I was excited to sit down for my annual review. I was looking forward to hearing about how all of this hard work was finally going to pay off with my bonus and salary increase. The conversation started great – my boss raved about my performance. But the conversation quickly changed when he made this statement:  “You won’t be getting a salary increase or bonus this year because of your upcoming maternity leave.”

I was shocked, speechless, angry, ready to cry.

This was the moment when I realized my career would never be the same again.  I grew up with parents who told me I could do anything, be anything, and here I was doubting that I’d get anywhere.

There has been so much being said lately about Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. 

Regardless of whether the lessons shared in the book relate to all people – they are personal, brave, they make you reflect, and most importantly, they get us talking about women. In the past 10 years we’ve made no progress in the numbers of women in leadership so something isn’t working. To me, “Leaning In” is highly personal and different for everyone. Sometimes it means taking a new opportunity, sometimes it means asking for the promotion, sometimes it means asking your partner to do the grocery shopping.

For me, the book makes it ok to talk about the issues so many of us struggle with – and shows that we aren’t alone.

I knew what happened during my review was wrong but I didn’t feel equipped or empowered to do anything about it. And once my daughter was born, things didn’t get any easier. I drove myself crazy counting the hours she spent at daycare vs. with me. I used to risk life and limb driving like a crazy person to pick her up each evening just to have an extra 5 minutes to add to the good side of my tally. Not to mention the “mommy wars”  adding to my own guilt of wanting to have a career.

It took a long time for me to sort through these issues. I started Leaning In when I was 6 months pregnant with my second child. I took a new role at a new company (my current company). I made a conscious effort to let go of the guilt, accept my decisions, and enjoy my career. Today I have 4 children and nothing gives me more satisfaction than coaching other women through the sometimes dark days of early motherhood.

I watched Sheryl’s Ted Talk on Why We have So Few Women Leaders years ago and it opened my eyes. I finally felt like someone understood. So, when I was invited to attend a Lean In event on April 4 in Philadelphia, I was thrilled. For me, getting to hear from Sheryl first hand could only be compared to bringing my daughter to see Justin Bieber – minus the screams and tears.

The event, sponsored by SAP and Beneficial Bank, started with an interview with Sheryl and followed by an esteemed panel of 3 business women leaders from local companies – Luisa Delgado, Chief Human Resources Officer at SAP, Ashley McEvoy, Group Chairman of Vision Care at Johnson and Johnson, and D’Arcy Rudnay, Chief Communications Officer at Comcast Corporation.

My favorite moment of the day was when I realized that my daughter, Sophie, who was with me during that fateful performance review – isn’t bossy like friends, teachers, parents often tell me – but has “executive leadership potential”… just like Sheryl.

______________________________________________________________________________

I’ve summarized some highlights and lessons below:

Sheryl’s take on -

• Our messages to our children – to our sons: teach them to nurture. To our daughters – encourage technology from a young age and stop calling them bossy – it is executive leadership potential.
• Hiring women – it is ok for managers to have open conversations with women to reassure them that if they want to eventually have a family, you will support them through this time.
• Career Planning – we should think in terms of long-term dreams and an 18-month plan. Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder – we can move sideways and down – not always up.
• Negotiation – Sheryl wishes it were fair now and that women can negotiate like men but the reality is we can’t. We must negotiate by putting it terms of “what’s in it for the company” vs. ourselves – use “we” and smile.
• Likeability – The fact is that success and likeability have different correlations for men and women. The more successful women get, they are often less likeable.
• Mentorship – Don’t ask someone to be your mentor. Instead, ask how you can help them – on a project or on a solution. This will go much further and let the relationship come naturally.
• Dating – The decision on who you make your partner is the most important career decision you can ever make.
• Guilt – let yourself off the hook. Even Sheryl feels like a bad mom some days but it is all about perspective. Her husband says they are “heroes” for being home for dinner at 6.

