In conversation with Lauren Freeman
Lauren Freeman, Director of Global External Development for Electronic Arts, Seattle.
Meet Lauren Freeman, she’s the Director of Global External Development for Electronic Arts,(popularly known as EA). EA is the creator of household famous games such as Madden, Sims and Plants VS Zombies to name a few. She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband Rohan and daughter Amaya.
Lauren and I first met in 2009. We were both just starting out in our careers in the social gaming space which was booming. Who knew virtual crops, wandering cows, and flying birds would create a multi billion dollar industry. We met through work, while Lauren was at Lolapps and I was at CAH. We became fast friends and recognized in each other a strength that was familiar and comfortable.
From there Lauren has grown to be one of my closest friends and support. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding and the one I know I can call for advice on anything from negotiating a contract, making career decisions and the best online yoga videos.
I’m so excited to share her journey with you and hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed developing it.
How did you know you wanted to be in Operations and External Development?
I didn’t know initially! It wasn’t until I started working in this field in earnest that I realized the capabilities and skills I have honed over the course of my career were a great fit for this area. I think it is a common feeling among people early in their careers, but every time I moved jobs early on I worried that I was fragmenting my experience. As it turns out, there were aspects of every job I have had that were consistent and led me to where I am today. The many roles I have had include; talent agent, social game writer, content producer, and program manager.
Who inspires you?
My mom. She’s the kindest person and always smiles despite having gone through some real trials and tribulations in her life. She reminds me there is always something to be grateful for, even when in the middle of a rough patch.
How do you manage stress?
I seem to have inherited my mom’s knack for mostly finding the bright side in life. I often can find the humor in situations which helps. I used to get kicked out of class in school for laughing. I would have to sit out in the hallway and compose myself. I get comments from complete strangers pretty frequently who tell me I look happy. I seem to have a “resting smiling face.” I’m an introvert by nature which means that I have an internal voice that never shuts up and keeps me endlessly entertained. When it comes to managing stress, this same voice can also talk me into believing things are worse than they really are! It’s a trait that separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. We can literally talk ourselves into a state of being and whether that’s positive or negative is not always in our full control. I’ve found that meditation and yoga really help me to be more in control of my inner dialogue.
How do you balance work and life?
Like many people around the world right now, I’m working from home with a full house. I have a 15 month year old daughter, husband, dog, and nanny at home. I have always been the type of person to keep a prioritized to-do list and I’m very disciplined about time management. I used to schedule nearly every minute of my day. Working at home has forced me to reckon with the fact that I need to add more flexibility in my day. I need to be more available for my family and for my colleagues who are experiencing heightened stress. This is a conundrum to be sure! How can you be more available for everyone and still have time for yourself? What I have started to do is to make sure I have a lot of unscheduled time during the day. I ruthlessly book my calendar out so that it doesn’t get blocked with meetings before I have a chance to control what my day looks like which includes time for myself.
How do you balance motherhood and your career?
Someone told me once that becoming a mother can make you a better employee because it increases your ability to prioritize what is important and manage your time. I think there is some truth to that. I don’t work twelve hour days because I can’t. What I lack in ability to put in long days, I more than make up for in my ability to figure out what’s important and to not slack off when I’m working.
Have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome / gaslighting? How did you handle it?
Sure, I have. Earlier in my career, I made a lot of lateral moves where I wound up in a role that I didn’t have a lot of experience with prior. What I’ve found is that many roles have fundamental capabilities that make you qualified whether you have technical skillset out the gate or not. For example, my experience as a talent agent gave me negotiation ability that I use every day in my current role. My experience as a book editor provided me with the ability to write very succinct emails and make sure I’m clearly getting my point across.
Do you struggle with confidence? How do you overcome it?
We all have bad days sometimes and I’m not immune to that. In my worst moments, I can talk myself into believing that I don’t have anything valuable to contribute to a conversation. This is especially true when it comes to interactions with really bold, self-promoting extroverts. Because I am very introspective, I can default to studying the speaker and not saying anything. I also have found that I am genuinely interested in what other people have to say. I’m a damn good listener. This is a good trait to have and makes me a strong manager, but it can also backfire if I don’t remind myself on occasion to participate. My fear of not adding value to conversations can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.To defeat this demon I overly prepare. I have a few key sound bytes or questions that I know I will cover before I get to the table. Then I make it a fun challenge to figure out precisely when to pepper these into the conversation so it seems natural.
How do you combat bias in the industry?
Don’t let intimidation tactics keep you from making valuable contributions. Maybe more important, know what intimidation tactics are so you can spot them when they are happening to you. Intimidation is used to make you feel small and appear small. Instead of shrinking in on yourself when this happens, learn to make yourself larger than life. Speak up louder. Stand up and pace the room. Take up space. Learn to get comfortable with interruption if someone is dominating a conversation. It’s not rude. It’s a survival tactic. Men do it all the time. Women historically have been taught that being quiet and small is feminine. But it’s also the quickest way to be invisible. Next time you’re tempted to let yourself be invisible because it’s easier than speaking up, remember the women from generations before us who fought so hard to give us a voice at the table. Let’s make that voice count ladies. This is especially hard for people like myself who are a bit shy naturally. Rest assured, the more you do this the less difficult it is.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for the next generation of women in tech?
Clarity regarding which roles are going to be automated and which won’t. I think this is a challenge the tech industry as a whole is faced with. However, when it comes to women who traditionally haven’t been as represented in this space, narrowing the amount of viable roles could be detrimental. For young women entering tech right now, it is imperative to try to understand what the future will hold so that they can design a career path that will be viable 40–50 years from now.
Any advice to women wanting to get into Tech, what do you wish you had known?
Invest time and energy developing core skills such as negotiation, business writing, communication, and leadership training. These are transferable skills regardless of the specifics of the job.
