Aistė Miškūnienė - How to be a tech leader without a beard

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Redefining Leadership: Encouraging Women in Tech

Hello to our wonderful readers, today we address a pressing topic in the tech industry — women in leadership roles. Often, it appears that the journey to tech leadership becomes slightly complicated if a person lacks a proverbial beard. We will shed light on why this might be happening and what we can do to create a change.

The Hard Facts and Figures

As a female tech leader with years of experience in software engineering, project management, business development, and more, my career journey has been predominantly male-dominant, with one female manager and myself being the only woman amongst my peers.

When we reflect on the European Union statistics from April 2020, we find that while women constitute 51% of the labor market, they make up less than 29% of board members in publicly listed companies. The number falls even lower when it comes to CEOs and board chairs, 8.2% and 7.8% respectively.

Why should we care?

Intangible Benefits: A female leader brings more diversity to the mostly male-dominated environments. They often increase creativity as more diverse ideas circulate within the team. They promote an open, collaborative space, thereby leading to better decision making. Furthermore, their empathy brings a higher focus on mentoring and fostering development, thereby resulting in better team engagement.

Tangible Benefits: A study found that women CEOs drove three times the returns of S&P 500 companies, which is a significant factor for business owners.

Addressing the Obstacles

Despite the benefits of having female leaders, achieving a gender-balanced board remains a challenge. A number of obstacles such as cultural expectations, stereotypes, a lack of female role models, and challenges in networking are some of the barriers responsible for this skew.

Pathways to Progress

For Aspiring Leaders:

  1. Stick to Your Values: Despite being an environment primarily designed for men, women should stick to their values and strengths rather than trying to fit in the mold of the 'typical male leader'.
  2. Find a Mentor: Surrounding yourself with other women leaders will help in overcoming self-doubt and finding a unique leadership style.
  3. Be Vocal about your Ambitions: If you dream to be the next CTO, communicate it to your managers. It can start valuable career progression discussions.

For Current Leaders and Organizations:

  • Start at the Source: Collaborate with universities and schools to encourage women to venture into the technology path.
  • Vocalize Goals of a Diverse Leadership: Communication is key. Ensure your hiring panel understands this requirement and knows how to check skills over confidence level.
  • Promote Women Leaders: Encourage females to move up to leadership positions, even if they seem slightly unsure about the move.

Final Thoughts

Cultivating a diverse leadership team leads to new perspectives and better performance. Sometimes, choosing the marathon runner over the sprinter might just guide the team to an unexpected finish line. Let's continue to support, encourage, and empower each other as we make strides forward in the tech industry.

In the wise words of a fellow techie, "stick to your values, develop your strengths, and don't be afraid to be different. Don't try to be the best of men; try to be the best version of yourself."

Notes

Translated from a presentation and following discussion. For more opportunities in tech, please visit our Expo Area.


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