Lessons from Our Panel:

From Luisa Delgado:

• This is a global discussion – coming from her travels in India she was having similar discussions.
• Being a parent makes her a better leader because she can see things a fresh perspective
• We should focus on our dreams instead of the methods we will use to reach them
• From self-doubt comes superior leadership – the ability to question yourself makes you stronger.

From Ashley McEvoy:

• At Johnson and Johnson, we incent leaders 50% results, 50% how they achieved results
• Make life accessible to people.
• Ask for input all the time – how can I do this better/differently
• Take the time to strengthen  your inner voice – she did this during 5 maternity leave “mini-sabbaticals”

From D’Arcy Rudnay:

• Never attribute your success to luck – it is hard work.
• Find your courage
• Fake it til you make it
• It is ok to lean out sometimes.

Photo details – My executive leader, Sophie, born May 2003.

“Mom, check those out. Do you think we can bring one home with us?” asked Sophie.

“Absolutely not- those are for decoration only.” I said in my best “don’t even think about it” voice and we went on to enjoy our breakfast.

Later, I returned to the cafeteria to meet up with Sophie for our ice cream social. I was immediately pulled aside by one of the program leads, “we just enjoyed your daughter so much today – she was enthusiastic, asked great questions, and she was so determined to get one of those centerpieces. She wouldn’t take no for an answer so we gave in.”

I was speechless….not only did she get what she was after, but she started a small revolution in the process since there was only a handful of balloons for hundreds of kids. Shortly after, I saw Sophie approaching me with the balloons and I couldn’t help but smile thinking about what I like to call her passionate “spirit of asking.”

There are so many ways we can apply this same “passion” to our work life.  Very early on in my career, I used to think that my hard work would be instantly recognized and promotions, raises, opportunities would appear for me. It took a few hard lessons to realize I was way off. We need to be proactive about sharing our successes and assertive about asking for the things that we want, need, and deserve. I can remember a discussion with my manager when I asked for a raise. Her response? Before we talk about the raise part, let me say that I respect the fact that you asked because most people don’t.

So, for 2013, I want to encourage everyone to take a page from Sophie’s book and start ASKING. If you aren’t convinced yet, I’ve created a pros and cons list to help you think this through:

Isn’t the answer clear? As I drove home from Take your Child to Work Day, my visibility obstructed by a huge white balloon, I could only think that Sophie’s tenacious, relentless “spirit of asking” is a huge asset.

Yes, I admit it. I haven’t been working. It’s not that I don’t have a job anymore. I do. In fact, I’m quite busy. But this job kind of feels like I’m doing something valuable- something ground-breaking, something – dare I say it – fun.

So what changed? What’s different? Reflecting on this question brought me to a single reason for my new breakthrough way of “working” – transitioning to a role directly aligned with my long-term career goals. I recently took on a new role at my organization – I shifted from developing marketing strategies for an area of our business to our HR business. Sure, this was an “out-of-the-box” move, one with a more internal focus.

Through my decision-making process, I kept coming back to the fact that this new role directly impacted the topics that make me tick, keep me up at night, and that I am passionate about: leadership, diversity, and people development. How could that be a bad thing?

Here are three things I did to get on this path of aligning my career with my passions:

1. Self-discovery – I’ve worked in all kinds of roles and in many industries. In my mind, I’ve been compiling a list of things I like and don’t like to do. I also frequently take assessments as they come my way so I can learn more about me – what are the things I’m good at and, even more importantly, the things that I need to work on if I want to take a different direction with my career. It was through self-discovery and writing my personal blog that I found my true passions.

2. Build a plan and make it happen – Once I understood the direction I wanted to take, I built a plan to get more exposure to these areas that aligned with my passion for leadership and diversity. I made it my mission to volunteer for every project and team at my company that I could. For example, I was especially interested in women in leadership so I volunteered for our local Business Women’s Network. I used my marketing skills, like community building, to volunteer and learn more about the organization. Now I’m part of their extended leadership team and get to impact the programs for women at our organization.

3. Let it be known! This was key for me. I made sure everyone I talked to, networked with and had coffee with, knew about my areas of interest. By talking to people, I was top of mind when projects arose and new positions opened up.

