"Women Who Lead" - What Strong Leadership in the Bay Area Among Professional Women REALLY Looks Like

Last night I attended a networking event hosted by one of my favorite groups, The Expat Woman, at the Zillow offices in downtown San Francisco. The Expat Woman was created by the fabulous Nyna Pais Caputi, who launched the group after she struggled to find support for women like herself.

The theme of last night's event was “Women Who Lead” and it was the first of a series of events to kick off Women's History Month.

Nyna promised an incredibly inspiring and empowering evening of networking with like-minded women, and a high-profile panel discussion with women leaders who are creating impact in the workplace and the community. The is exactly what she delivered.

A panel of women leaders, all experts in their respective fields, came together to share their insights and experiences, their journey to success, discuss the gender gap in senior leadership roles, and to share advice for women to continue to forge ahead in their fields.

The panelists included:

• Alissa Reiter, VP of Marketing at Trulia
• Yardley Pohl, CPO at Thrive Global and Co-Founder of Women in Product
• Anna Bethke, Head of AI for Social Good at Intel
• Solu Nwanze, Director of Business Operations at Zendesk, Exec Coach/Founder of Expanded Impact
• Amita Ekbote, Sr. Software Engineer at Netflix
• Moderator: Dina Hanna, Affinity Leader for the Women’s Group at Zillow Group, SF

Following are a few of my favorite takeaways that are applicable to all businesswomen, whether you are an entrepreneur or blazing a trail in corporate America:

• Solu - We all need mentors. Embrace the concept of "micro mentoring" because the word “mentor” may be heavy for some people. Take advantage of every opportunity to ask questions and build relationships without overwhelming the person you're looking to as a mentor.
• Yardley - As you consider who to approach as a possible mentor, ask yourself, "what are the skill sets I am looking for?" Pursue the relationship intentionally. Also ask yourself, "what’s the easiest way to get an answer to a question or build a relationship?" Don’t ask someone to “get a coffee for 10 minutes to pick their brain”. Be specific in your request. Start by asking one specific question that’s easy for someone to answer.
• Anna - Regularly attend events and get to know people in your area. Be intentional about keeping a working relationship with people you’ve established a relationship with. When you do great work, people notice that. Do your job with purpose. Show that you understand the business you’re in. People move around. They are always thinking, “who do I know that does good work?” Make an impression based on the quality of work you do. That impression will motivate a person to advocate for you without you asking. Send a message on LinkedIn every once in a while. Let them know you are there. Keep them in mind and nourish those relationships.
• Alissa - Don’t underestimate the impact you have on your mentor. They will want to keep you in their lives. We typically get a lot of joy from hearing from people we’ve mentored. We enjoy hearing about what you’re up to. Those relationships matter. When you’re feeling tentative about reaching out, remember you matter to that person.
• Yardley - Discover your own superpower. Ask for feedback. Be open to the feedback you receive. The more information and data points you collect, the easier it will be to see what your strengths are and how you can hone your craft. Ask for help. Be honest and transparent about your goals. When opportunities come up, you’ll be considered. Don’t be afraid of rejection or tough feedback. If you take it and learn from it, you’ll grow. Keep trying!
• Amita - Titles don’t mean anything. Don't hold yourself back because of your title. What kind of impact are you creating? Don’t censor yourself. Go for what you want.
• Alissa - Double down on leadership. That’s how you advance. Grab the thing you believe in. Put it out there and sell it. If you want to have influence, you need to get out there and convince people of the direction you want to go in. Don’t shy away from leadership.
• Solu - It’s really important to continue learning, developing and growing. Use LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, General Assembly, and other resources to keep learning about something you enjoy and expand your network.
• Anna - Volunteering is a great learning opportunity. It’s a lovely way to learn and push yourself out of your comfort zone.
• Amita - I had to learn how to get out of my comfort zone little by little. Set personal goals for yourself. Ask for specific feedback about your work. Put yourself out there - you’ll get more honest feedback.
• Alissa - You have to have a mindset about investing in yourself and taking care of yourself. As you advance, the challenges get bigger. If you want to take on big things, you need to strengthen yourself.

Thank you Alissa, Yardley, Anna, Solu and Amita for your time and so candidly allowing us to learn from your triumphs and your failures. Nyna and Dina, I appreciate you creating a space for such a rich and necessary conversation to take place. Thank you.

I ALWAYS enjoy myself at The Expat Woman events and find it's time well spent. They host one of the few events I attend where I consistently see true diversity and a group of women actively supporting other women. Perhaps I'll see you at an upcoming event and we'll have an opportunity to support and inspire each other.