Session: Like a Phoenix from the Ashes" - Using Crisis as a Growth Engine
In the last 3 years, we've all seen a lot of crises and turning points. We've been impacted by events out of our control, and we've been forced to roll with the punches.
This session is about what you can do if simply moving forward is no longer an option.
If you're one of the lucky ones, you live and work contentedly with a clear picture of who you are, where you’re going and what you love doing. Fulfilling your own expectations and those of the people around you.
With a clear idea of who you are, where you want to go, and what you love doing. You fulfill your own expectations and those of the people around you.
Enjoying what you’ve achieved.
Under normal circumstances, you don't question why you're doing what you're doing, and you don't doubt that you're still on the right path.
You might unconsciously be fulfilling your parent’s hopes and dreams. Trying to be the good girl or successful woman they see in you. You may be driven by the urge to prove that your gender or skin color doesn’t limit what you can achieve in your career. You may have positioned yourself as an expert in your field by doing all the hard work and excelling at your job.
But then something out of your control happens. All of your go-to behaviors and tools no longer work. It may be a pandemic that alters the face of your job, taking the joy out of it or making it difficult to build a connection with your new team. It can be the birth of a child that needs medical attention, an accident or an illness.
At first, you might go into denial. You fall back on the tools that have worked in the past. you’ll try to push through by trying harder, working more, sleeping less, and ignoring your physical or mental health.
Until you reach a point where you realize: “I’ve crossed a line. What I’m doing isn’t working anymore; I can’t move forward like this,” I have to try something different.
All three of us experienced a turning point when we were faced with a situation that was out of our control.
In this panel discussion, we want to talk about what we learned about mastering a crisis, reinventing yourself and rising from the ashes.
What we want you to take away from this session is that every crisis (whether external or internal) is an opportunity to reimagine yourself and your career.
An opportunity to ask yourself who you are and who you want to be.
Is what you're doing still good for you? Do you still know your "Why?" Are you just continuing on your path to fulfilling other people's expectations?
Maybe you're finding that you don't want the promotion you've been offered or that it's not the right time.
Imagine what would be possible in your life if you acted from a mindset of abundance. If you believed that there will always be another role or another opportunity when the time is right.
What would you do if you were no longer afraid? Afraid of losing what you have, afraid of disappointing the people in your life, or afraid of not knowing what'll happen next?
A crisis can be hard and disorienting, but it can help you figure out where you want to go and how to get there.
Bio
Ronke Babajide has a Ph.D in Theoretical Chemistry, but she's been working in the IT industry for over 25 years. She has held various Technical Presales positions with Riverbed, Radware, and VMware over the past 15 years.
In 2022, Ronke founded The Queen Bee Hive, a platform that helps women experts become more visible and collaborate more successfully. She is passionate about diversity in the tech industry and new work models — she frequently speaks at conferences on these topics. Ronke also mentors other women in technology, writes articles on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and hosts two book clubs.
Ronke lives in Vienna, Austria with her husband and their three Siberian cats.