According to DDI’s 2023 “Global Leadership Forecast,” the percentage of women in tech leadership roles has fallen to 28 percent. DDI cited caregiving responsibilities related to COVID — combined with the isolation from working in tech — as two major factors leading to the decline.
Though women are still shockingly underrepresented, signs of hope are glimmering in the contemporary tech landscape. Women are making waves in notable leadership roles, and the overall percentage of women in technology and leadership roles is slowly increasing. That’s encouraging to people like Madison Romero of SourceDay. Romero’s career took off after she made her ambitions known to her manager. Built In asked Romero and three other women what it takes to move up the ranks in tech. Read on to learn from their insights.
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How can individual contributors prepare for roles in management?
The best ways individuals can prepare for management are practicing effective communication, developing a solution-focused bias toward action and developing your own personal mission statement with a set of guiding principles to support it.
Pay attention to the leaders around you. Make note of the traits and behaviors you admire and want to emulate — as well as those you wish to avoid. Observe how the effective leaders around you communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences. Specifically, notice how they communicate the business value of the deep technical work their teams are doing in a way that other leaders and decision-makers understand.
Use these observations to build your own set of principles as to the type of leader and communicator you want to be. Above all, remember that you do not need a management title or role to be a good leader. You can lead just as effectively as an individual contributor as you can as a manager.
You can lead just as effectively as an individual contributor as you can as a manager.”
Share a moment or achievement that accelerated your career.
A few years into my career in quality assurance, I led an effort to successfully introduce test automation for a client after several unsuccessful attempts to do so. The keys to my success included persistence in the face of skepticism, a solution-oriented attitude and effective communication of the business value and results once the project started to gain traction.
Specifically, I was able to quantify both the cost savings and the increased capacity for our quality assurance staff.This allowed the team to focus our efforts on more complex and valuable testing while automated testing caught regressions on existing code.
This project provided an avenue for senior leadership to see my leadership potential in action and eventually led to the client hiring me as a full-time manager. The entire experience proved to be a catalyst for my career.
What is one trait or skill all good managers have?
Successful managers are effective communicators and active listeners. Clear and consistent communication of business value and context around what the team is working on, along with active listening, can be the differentiating factor between a poor deliverable and a great one or between an angry customer and an elated one. It can also mean the difference between engaged, productive employees and disengaged, unhappy employees. When the team members under our care observe us sharing context and actively listening to what they are truly saying to us, a deeper level of trust will form. This leads to more meaningful engagement and connection with their work and the company mission.
Effective communication must happen between all levels of the organization. The more successful you are, the more important communication becomes. Proactively building relationships with employees, peers and senior leadership will help you successfully navigate the disagreements that arise as a natural part of leading teams. Investing time and energy into collaborative working relationships early will pay dividends throughout your tenure at any organization
Episode Six empowers global banks, fintechs and brands the freedom to design payment and currency exchange.
How can individual contributors prepare for roles in management?
Transitioning from an individual contributor to a management role in the fast-paced world of fintech is an exciting journey that requires careful preparation.
First and foremost, seek opportunities that showcase your leadership potential. Volunteer for projects or initiatives that allow you to take the lead, whether it’s spearheading a critical project or curating a high-value event. Demonstrating leadership skills in these scenarios can help you gain credibility and practice your management style.
In the world of finance and technology, time is a precious commodity. Effective time management and delegation are non-negotiables. Managers often need to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities, and delegation is the key to unlocking efficiency. Practice effective time management and learn how to delegate tasks to others.
Share a moment or achievement that accelerated your career.
It’s challenging to name a single moment, but a series of pivotal experiences from leading large transactions from more than a legal perspective comes to mind. These moments allowed me to showcase my skills and ability to manage projects. Most importantly, they underscored my capacity to be more than a legal expert by highlighting my role as a strategic business partner. This shift from legal specialist to collaborative, business-focused leader was a defining milestone in my career trajectory.
What is one trait or skill all good managers have?
Without a doubt, one universal trait that defines exceptional managers is emotional Intelligence. This invaluable skill empowers managers to grasp the emotions, needs and viewpoints of their team members while showing genuine care for the wellbeing of their employees.
