The tech space is dynamic, fast-paced and continually in a state of flux. However, an aspect within it that has taken a while to start changing is the representation of women. Our Expert Contributor, Sanja Licina, President, Workforce at QuestionPro, unpacks all it means to make it as a woman leading in technology as she discusses her journey through the tech space so far.
While the number of women in the technology sphere has grown over the last decade, this year’s projectedOpens a new window 33% representation shows us that there is still a long way to go. “My biggest success is to have earned the right to be asked for my opinion,’ says Licina, and it makes one wonder about the strong headwinds that need to be battled to move ahead in one’s career in a domain still dominated by men. Captured below are her thoughts, shared with us in her own words.
The Value of Relationships
Like most other professions, building strong relationships within your organization and the technology community is critical. We often focus on developing the hard skills, which is undoubtedly essential in technology, but having strong ties with colleagues and other professionals within the industry is just as important. Not only can a tremendous amount of learning happen through more casual interactions, but individuals who know us, trust us, and value us, will champion for us and share new opportunities for growth and development.Â
Equal Pay: Stitch that Gap
Unfortunately, the gender pay gap is not unique to STEM, but hopefully, various organizations and industries can also learn from each other while striving to achieve this goal. With the pandemic having negatively impacted women more strongly than their male colleagues, there has undeniably been a setback in achieving equality. Organizations can evaluate how much they pay their people with similar roles and equalize the pay without women asking for the raise. If this sounds like a hard decision to make that would unnecessarily hurt the bottom line, enterprises need to remember that this is a workers’ market. Couple that with an increasing, competitive focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives.
If you do not equalize the pay for your workers and pay them competitively, someone else will be happy to. That brings me to the initial offer. Women may ask for less money during the recruitment process, but organizations should not offer less than their male counterparts. It’s essential to pay a person what they are worth, and if you do not, you’ll be risking crucial talent getting poached. We need to bridge the gap now, or it will just become more prominent over time if women start at a lower pay grade. We need to stitch it now before it becomes even more challenging to correct the fabric of our work culture.
Owning Our Success
Impostor syndrome is such an unfortunate phenomenon, and so essential to continue to raise awareness about it. Maddie Grant and I did a whole episodeOpens a new window on impostor syndrome on our podcast last year.
Like many other things that can hold us back as professionals, knowing that this is not something you face alone is critical. Awareness, however, is not enough. Associating with other successful women in technology is one way to combat the feeling that you got somewhere by chance or luck. If you hear those who you admire say that they have felt the same way before, and you fully believe that they have earned every bit of the role they have, it will help change your opinion of your place as well.Â
Fighting for Impact
Technology has been incredibly powerful in helping globalize information, improve relationships and communication, and advance health cures. There are still more men in the profession than women, but women need to realize the incredible impact they can have by choosing this as a career and how rewarding it can be personally and professionally. More and more organizations are placing great emphasis on diversity and inclusion. With these efforts, any areas that have felt like “boys clubs†in the past should be increasingly minimized. As more young women enter the profession, they’ll have an increasingly large impact on paving the way for us not to have to differentiate whether it’s women or men in technology. Hopefully, we’ll get to a world of equal participation soon.
Leading and Supporting the Future
My biggest success is earning the right to be asked for my opinion and advice by prestigious publications and organizations like yours. This isn’t tied to a role, job title, or pay, but if my experience is valuable enough to help change the world of work for the better, it’s the biggest honor and privilege I can ask for. My biggest learning was that a supportive leader could have a huge impact, not only on a person’s career but also on their overall wellbeing. I have worked for some exceptional leaders, who have pushed me outside my comfort zone, and helped me grow in ways I never thought imaginable. I am forever grateful for those leaders and would advise those who do not feel like their leader is their biggest champion to move on to someone else. Life is too short to settle for anything less. Â
Have you ever had an inclusive leader at work that has truly inspired you? Share with us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to know more about you!
About Expert Contributors: The Expert Contributor program is designed to help kickstart meaningful conversations around the priorities and challenges most critical to C-level executives. The insights and perspectives will help CIOs tackle what’s most important to them. We are always looking for industry thinkers who can help set the narrative for our enterprise audience. To know more about this program, and submit your ideas, reach out to the Spiceworks News & Insights Editorial team at [email protected]Opens a new window .