Hi, everyone. Um Thank you for the introduction. I am Amanda. I'm a senior product manager at Chaco, a start up based in Berlin focused on um creating a sustainable food system. Um Currently, I'm actually in New York for work, so it's 6 a.m.So bear with me if I stumble over my words as it's quite early for me. Um But today I want to talk to you about my journey from Silicon Valley to Silicon L A and as I call Berlin and um how I found my groove as a, as a leader. I sorry. So I started my career in Silicon Valley, but my journey to becoming a leader actually started far earlier than that. It started in a small town here in New Jersey as a first generation American with Taiwanese parents. Um from there, I went to a competitive boarding school for high school. And then I went on to earn my bachelor's and my master's degrees from Stanford University in Symbolic Systems and Computer Science. I worked really hard and I was committed to having an impactful, successful career, but it seemed that everywhere I looked along the way. I pretty much saw only one model for successful leadership.

So whether that was teachers in my classroom or business owners in my neighborhood or politicians on TV, the leaders that I saw were by and large men or they were women who had a traditionally masculine leadership style. And as I entered the workforce, my journey continued to be dominated by this single image of male leadership um in one company after another, I watched as the majority of people in leadership positions were men who fit this prototypical model. When I co founded a company, I had to prove time and again that yes, I actually do know how to code and no, I'm not just the head of customer support. Um Once at a party, a guy even went so far as to quiz me on recursive algorithms. So you can imagine that didn't go over very well. All of these different examples kind of signaled to me that to succeed. I had to emulate this more masculine model of leadership or have a very specific expression of myself or my voice. But I learned that actually I didn't. Um I got lucky. I got lucky because I had a hard time fitting in. I had a hard time fitting this mold. And um I got lucky because I met really incredible mentors along the way who helped me learn that not fitting in was exactly my superpower that embracing what made me different was actually the path towards my impactful career.

And this was a very different story than the one I had internalized. It took me a while to accept that new story and to find my new voice. So today I wanna share with you my, my three learnings along the way that really helped me to do that. My first learning was to find superpowers in our differences. So we have to leverage what makes us unique in order to do our best work. My second learning was to navigate our system successfully. We have to use these superpowers in ourselves to succeed in the current system, even though the current system might be imperfect. And our final learning was um that we need to hold our companies accountable. We have to make sure our companies put real action behind their words to make our system more equitable and to change this predominant masculine form of leadership. So my first lesson was to really embrace what made me unique. Um Growing up, I felt bad about being different as a kid. I was often bullied for being Asian for bringing disgusting lunches to school and for having parents with thick accents in boarding school. I was ostracized for being one of the few students who was on full scholarship and couldn't actually afford all of the extracurricular activities that my classmates did at Stanford.

I was consistently the minority in my computer science classes, both as a woman and as someone who didn't start coding at the age of uh five and actually came from a background in music and in filmmaking. Instead, in every job, I've often been the only female voice in the room, whether that was in product in tech or in a position of leadership and in each of these environments, I was really, really aware of my differences. I was never quite enough, so I wasn't American enough to belong. I didn't look old enough to be taken seriously. I wasn't strong enough to be an effective leader. But at the same time, I wasn't soft spoken enough as a woman to be likable. It felt like I couldn't really win. Um And these were all variations on the same narrative, right? That I didn't look or act like the prototype of a leader. But through years of struggling with my own identity and challenging others expectations of me, I realized it's exactly my unique background and culture and experiences that are my superpowers and precisely the sources of shame and of discomfort that actually contribute to my strength.

So what do I mean by that? Coming from a different culture, taught me to respect and value diversity of thought. Um I welcome very different ways of approaching a problem because I truly feel that uh having these new perspectives always reveals our blind spots and helps us think more creatively being othered. My whole life taught me to be cognizant of making others feel the same. So I do my best to be conscious of creating an environment that's inclusive. This is something that's especially important in a place as international as Berlin where all of our teams are truly made up of people from like dozens of cultures and languages and backgrounds. Um I was often told that my empathy made me too soft to be a leader, but I've actually found the exact opposite to be true. Being highly empathetic has made me a much stronger product manager. So much of my role is about understanding a user's pain points, understanding their experiences and when you're detached from your end user, it's really hard to build a good product. So when I worked at a social media start up, I focused on improving the content moderation. Why did I do that? Um time and again, I saw social media companies fail as they prioritize these sexy new features and virality overgrowing in actual sustainable community. So my work there actually massively Rove drove down harassment reports and um increased user retention in every single job.

