to find six to nine months later I'm I'm burnt out and and rather stressed. And so being functioning to your highest potential but in a sustainable way. So second, you are achieving and accomplishing what you set out to do. Uh, third, you are making an impact and inspiring those around you to do the same. And this to me is such a key element of leadership generally. It's not, you know, simply telling people what to do. It's actually making an impact and really raising the level of how people operate in your organization. Um, and then four, you are feeling fully empowered in your professional life and again are empowering others. So making that impact to others whether it be your peers, colleagues, leaders or folks on the on your team. And then finally, you are living in alignment with your personal values and professional values for that matter, which we'll talk about a bit more in a couple of slides. So, next slide, please. So, let's talk about kind of on a summary basis, what are those five key themes? Next slide. So, some of these things, you know, funnily enough, um we've talked about the panelists um have talked about, Lisa talked about um earlier in her keynote. Um but to summarize the my five key themes are be real. So authenticity secondly knowing your value system which I talked about a little you know moment ago and we'll talk about some more leading with empathy which Lisa talked about but also compassion. It's kind of the you know next generation of leadership um springing forth from leading with empathy. Uh fourthly, being a collaborative problem solver along with your team, which I'll talk about. And then finally, promoting a culture of recognition, which may or may not be what you think it is. I mean, obviously, there are financial incentives that leaders can give to their teams, but there are other ways of recognizing um a team and and the work of a team which are just so important. Next slide, please. So, first, be real, which is essentially authenticity. And just to step back a bit, the reason I call this being real is inspired by the Velvetine Rabbit. So for those of you who are familiar with that story, the Velvetine Rabbit was a toy rabbit who wished that he would become real. And he didn't become real until he was tattered, until he was torn, until, you know, he had been used um until he had been loved. Um and just was kind of worn out. And that is what caused him eventually to be real. And so I call um you know what is talked about quite a bit as authenticity as being real because it's an acknowledgement that we are the culmination of our vulnerabilities of our experiences of our failures of our successes of our mistakes and that really we wear that in everything we do. And we should certainly bring that to you know the professional landscape but also to leadership and really not shy away from those you know failures, weaknesses, vulnerabilities and the like. So simply put, it's being open, honest and genuine with ourselves and with others. And why is it important? It supports contentment and well-being. Firstly, our own which is so important as leaders. I have found that as a leader, I'm often worried about my team. How's my team doing? You know, my do I have my team's back? But it's so important particularly for us as women leaders to to support our own contentment and our own well-being. So being authentic is important because it supports our personal and professional contentment and well-being and then in turn encourages others to be authentic which then in turn promotes open and honest communication. And it's actually found that when um teams feel that they can be authentic, it actually makes difficult conversations which frankly are inev inevitable um you know in the workforce and and certainly in leadership um go more easily because again there's that culture, there's that tone of open and honest communication um and that transparency generally. And then how do you ensure that you're being real and being authentic? um express your opinions and express them unapologetically. And that is not to say that um you know you're brash or that you're obnoxious or that you're arrogant. you know, some some of the things the panelists talked about in terms of wanting to avoid, but it's that you yourself feel empa feel feel empowered to express your voice in a way that's authentic to you, which again in turn becomes infectious and and you know promotes that culture of empowerment to be real and be authentic. Um, listen to others but trust your intuition. Um, and then also again going back to this notion of the velvetine rabbit, accept your vulnerabilities and understand that you're again you're bringing everything um the whole package kitten kaboodleoodle of who you are to to your leadership and to your professional life. Next slide please. So next up knowing your value system and what exactly is this? In my view, this is aligning to the I say five, but it can be however many um you that are near and dear to your heart to the five values that are most important to you. So, your northstar um how you ground yourself and this is important particularly in times of challenge whether it's personal or professional for that matter. Um it helps you weather the storm. It brings you back to what's important to you. Um it helps you center yourself. It can help you develop a mantra that you say internally uh before a presentation or a difficult conversation um or or dealing with a difficult situation again to help ground you in times of challenge. It also sets the tone for an organizational culture. So it sets the expectation for how you want to be treated as a colleague, as a peer, as a leader and it sets the tone for how you want your organization and your team to operate. And then finally, it helps you prioritize your time and energy. Knowing your personal and professional value system um just helps you figure out where to spend your time. As women leaders, we're high achieving. We're all very busy. Um we're mothers, we're we're wives, we're spouses, um we're friends, we're daughters. And knowing that having that value system as your anchor helps you prioritize your time both at work and in your life. And then how do you do that? Firstly, identify your core values. Um several years ago I had a deck of cards each of which had a a key value on it. maybe it was a deck