In the ever-changing fintech landscape, where collaboration and innovation are paramount, this skill is particularly vital. Emotional intelligence not only nurtures a positive work environment but also elevates team spirits, fosters a sense of job satisfaction and enhances overall productivity. Cultivating emotional intelligence is a critical stepping stone toward becoming a successful leader.
Cultivating emotional intelligence is a critical stepping stone toward becoming a successful leader.”
SourceDay is a leading collaboration engine that modernizes how companies work with suppliers.
How can individual contributors prepare for roles in management?
I recommend setting clear intentions by having a really transparent conversation with your manager and mentor about your interest in becoming a manager. They can provide the behind-the-scenes of what their day-to-day looks like and what skills they have to flex most frequently.
Once I shared interest in this career path, my manager was able to delegate some of the items on his plate to me so I could get experience and ask questions. He even invited me to shadow him in meetings with the executive team.
It's also helpful to get insight from someone you trust who works closely with you. In doing so, you can start building new skills, improving others and identifying which strengths you can lean into.
Share a moment or achievement that accelerated your career.
I can't pinpoint a single instance or moment that stands out as being pivotal to my career development, but I always made sure to accept challenging projects and problems. I didn’t always love it. These difficult projects tested my limits, but learning how to fail gave me the opportunity to learn new skills and grow quickly.
Showing up consistently, doing excellent work, supporting my team and finding new ways to improve experiences for our clients brought me closer to where I am now than any particular achievement.
What is one trait or skill all good managers have?
My favorite managers have always been the ones who provide very clear and prescriptive feedback. If I was doing something well and they wanted to see more of that, they would provide that feedback with details on what worked well. Similarly, if I needed to make a change, I could expect details on what needed to be adjusted and what the impact would be. I never questioned the direction I was going or the quality of my work because I knew where I stood, and I knew I could rely on my managers to guide me.
My favorite managers have always been the ones who provide very clear and prescriptive feedback.”
BigCommerces mission is to help merchants sell more at every stage of growth, from small startups, to mid-market businesses, to large enterprises.
How can individual contributors prepare for roles in management?
There are three crucial activities that I highly recommend investing in while preparing for roles in management. Prioritize your own professional development, bloom where you are planted and manage your personal brand.
Investing in your professional development will not only help prepare you for what’s next, but it will also help you excel at your current role. I carve out time on a weekly basis to read and learn from other thought leaders so I can stay ahead of the curve. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time fine-tuning my emotional intelligence skills and learning how to most effectively collaborate. The learning never ends; it’s a lifelong journey!
Investing in your professional development will not only help prepare you for what’s next, but it will also help you excel at your current role.”
“Bloom where you are planted” are five words that have stayed in the back of my mind throughout my entire career. It’s crucial to demonstrate that you know the job if you want to build credibility and be seen as a leader. Time and time again I’ve worked with peers that are so fixated on getting promoted that they lose sight of the job at hand. Their performance suffers. Bloom where you are planted and do everything you can to become an expert in your current role.
Last but not least, manage your brand. It can take a decade to build a brand of credibility and expertise, and potentially one moment to destroy it. Act like a leader, demonstrate positivity and focus and collaborate with your colleagues, especially with cross-functional teams. When you’re up for a promotion, you want everyone around you to be able to picture you in the role. That’s the best way to get buy-in, especially if you’re coming from life as an individual contributor.
Share a moment or achievement that accelerated your career.
Sales can be very black and white. You either hit a number, or you don’t. Fortunately, I’ve had the track record of consistently overperforming during my tenure at BigCommerce. I’ve routinely received top performer awards and have been in our president’s club.
I’ve been very grateful to have had the opportunity to build and scale new teams and roles within our agency organization, and I have demonstrated year-over-year growth while creating new operational efficiencies.
I’ve also overcome my fear of public speaking by pushing myself onto stages, panels and webinars. This has really helped amplify my network and let me learn from many brilliant people in our industry.
What is one trait or skill all good managers have?
Of all the skills that are mission critical for management, the absolute number one make-or-break trait is to be a good listener. Not only do you need to be a good listener, but you also need to demonstrate you’ve internalized the interaction and are prepared to act on it if necessary. One of the greatest ways leaders can make an impact is by creating change for the better. The best way to do that is to be very approachable so your teams feel comfortable confiding in you and so that other cross-functional organizations trust you to get shit done.