With the end of the year upon you, take some time for reflection. Think about the things that matter most to you. And maybe your New Year’s Resolution can include less work and more fun!

I’d love to hear how you find fun in your work.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/3928073311/

Back in June, I wrote a blog on Prepare for Social Media Success and the importance of building your “social” brand.

In the post, I referenced a story about my very first tweet.  This memory is still vivid for me – it was during SAPPHIRE NOW several years back and I was retweeting some content about the event. This moment remains clear in my head because it reminds me of 3 very important facts:

1. It is so very difficult to “put yourself out there.” I can still remember the butterflies in my stomach and the self-doubt – what would people think? What would they say?
2. It is so important to understand audiences and social channels. The simple fact of the matter was that #1 was moot because no one was listening to me anyway – I had no followers!
3. Social media is so darn powerful!  You see, that year I wasn’t even on-site at SAPPHIRE NOW. I simply followed and engaged in the Twitter conversation during those 3 days and it opened up a new world and new connections. Not only did I feel like I was there and part of the event, others did too! I received several messages asking to meet up for dinner.

The funny thing is, up until this point, I was a Twitter doubter. It felt overwhelming at first – but with a little time and thought, it has become one of the most powerful tools I use to connect with people and influencers on the topics that are important to me.

Here are some easy ways for you to start your own personal social journey and get the most out of some of the most common social channels.

1. Develop your Platform.
“Develop” might sound formal but there is value in self-reflection and answering some basic questions like – What is important to you? What do you care about? What are you passionate about? What are the stories that you like to share? Getting these on paper can help you figure out which spaces you will want to spend time in.

2. Define your Objectives
With the list of social networking channels growing by the minute you need to think about your objectives. In other words, what you want to accomplish in the social space?
Do you have a strong desire to write and share your knowledge and experiences? Perhaps you should consider blogging. With this comes identifying the blogging channels you will target – based on the audience you’d like to reach. For SAP topics, a perfect place to start is the SAP Community Network.

If you prefer to listen to or share short nuggets of information or content (in 140 characters or less), perhaps Twitter is the right channel for you. Do you want to connect and network with other professionals with a similar expertise? Then you should explore LinkedIn groups. Facebook is great if you want to connect more personally with colleagues, family, old classmates, and friends.

3. Find your audience
If you are talking about baseball to a group of folks passionate about knitting, likely you are losing people. So, it is really important to identify who cares. Do some basic audience research. Who are the people who care about your topic and who are the people you want to connect with? Is it industry peers? Is it influencers? Where do they spend their time?  If you can answer this it will narrow down where you should target your messages.

The possibilities here are endless. You can use LinkedIn groups. In Twitter, there are Tweet Chats where folks come together at a certain time to discuss a topic using a hash tag, and many more.

4. Engage and share appropriately.
If you’ve put some thought around 1-3, you are ready to engage. You might want to start by listening and following the conversations that are already happening out there.
In Twitter, start by downloading TweetDeck or another platform that synthesizes all of the content that is in Twitter.  Next, set up your columns by hash tags or search terms or lists. This helps you cut through the “noise” and only follow those discussions that are relevant to you.
In LinkedIn, start by building your profile with keywords from your platform, relevant work experience, and connect with others in your field. Explore groups focused on your topics of interest. If you join a group you can get email notifications and start discussions with other members.

When you are comfortable, start engaging more actively. In Twitter, add commentary to other’s tweets or share your own. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself what you are adding with your tweet – if you are sharing your perspective or new content then you are in good shape. If not, ask yourself if you are just contributing to the “noise.” And make sure to use a link shortening tool like bitly or TinyURL so you maximize your 140 characters. In LinkedIn, take a more active role in the discussions in your groups, comment on blogs, or initiate conversations.

When you are ready to share your own commentary and perspective remember those 4 tips I shared in my last blog – be nice, be authentic, be consistent, and be legal! Engaging in social space is a lot like talking with people in real life and the same rules apply. If you follow the golden rule and go in with an open mind, you will find your journey ripe with new people and new possibilities.