of something like, you know, 50 plus um cards and and actually went through the exercise of trying to whittle down, you know, starting with my 25 core values, then my 15 core values, then 10, then five until I got to a kind of manageable number. So, go through that exercise of identifying your core values. And it might seem like a daunting exercise at first, but you may find that it's easier than you think, frankly, because you know, you you already are living your values. It's just about the recognition and the identification of those of those core values. Um, and then develop operating values for your organization. They don't necessarily have to be the same as your personal values, but again, just the exercise of saying team, this is how I I want you to operate leaders in my organization. This is the expectation that I have of you um in terms of how you operate with your respective teams. Um having some kind of standard that uh you you rally your team around is just I I found is just so important. And then finally, hold yourself and your team accountable to adhering to those values. Next slide, please. So Lisa talked um really eloquently about uh leading with empathy. And I've just added to this leading with compassion. And so the distinction I want to make is in this first bullet here under the what empathy I consider to be the act of putting yourself in someone else's problem to bridge a gap in understanding. And and Lisa defined it almost identically. So so I know it's right. Um, and uh, obviously important um, as Lisa talked about um, to make sure that that your team knows that you're making that effort to understand where they're coming from um, and bridging that gap in understanding. Um, but then taking it a next a step further, leading with compassion, which is now that you understand where your team is at, having that willingness to alleviate their problem, to alleviate someone else's suffering. So, not just stepping um not just stopping at at empathy. Um, and why is this important? uh fosters trust within an organization, trust with your direct reports, but then also creates a culture of collaboration and unity. So when you as leaders lead with empathy and compassion, it inspires the people on your team to to do the same, to treat each other with empathy and compassion, to lead their respective teams with empathy and compassion. And then finally encourages thriving, not just surviving. And you know, to me, especially with all the burnout that we're finding in the workforce these days, um, you know, with with all the burnout that we're finding as a result of the pandemic, as a result of working parents being, you know, pulled in so many different directions. Um, encouraging, thriving, um, is just essential really. Um, it wards off attrition and it supports contentment um, in in your team. And then how do you uh, ensure that you're leading with empathy and compassion? Lisa mentioned listen um sometimes as kind of driven leaders there's that um that inclination to step in and do what is the action you know solve the problem right off the bat. Um but so much of empathy is just listening giving someone voice um to express their frustrations to express what's going on with them um to vent um to to share. And so first step and really I think probably the most meaningful one is is listening. Um and then having listened you can ask in in an informed way what do you need? What can I do? How can I help? Um and linked to that is really coaching and developing your team to find their own solutions. So you know brainstorming along with your team how to arrive at the solution, how involved you as a leader should be. Um, sometimes they need an escalation point. Um, in which case I will step in and talk to my counterpart or escalate the issue as appropriate. Sometimes they just need help figuring out what to do so that they can be the solvers of their own problem. So really striking that balance um, and you know using your intuition and your judgment to determine which path to take depending on the situation. Next slide please. So kind of along those lines, being a collaborative problem solver, again, leading is not simply telling somebody what to do. I think we know it's actually pro, you know, we're professional problem solvers. That's that's what I feel I do most days of the week. And so what is it? It's resolving problems creatively, strategically, and collaboratively. And why is it important? It supports confidence and optimism. again your own as well as your teams. It encourages teamwork and collaboration and it can help anticipate big problems before uh yeah anticipate big problems uh before they happen. If you're problem solving for little problems and get into the practice of of building that muscle both for yourself as a leader and your team, uh you then help anticipate um the bigger problems before they become really problematic. Um, and so how do you do that? Brainstorm solutions with your team and coach your leaders to do the same. And then just be open to various paths forward to achieving a solution. And then up next for our final key theme, next slide, please. Finally, promoting a culture of recognition. And again, this does not necessarily mean it can certainly, but it doesn't necessarily mean, you know, promotions, raises, equity. Um it's it it's really finding creative ways to show appreciation for the efforts, ideas, and work product of your team. And why is this important? For for the all the reasons you would think, right? We all um I think people generally are fueled by being recognized for what they do. And so this can support job satisfaction. It can ward off attrition. Um it improves work performance and sets expectations. And then it encourages others to find and develop their their superpower. When people feel that they're being recognized for what they do, um they they they start to see a pattern that I get recognized when I use this superpower of mine or use this strength of mine and it makes them want to use it even more. And then how do you do that? Give verbal specific feedback. And I can't emphasize specific enough. Um, I think one of the most discouraging um, performance reviews I ever received said, "You're doing a great job." That's what my leader said. "You're doing a great job." And that was pretty much the end of it. And you would think