Each day during Grace Hopper Celebration 2021, I will send out a personal email. Below is the content of Day 2. Subscribe below to get these delivered directly to your inbox.
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Grace Hopper Celebration 2021 Day 2 did not disappoint. New connections, brand new inspiration, and two sessions that got my blood going (and not in a horrible way).
My thoughts below may be controversial to some and tech corporations must do better, especially social media publishing companies. One of the best things we can do is disagree with respect, experience, and intuition so that together we improve the experience for all.
What inspired or got you going today?
I got a big surprise!
See me in two different parts of this incredible video!
What I attended
Live Desk & Keynote: From Techno-Optimism to Techno-Realism: What It Means to Innovate Responsibly
It was hard to listen to this session because the reality on the ground within the company Facebook (I have clients at Facebook) is very far away from what was shared. It is also different to hear about co-creation and “dilemmas” when Facebook creates and deepens deadly problems in many places in the world by avoiding their responsibility and have known about it for years according to their own statements and public reporting in various parts of the world. However, there was valuable inspiration, some humility, and a quote that did inspire me: sometimes the responsible thing to do is to go beyond what folks are comfortable with right now. I hope Facebook executive leadership listens.
Live Desk & Keynote: Vanessa Pappas in Conversation with Kara Swisher
I have very strong opinions about how irresponsible social media has been in the US (see above). I listened carefully to this conversation and appreciated how Kara Swisher pushed for clarity and went head-on into difficult, nuanced conversations. Platitudes don’t cut it, especially for women in tech, and this is worth a listen.
(On Demand) Dare to Solve “Impossible” Problems CAN’T MISS SESSION!
“Often, we are asking the wrong questions.” – Lisa Zane shared her personal brand statement, her humor, and her inspiration from other leaders across tech. She also shared the most powerful and clear crash-course into what product management actually is, how to be successful as a product manager, and why it matters to you, the tech industry, and eventually the world. This is a can’t miss session.
Integrating Ethics and Responsibility in the Product Development Cycle
We all know it but Kathy Pham brings it into real world examples and powerful data. The world is created around one identity and leaves the majority of us behind: nurses, journalists, car passengers, teachers, elder, youth, and more. Two quotes touched me deeply:
- “Safe for whom?”
- “Be radical in inclusion”
Mid-Career Lounge
In my career I’ve learned that power of resiliency and offering grace. There were tech issues and the varied human responses were fascinating. It was clear to me that I was committed to attending the session and an unexpected obstacle wasn’t going to ruin my experience or my attitude. What are you committed to? How do you give yourself & others grace?
My Biggest A-Ha
“We ask for too little and accept too many crumbs”
During the Mid-Career Lounge numerous topics were shared and questions were posed from the strain of parenting and reaching for new career levels; how to balance health and ambition; and what mid-career actually means anyway.
In a conversation that continued after the session, a fellow attendee and very successful – by society and her own terms! – woman in tech wrote, “we ask for too little and accept too many crumbs.”
And she is right.
- Why can’t you hire a household manager as an investment in your career?
- Why won’t you move employers when you know you are underpaid?
- What don’t you expect your employer to support your ambition and your health?
- Why do you stay in any situation that isn’t elevating and support you as you?
I have this habit as well and it held back my career. I’ve been working on changing this since my son was born and I’m still working on changing my own habit of asking for too little.
This is also what I am helping clients with; for example, in 2021 two have doubled their incomes & one has killed a PIP by changing only what she expected.
If you need help with this, reach out. You deserve a full meal, not crumbs.
What I’m Looking Forward To
I’m looking forward to:
- Live Desk & Keynote: Leveraging Intersectionality
- Live Desk & Keynote: Timnit Gebru
- Building Your Own Table: Making Strategic Moves in Your Career
- Dare to… Invest in the Last Mile for Low-Income Women in Tech