Photo credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/axel-d/479627824/

This blog originally appeared on ASUG’s Leadership 2.0.

Perhaps my favorite moment at ASUG Annual Conference this year was when Olympic gold medalist and WNBA superstar Lisa Leslie shared the “7 Ps” that her mother instilled in her as a child – “Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.” It was a humorous moment but also amazing to learn that this phrase stuck with Lisa all these years. Personally, I had never thought too much about the role “preparation” plays in our lives.

Following the event, I spent a lot of time thinking about the 7 Ps – how they relate to our business lives and how important it is to be prepared when the right opportunity comes your way. In the connected world we live in this translates to ensuring the right people know who you are, what you do, and what you are capable of so when they need an expert or partner – they know where to find you. I call this your “social brand.” 

Someone once told me that they weren’t active in social networks because they didn’t see a need to build their personal brand. I disagree. A strong personal brand in the social space can help you both professionally and personally. Being a thought leader in your area of expertise can lead to networking, career opportunities, and relationships that were never possible before.  In social networks, we all have the opportunity to showcase our passion and knowledge with a greater community.

There’s no better proof than when we see our own C-level leaders active in social media. Heck, even the President has a Twitter handle. Leaders today know that social networks are a place where they can share knowledge with and connect with those influencers who are most important to their business and also build their personal brands. For some, a brand evolves organically…but for the rest of us, it takes time and effort build our personal social brands.

Here are three steps to help you start building your brand in social media:

1. Find your passion.

What is important to you? Is it your company, your industry? How about coaching, running, or your football team? Regardless of the  topics that inspire us, we can all be part of the conversation. Spend time thinking about who you are and what you want your name to represent.

2. Find your community.

We all know there is strength in numbers but what does that mean for our social brands? Take the user group community as an example. As an SAP point of contact for the ASUG community, I see first-hand how the community influences SAP and really enables our company to “run better.” Another strong community is the SAP Community Network (SCN). Mark Yolton, SAP’s SVP of SAP Communities and Social Media says in this interview, “…there’s also an energy that comes with connectedness; members are energized by each other, the back-and-forth of interaction, the excitement and enthusiasm, and the feeling of being part of something bigger and more important than each of us individually … it’s a contagious excitement and an immeasurable but palpable sense of belonging and shared value.”

The passion I see from the ASUG volunteers and the SCN participants is indeed contagious – I try to bring this unbridled enthusiasm to my daily work – both personally and professionally. Find the community of people around the topics that you are passionate about – you can do this on Twitter, Facebook, SCN, and nearly all social networks. Start by listening to the discussion and when you are ready…

3. Find your voice.

Perhaps the most difficult part is putting yourself out there – sharing and engaging with others. This doesn’t always come naturally. I remember sitting in front of my own Twitter screen years ago with a trembling hand – a little nervous to push “send” on my very first tweet. It seems silly now (especially since I didn’t have any followers!) and it can be overwhelming but you have to start somewhere!

Once you start engaging, be mindful of a few basics:

• Be nice. Treat people the way you want to be treated, use your manners, and be positive. There is room for everyone’s viewpoints and opinions so be open, you might just learn something.
• Be authentic. You are, after all, a real person so act like one. There isn’t much room for promotional messages in the social media space. Share content that is relevant.
• Be consistent. Keep your profiles consistent across all social networks so people get to know you.
• Be legal. Make sure your follow your corporate policies on social media, especially around disclosure. And don’t say anything in social networks you wouldn’t say to your CEO – or your mom!

Speaking of mothers, thank you Lisa Leslie and thank you to your mother for the inspiration – especially on behalf of my 4 children who are starting to understand the value of preparation and the meaning behind your “7 Ps.”

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/owenwbrown/4857593259/

This blog post originally appears on Business Innovation from SAP.

Amazing things happen when amazing people come together. Last June, Moya Watson, (@moyalynne) an SAP employee, and some colleagues from the SAP Palo Alto Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) employee community kicked off a grassroots project to film an “It Gets Better” video to raise awareness on bullying and suicide among gay teens.

