Breaking barriers: One woman’s journey to thriving in the tech world

In the fast-paced world of technology, leadership roles present both opportunities to innovate and unique challenges, particularly for women.

For me, working in tech has brought flexibility and continuous learning. As a mother of two children, this flexibility helps me manage my home and team in tandem. Meanwhile, the rapidly evolving technical landscape encourages me to learn new skills and forces me to stay on my toes.

As we reflect on Women’s History Month, I’d like to share my experience of how women can navigate a field where women in leadership often must carve their own paths.

Leveraging existing skills: Motherhood and management

Motherhood has historically been viewed as a barrier in the workforce, but in my experience, motherhood teaches more skills than any management and leadership course could. It’s important to realize that raising children isn’t just a personal journey but a profound training ground for leadership and growth.

With a thirteen- and fifteen-year-old at home, I have found striking parallels between motherhood and management. As I’ve raised my children, I’ve honed invaluable skills that seamlessly translate into my role managing my team. Patience, effective communication, and problem solving are some of my greatest assets in fostering collaboration and productivity within my team.

The power of allyship

Early in my career I lacked female mentors—there just weren’t many women in my field to emulate as I learned the ropes. However, this didn’t stop me from finding support. My male mentors and I taught each other as we learned to communicate effectively. By actively engaging with my male mentors, I’ve learned to navigate their communication style and build rapport, while giving each of us the opportunity to understand a different perspective.

During this phase of my career, I learned that I didn’t need to be an ‘alpha male’, but just needed to understand how to collaborate and communicate with my colleagues. These skills have helped me to assert myself confidently in the leadership position I hold today, where bridging communication gaps is critical to my role.

Women in leadership: Some final remarks

By sharing my journey, I hope to encourage more women into the technology industry and inspire those working in the sector to foster and enhance existing skills to help them climb the corporate ladder.

While Women’s History Month serves as a crucial reminder of the invaluable contributions and achievements of women, its significance should extend far beyond the confines of a single month. True progress toward gender equality requires a sustained commitment to recognizing, celebrating, and amplifying women’s voices and accomplishments every day of the year.

In the technology space, gender shouldn’t be a barrier—female leadership is not just possible, it’s essential. I hope my insights can help to propel us towards a brighter and more inclusive future.