My empathy hasn't been my weakness but it's actually been my strength as it's helped me build better products with higher quality user experiences. Something else I often heard was that my openness with vulnerability would be my downfall. People often said, and maybe you've heard this as well, you can't show weakness as a leader. People won't respect you. Um But in my experience, I've found vulnerability to create more inspiring leadership and um allow for these deeper connections. People want to know you're human at the height of the pandemic last year, my mother who is still a doctor in the US. Um she was working in the COVID unit every day despite being in the risk group. And soon after that, my grandmother in Taiwan passed away. But given the situation, none of us could actually be together. It was of course one of the most difficult periods of my life and every day was a new challenge, but I didn't pretend that everything was OK. I shared with my team and they didn't immediately think that I was weak or that I was unfit to lead. They stepped in and they helped me, they shared their own fears and anxieties and they supported me both in and out of work. Understanding that I'm human. There's no shame in asking for help when you need it and doing so, actually empowers others to do the same. So being vulnerable, allowed me to form these stronger relationships and build trust in each of my workplaces.

And my openness created this safe environment for teammates to be human, to be, fail to fail and to do their best work. Um At my current company Chaco, I've actually seen firsthand how our CEO practices this same thing at our last company wide meeting of 2020. He shared his own struggles with uh the pandemic, both personal and professional and um discussed how the past year had helped him grow again. Um Instead of viewing him as weak or ill fitted to lead our company, we actually came from the meeting, deeply inspired that a leader could be so candid and so authentic with us. So over time, I've learned how to use each of these differences as my superpowers and um how to succeed in many different types of environments. I want to emphasize today that I'm a leader, not because I tried to shoehorn myself into a mold that I would never fit. But because I leaned into being authentically myself, I widened my own definition of leadership and in doing so actually did that for those around me as well. Chaco brought me on not just because of my skill set, but because they understood that it's exactly my different perspective that makes me a stronger leader.

So think about what makes you unique, what experiences have you had that give you a different perspective and how might these differences be used as your superpowers? The next learning um is learning how to navigate the system successfully. So for any of you that have gone mushroom foraging and no, it's quite, it can be challenging to find the mushrooms in the first place and then make sure they're not poisonous. Um You know, it's, it's very important to first learn how to succeed within our existing confines. The first part of navigating our system is building a cohesive team and what I mean by this is more than just getting to know them on a deeper level though, of course, that's important on any team. Um But building cohesion also means regular feedback and open communication, everyone works very differently. And as leaders, it's our job to learn how to meet people where they are and bring out the best in our teammates. So we need to learn how to communicate effectively with people across all walks of life. Even if that requires adjusting our style and receiving and giving feedback, gives us all the chance to be at least cognizant of how we come across, address it and then adjust our behavior where necessary.

So for example, I know that as an outspoken woman in the workplace, I may be viewed negatively. I'm sure many of you have seen the studies showing that outspoken women tend to be perceived as overly aggressive while men tend to be perceived as highly competent. So I preemptively bring up my working style and I over communicate my positive intentions um and allow people to give me the benefit of the doubt because if our teams don't trust and respect us, they're also not going to vouch for us and investing in developing these relationships will help them support and advocate for you too.

The other part of navigating our system is finding the parts of the system that work for you, even if that means moving on when something doesn't fit and even if you don't know what is a, it just yet it's, you know, trust yourself, try something new. Um I've turned down prestigious roles because I just didn't believe in the product. I've left companies because I realize that they're fundamentally not aligned with my values. It's really important to remember that we can always say no. Um Many of us tend to accept circumstances.

Um And, or the first thing that we're offered, remember that you have the power to change your situation too. When I left Silicon Valley in 2016, it was for many different reasons. Um It was a place that was filled with incredible talent, but most of that talent seemed funneled into problems I wasn't looking to solve. And after some time, it also felt very homogeneous to me. I couldn't walk into a single bar cafe or restaurant without overhearing someone discuss the valuation of the latest Uber for X. In contrast, Berlin has a lot of heterogeneity. It's immensely international and the city revolves around so much more than just work and tech parts of me feel so much more alive than ever. Um And although many initially thought me like really foolish and radical for leaving San Francisco the heart of the tech ecosystem, um I knew that I had to give up my life there to find the part of the system where I do belong. So don't force yourself into a role or an environment just because you're told that it's the right thing to do. The first step is recognizing what is and is not a fit.