If you aren’t familiar with the It Gets Better Project, it was created “to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.” The website includes videos from over 50,000 individuals, celebrities, and organizations all offering hope to teens considering suicide as an escape from the bullying.

Many folks came forward to share their personal stories with Moya but one stood out from the rest…the tragic story of SAP employee Steve Fehr, who lost his 18-year-old son, Jeffrey, to suicide after enduring anti-gay bullying throughout his life.  Moya connected with Steve and his family and their support of the project was immediate – you can learn more by watching the video below.

When Moya shared the project details with me, she asked me to go to the Huffington Post website and search on “teen suicide.” I was shocked. First came the list of stories, then their names, then their faces…and then came the tears. How many deaths will it take to stop the bullying?

According to Phyllis Stewart Pires, Head of Diversity at SAP, “to know that there are kids who are bullied for who they are to the point where they would be so hopeless is heart-wrenching and tragic…If we can positively impact even one kid, we’ve done a great thing.”

A grassroots and passionate employee group leads the way for 5 SAP leaders and 41 people to share their stories – including 1 inconceivable tragedy – all amazing people – coming together with the hope of saving many amazing lives.  Please share the video below with your communities and your friends, and if you see or hear someone being bullied please step in, do your part.  A kid’s life could depend on it.

It Gets Better – SAP Employees

Are you are feeling desperate and need help? Please reach out now. Call the Trevor Lifeline at  866-488-7386 or reach out via www.thetrevorproject.org.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/3525799414/

Tom DelMonte became my manager about 4 years ago when he brought me on to his marketing team. Throughout our 3 year journey together, Tom always lived up to this quality. He had my back when I was on a crisis-prone project, he recognized my work and nominated me for awards, he provided me learning and growth opportunities, and he even helped pave the way for my current role leading a team.

Tom always set a good example when it came to work-life balance and how to achieve a model that works for you. He is vigilant about putting family first and doesn’t apologize for that. This really helped the rest of the team to feel empowered to do the same.

Please take the time to read Tom’s interview below – so many good pieces of advice and information – I highlighted some of my favorites:

1.  Career influences?

At the time, I never would have thought this guy as an influence, but after looking back I’m surprised just how much I learned from him.  I had this laser focused sales manager – Roy, early in my career, and our personalities couldn’t have been more different.  We had intense discussions and good-natured arguments all the time on “having a plan.”  For example, his plan was to have $1M in the bank by the time he was 40, and he had a plan how to do that.  At 25, long-term planning just wasn’t in my top 3.  Roy was all about routine and the process you had to have engrained in you to get up for a day of selling – listen to Stephen Covey on your morning commute, make 16 cold calls before lunch, don’t mix selling time with administrative time, etc. 

What I learned from Roy was an appreciation for different approaches.  Looking back on that relationship and our differences I now feel I can better appreciate that people who work for you approach their job from a different perspective, and as a leader maybe one set style or approach doesn’t work for everyone.

Another influencer was an early manager here at my current company.  We had a small team that developed our sales pipeline tool for account executives for which I conducted the trainings.  We were all about the same age, and man did we have fun in our work.  We asked each other all the time “wouldn’t it be cool if we did this, or that?”. It was the stars aligning really – the right people, supportive upper management, company growing like crazy.  I look back on that time and ask myself, “How can I create that environment for my teams?”  To have that much fun at work seemed illegal.

Formally, I enjoy reading Dr. John Maxwell.  He writes on leadership topics and his approach to the topic resonates with me.

2. Biggest career success?

I was the first American to work as an assistant to our company’s Executive Board (we’re a German company).  The exposure to that level of leading a 10 billion Euro global company was unbelievable.  Plus it allowed my family and I to experience another country of over 2 years.  We came back in 2005 and still have friends in Germany we speak with, including our 70 year old landlords.  Just a great experience which then led to so many opportunities when I returned to the US.