that um, you know, that would have been encouraging, but it was actually more demoralizing than I would would have even thought before that happened because it didn't acknowledge any specifics whatsoever. What had I done that was so great? um you know what was my career trajectory as as a result of having done some great thing and so can't emphasize enough give verbal specific feedback spotlight team members accomplishments and there are a lot of opportunities to do this you can send an email you could do it in your instant messaging um you can do it at a team event or team meeting but definitely spotlight um team members team members accomplishments because it again highlights in a very public way what the expectation of work product of behavior is on a team and then show appreciation through key gestures or events. It can be a mug. It can be a team sweatshirt. It can be a gift basket. Um Kelly mentioned some of the things that she does for her new hires. These are the kinds of creative ways that we can promote a culture of recognition in a way that's just just really to our own benefit as leaders and to the benefit of our teams. Next slide. So to wrap up, five key themes. Be real, so authenticity. Know your value system. Lead with empathy and compassion. Be a collaborative problem solver. And finally, promote a culture of recognition. And uh just to share some final thoughts. Um on the next slide I have a quote from Cheryl Sanberg that I think is so important about leadership and um how to really make impact as a leader and that is leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that that impact lasts in your absence. So again, it's about kind of, you know, raising the level of performance on your team and making an impact that will be lasting and sustaining even after you've gone. Next slide. That's all. Thank you. I'll take questions if there are any. Well, thank you so much for that fantastic presentation. Just go with three questions before we wrap up. Um, I'm going to go with this first one that says, "What what do you think is the connection between empathy and performance within teams?" I think it's the the connection is that when a team feels heard and seen and understood, it makes them want to perform better. I mean, think of your relationships or think of a time, whether it be personal or professional, when you felt like someone didn't care or you felt like you were frustrated and um you know, the the person didn't understand or didn't hear you. And so empathy, which again is bridging, it's creating that bridge, creating that bridge between my experience and your experience and creating that bridge of understanding helps people feel seen. It helps people feel heard, helps people, you know, give a voice to venting their frustrations. Um, my 2-year-old is very frustrated. I can hear her crying in her room right now. Um but um helps helps people bridge their um uh you know know that they're understood, that they're seen, and that they're heard and therefore want to um you know, perform better for you as a leader as well as for the mission that you're setting forth um for for that team. So the next question is a fun one and it's I love your personal logo. How did you design it? Um, I do it. I did it just as I do a lot of things that are outside my realm of experience. I got someone to do it for me. So, you know, I I approved it obviously. Um, but I wanted I knew the colors that I wanted. Um, I knew how I wanted it to resonate. Um, and I knew kind of the general style that I was aiming for. And then I got someone who's much better at creating logos than I am to do it. Well, thank you. So, I think this will be our last question. You kind of spoke to it, but we're gonna ask it again. This one says, "Any creative ideas for recognition? No one seems to read the all company emails." Yeah, I mean, in my humble opinion, all company emails are getting out of hand. And I obviously, you know, in a virtual world, there's a lot more email communication than maybe there used to be. Um, so yes, I I hear you. All company emails are not always the way to do it. Um, we leverage kind of mattermost channels. That's our instant messaging. It it just takes some of the traffic away from email I find. Um, and then I find other occasions and it doesn't have to be um work relucted. So, it can be uh birthdays. Are you acknowledging, you know, birthdays? Are you acknowledging work anniversaries when someone's been with the team or with the company for a year um or more? or are you acknowledging um it in that way? Are you finding opportunities for people to present what they do? Because that's another place where departmental meetings can really serve us well. Um give people an opportunity to to show off what they're doing. I mean that that's another form of recognition. Um and then I like to do quarterly events for my team especially with us being um you know my team is is spread out across nine time zones um at at present. So even if it's virtual events, doing something that kind of takes some of the pressure off. A virtual murder mystery. We did a virtual cooking class. Um uh so I think these these are some of the the things that I've used to to acknowledge the work of the team. Um but kind of more specifically, I think, you know, give folks a chance to display uh their work product, whether it's at a company meeting, a team meeting, um or even in some more informal way, I think can go a really long way. Well, thank you so much for your fantastic presentation. As we close, do you have any final words of wisdom for our viewers today? Yeah, I just say, you know, make an impact. You know, so so much of I've spent a lot of time in my career um you know, wanting to get to the next step and to the next level. And I think that's perfectly valid and in hindsight, I'm glad I did that. But I think I spent as much time just wanting to make an impact. Everywhere I've gone, big organization, large, you know, little organization, um, you know, small team, low level, high level, regardless of where I've gone, I've I've focused on wanting to make an impact. Um, I think if you make an impact, your career progression will come, your career satisfaction will come. Um, and so it's just so important, make an impact. Well, thank you so much for your time this afternoon. You're welcome. Thanks for having me.