Many of these different experiences have taught me the different ways that I can navigate our system more effectively. And as leaders, we have to bring more than just our skills and achievements. We also need to figure out how to empower our teams communicate effectively and be honest when something isn't a right fit. So how can you leverage your superpowers and bring out the best in your team? Um What can you do to become a more effective communicator? Where can you be more honest with yourself about what isn't working? Our final learning is holding our companies accountable. And as you can see, this is um some quality control on these lovely grapes before they reach the hands of consumers. Um We are the quality control of our own companies, right? So if we have the option, don't always default to the sexy brand name company just because it looks better on your CV. Go for the company that's doing the work that you care about, whether it's in the product or within the company or both try to work for the ones that shaped the world closer to your North Star. The first step in doing this is choosing a company that's aligned with your values. So I chose to work at Choco because it's creating a more sustainable food industry. Sustainability has long been something that's been very important in my personal life.

So I felt very committed to finding a job that helped fight climate change. And in that search, I was often told that I have to choose between meaning and making money. This is largely because uh very few companies actually try hard enough to combine the two. But that's actually a misconception. The reason I was immediately drawn to Chaco is that by nature of its existence, food waste will be reduced. And by nature of its success, the food supply chain will become sustainable. Chacos mission is fundamentally aligned with my own. And because of that, I feel that much more driven each day to work there. So if your goal is to find a company that marries money with meaning there is a way to accomplish it. And if the company doesn't exist yet, you can always be the one to start it. The second step in holding our companies accountable is doing our part within the companies. So companies benefit from diversity largely because of the diversity of opinion. Uh And that's why I lead Chacos diversity, equity and inclusion group on the tech team. Data shows that teams are 100 and 58% more likely to understand their customers when they have a team member representing their target groups, gender, race, age, sexual orientation or culture and companies with more diversity and management actually earn 38% more revenue.

So it's not about diversity for diversity's sake, the products that we put out, especially in tech, um they touch so many people in the world and they have the capacity to do so very, very quickly. It's so important to have this diversity in the room because the product is a reflection of our values and having these diverse voices is the foundation to building a product that's actually inclusive. Um Now that diversity and inclusivity is a hot topic. It's also important to note that just because we talk about it doesn't mean we're actually doing it right. So beyond our um de I group initiatives, I try to hold myself and my colleagues accountable in the past. I'm sure the same situation with many of you is um I've spent many meetings kind of gritting my teeth through cringe worthy comments or inappropriate behaviors, but staying silent only signals to everyone else that this type of behavior is ok if you're uncomfortable, chances are someone else is too.

So whether it's as systemic as a toxic work culture or as small as a one off interaction with the teammate, it's important to have these difficult conversations and as leaders. It's our job to make team members feel integrated and empowered to do their best work. And having these types of uh conversations are the only way that change will come. So seek out the companies that are aligned with your values and when you're there, do what you can to help them live. Those values. Always take a step back and ask yourself, are we creating an inclusive environment? Are we listening to diverse opinions and if not, how can we make it that way? So now I've shared with you my three main learnings that helped me find my groove as a leader. No place that you work will ever be perfect, but you can find a place that empowers you to be the type of leader that you want to be. The good news is more and more companies are realizing how diversity of experience and the ability to lift these uh diverse voices is actually a true asset and I feel extremely lucky to be working at one of them instead of encouraging me to fit some specific model of leadership.

Chaco embraces my style instead of balking at me speaking my mind, Chaco values it and instead of dismissing the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, Chaco empowers me to do more. People will continue to tell you that being a woman in tech is difficult that there are racial and cultural biases that you will hit challenges because you're different and that's all true. But my journey to becoming a leader was about choosing a different story for myself. It was about gaining confidence in who I am knowing that I belong and that I have a right to be a leader. I leave you today with the challenge of widening all of our definitions of successful leadership. So embrace and celebrate what makes you different, learn to succeed in our current system. Hold your companies and yourselves accountable. I hope that the learnings that I shared today help you find your groove so that one day you can share with all of us your own unique model for success. Thank you very much for your time.