3. Biggest lesson learned?

It may be cliché, but really understanding and living the difference between managing people and leading people.  I think most, if not all, of your readers fundamentally understand that managing is making sure the tasks get done, and leading is finding ways to inspire people to do their best.  I was pretty good at managing people, but honestly I had to focus on and work at how to inspire people. 

It was really a matter of me acquiring enough experience to have a point of view that I felt was worth sharing with others, setting a vision for a new team for example.  And I do mean that you need to “live” it, because we are so over booked we can easily slide back into just managing tasks, checking boxes, getting through the day without your Inbox crashing.  And most high-performing teams don’t need a task-master.  They need someone that they can trust, has a vision, and helps connect their daily work to that larger vision.

4. Biggest regret?

Maybe a disappointing answer, but I cannot think of a regret.  To regret something, at least in my mind, means you think back on a decision that was made, or not made, and you wish you could do it over.  Presumably you wish you could do it over because you are not happy with the result at that time, or where that decision has brought you today.  I’ve got a funny way of thinking that tells me every action I’ve taken in my past has led me to where I am today, and I LOVE where I am today.  If I changed one thing in the past, that regret, I wouldn’t be here today talking to you. 

5. Share a leadership story.

There is a quote that is sometimes attributed to Harry S Truman, and it says “It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.”  I have it tacked to my wall and look at it every day.  I honestly try to live my working life by this quote, because at its heart it is about stripping away personal or hidden agendas and focusing on what the company has determined is “the vision.”  Just work as a team for the greater good.  You will experience such a bonding with your team and that leads to engaged and passionate employees, and that can only mean good things will happen.    

6. Your “big 3”?

1. Don’t treat everyone the same, but do treat everyone fairly.  Everyone is motivated differently, so you need to adapt accordingly.
2. Undivided and intense focus when you are having 1:1 conversations with your employees.  They don’t care about your problems as a manager.  They care about you helping them with their problems.  This gets to the art of listening, and we all know we can do better here.
3. Champion your team / employees and find ways for them to grow professionally, even if that means there are better opportunities outside of your team.  Yes, it may mean that you personally have some temporary pain because you’re losing a good person, but you are a steward of the company and I believe you ultimately have the responsibility to grow those that work for you. And sometimes the best growth is outside of your team.  I’d rather look across the company and see people that I’ve managed or mentored doing great things, than having my own fiefdom with uninspired people.



About Tom DelMonte

Tom DelMonte is currently the Head of Operations for the SAP Marketing Communications organization.  Tom is an SAP veteran with over 14 years at the company spanning various functional areas including sales, development,  maintenance and support, and marketing.  Tom and his wife are active in their local civic association and enjoy volunteering for and coaching their two children’s various teams and organizations.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=path&l=4&page=3

I remember all too well when I started my first “real job” out of school. It was different and it was the little things that I didn’t think about that took me by surprise. Now I was calling adults by their first name – even the one that used to be my high school basketball coach – he still feels like a “Mr.” to me.

That’s why I pulled together a list of 10 basic rules for success in your first job – the unspoken rules for success in the corporate world. Some I learned the hard way, others I learned by observing successful new grads over the years.

1. Be professional – get there early and be mindful of your dress – take a cue from a person a few levels above you.
2. Be positive – It is always easier to work with someone who is positive – complainers and gossipers are never fun.
3. Be open - Regularly communicate with your boss about what your are working on…it gives them peace of mind and builds trust.
4. Stay calm – Try to keep your emotions in check – in most cases you’ll find that this is business, it’s not personal.
5. Find a buddy – Try to find a positive role model at the next level up from you who is willing to take you under their wing and show you the ropes. It’s always good to have someone close to share more sensitive questions or ideas.
6. Learn! – Seek to understand the big picture and how you fit. Ask questions –it demonstrates your engagement in your role. Spend time talking to people outside of your immediate team.
7. Take initiative – Once you finish your tasks, ask to do more. Nothing is worse than being bored at work – so take the initiative and ask to help. And if there is an area you want to learn more about, ask if there are shadowing opportunities so you can learn more.
8. Be social – if there is a happy hour or a softball team – join! This is a great chance for you to meet new people and expand your network. After all, your future career opportunities will likely come from people you have a relationship with.
9. Be nice – always live the golden rule and mind your manners. You never know who your next boss will be so make sure you respect and are kind  to everyone – even the janitor, security guard, and especially the support staff.
10. Be discreet – don’t put anything in an instant message, email, tweet, or on Facebook that you wouldn’t want your boss to read! Remember even CEOs are social these days!

