Expanding Your Sphere of Influence — Event by Advancing Women in Product (AWIP)

Credits: AWIP Team, Laura Ulmer (AWIP Seattle Founding Team Member), Fortunato Vega (AWIP Seattle Founding Team Member), Lucy Wang (AWIP Program Lead, SF), Vibhu Gavini (AWIP Seattle Advocate)

Advancing Women In Product Offers Seattle a Different Conversation

Product Management can be a brutal career choice; it can also be thrilling and rewarding. Choosing Product Management in the tech industry is no less so. It’s also no secret that women in the technology workplace face harsher conditions not just in getting their work done, but in achieving opportunities for grooming, mentorship, promotion, and access to work on flagship or high growth products as executive leaders. The more layers of direct and implicit bias impact a given individual based on their profile and background the harder it can be to advance. There continues to be plenty of conversation about the realities of building a successful career as a woman.

What I have found there has been far less of, is a conversation about actionable approaches that create an inclusive culture of work for everyone.

Advancing Women in Product (AWIP) offered a different conversation to product professionals in Seattle, a discussion about advocacy, self-knowledge, discernment, and the courage forge alliances, ask for help and choose battles. What makes AWIP an exciting and valuable addition to the Seattle advocacy community is two key factors:

• Facilitating constructive conversations
• Keeping access affordable and inclusive (all genders welcome at a reasonable cost)

Why do I say that is a different conversation? Because the vast majority of women in technology conversations I’ve listened to tend to focus on platitudes related to gender biased beliefs about women and men alike. I’ve also heard plenty about “forming an Ol’ Girls Club” to compete with the “Ol’ Boy’s Network.” To me, they are perpetuations of divisionist thinking which isn’t different or better than other forms of sexism/genderism, much less elitism. I believe it is of paramount importance that people have safe spaces to discuss shared experiences that happen as a result of race, gender, religion, and other factors. Special interest communities are critical to discover we are not alone in our struggle and can help each other.

As the mission shifts to changing the broader culture of work, and creating a more diverse leadership profile in companies, the conversation must shift to one of advocacy.

Advancing Women in Product offers that in spades with a commitment to keeping every event and membership within financial reach and welcoming to advocates of all genders and backgrounds. At the 11/15 event, AWIP invited the advocacy conversation to the table with their power panel consisting of Sharon Bolding, Shuba Govil, Stacy Kinkead, and Samantha Reynolds, with the support of two outspoken advocates for people of diverse backgrounds, Fortunato Vega and Vibhu Gavini. With these folks and a standing room house filled with Seattle area business and technology product community members, we experienced something entirely new in a ‘women’s advancement’ public conversation.

We witnessed recognition and gratitude for male advocates and the clear call to be an advocate for others, with authenticity, courage, presence, deep listening, and empathy as core principles underlying the evening’s topic “Expanding your Sphere of Influence.”

For the first time, I heard constructive advice about common concerns like:(All questions are real questions from the event and the answers summarized and combined from the panelists’ remarks)

“When do I stand my ground?”

Pick your battles and pay attention to the well-being of the team and the quality of experience of your paying customers. There will be times to hold the line and stand your ground. More often than not, when we keep our focus on healthy teams and healthy product experiences we can find savvy middle-paths that lead to stronger organizations, more positive advocacy for one another, and healthier products. The better we become at negotiating the all-around win rather than fighting for the win/loss, the more successful we will find our careers.

“How do I find a Mentor or Advocate?”

To get a mentor or advocate, you must both be willing to ask and invite the giving and receiving of mentorship and advocacy.

Offer to mentor and advocate for others, yourself, do that by recognizing and responding to requests for help and advice. Expedite everyone in helping them get to their goal as much as you are able without compromising your work.

Most importantly, build relationships with folks of all levels in your company by talking about things that have nothing to do with work. As you make those relationships keep an eye out for people inside of and outside of your company you feel you can trust and ask for advice when you think you are struggling.

“How do I deal with “Alphas” that talk over me?”

Building relationships with ‘Alpha’ personalities in the room who may have developed a counterproductive habit of talking over or not listening to softer spoken people. Befriend them and put them in your camp, let them be a megaphone for you.

If that fails, seek out others in advance who will be in the room that can support your voice.

“How do I compete with men who have deeper relationships up the leadership chain than I do?”

Talk to everyone and don’t think of relationship building as a competition. Build relationships with folks of all levels of your organization. Stick to non-work topics that expose common interests with members of the leadership team. Use deep listening skills and strive to be hyper-present with folks as a means of building more in-depth understanding and connection.

The Seattle Chapter of AWIP is brand new and seeking to invite foundational members eager to participate in change making. If you have an interest in the crucial conversations related changing the culture of work, sharing your experiences with the Product Community of Practice, and having access to successful professionals with genuine wisdom about advancement in the technology product discipline, join us.