Bonus #11 - This just in from my colleage Sylvia Santelli, a social media rockstar who succesfully navigated the transition from dorm room to boardroom. Sylvia says:

Be Patient - be patient with yourself and patient with your work. The corporate world is complex and not easy to figure out, but as eager as a fresh-out-of-college, ready-to-excel- young professional might be, they may feel frustrated when they don’t get it ALL right away, like they did in their classes.

Great one, Sylvia. Would love to hear your thoughts – what tips did I miss?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonbache/4626242697/

1. BE YOURSELF

At the Technology Services World Best Practices Conference in Santa Clara, CA, I attended a Women’s Networking Event where Ana Pinczuk of Cisco spoke to the audience about her career at Cisco and her role as a change agent and leader of 4000+ organization. The key takeaway for me was Ana’s constant reminder to always “be yourself”. People call her “quirky” and that is ok. It is her unique qualities that make her stand out and be the successful leader she is.

2. BE STRONG

At the SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference from Orlando, FL, Lance Armstrong shared his journey from cancer survivor to award-winning cyclist to business leader through his LIVESTRONG organization.

The biggest lesson I heard from Lance? Never give up! His story of courage and determination throughout his ordeal had lots of folks in the audience moved to tears.

3. BE OPEN

At SAPPHIRE NOW, I attended a panel discussion on “Diversity as a Competitive Advantage.” The panel was moderated by Phyllis Stewart Pires, SAP’s Vice President and Global Head of Diversity and included business leaders from across the SAP ecosystem – customers, partners, and employees.

It was a great discussion that covered why diversity is important, how organizations are bringing the topic to light, and how to raise awareness. Please take a minute to read my blog post on the SAP Community Network that includes a recap from the panel – biggest lesson? Be open – it is the different views and perspectives that really make for the best solutions and decisions.

4. BE PREPARED

As part of the ASUG Annual conference at SAPPHIRE NOW, I attended a luncheon that covered leadership and change management with a strong panel of experts – Lisa Leslie, WNBA All-Star & Team Captain, Bridgette Chambers, ASUG CEO, Bill Benjamin, CEO, Institute for Health & Human Potentia (IHHP), and Joel Bernstein, CFO, SAP North America. The panel discussed the challenges associated with change and the importance of communication and leadership.

My favorite moment? When Lisa Leslie shared the 7 Ps her mother taught her growing up – “Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.” This instilled confidence in her and taught her the importance of preparation and hard work – a lesson we can all live by today whether we are preparing for a meeting or for our next role.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcygallery/3102761425/in/photostream/

Grandpop would run behind me tirelessly, alternating between holding the back of my seat and letting go – over and over and over – keeping me steady until it finally clicked. I got my balance and felt like I was flying. I was free and moving fast and riding a bike would never be the same.

Looking back, I never really knew when he was or wasn’t holding the back of my seat. He never grabbed my handlebars. But I always knew he was there behind me, my biggest fan, cheering me on.

Hidden in my story is a small but powerful lesson that can be applied to your own team or to your own work. The best leaders always guide but never steer. They give you confidence, have your back, encourage smart risk-taking, help you get up if you fall and push you to keep on trying.

Best of all – they know how to get you out of your comfort zone, give you the courage you need to find your wings and they let you soar…just like you did when your own training wheels came off.

This post is dedicated to my Grandpop, Henry B. Supinski, who, among other things, taught me how to ride a 2-wheeler, how to play a mean game of checkers, how to nurture a garden, and how to be as good as one of the boys. Most days I think he is still running behind me…keeping me steady, making sure I don’t fall.