A People Person
How Kim Holmes Found Self-Discovery At Discover
In 1998, Kim Holmes was the IT liaison for her company’s acquisition of a state-run Czechoslovakian insurance company. “I didn’t have a lot of formal experience,” she acknowledges. In terms of tenure, Kim was the youngest member of the team.
What she did have was the CIO’s’s trust and confidence. “I’m pretty good at learning on the fly.”
Kim’s team landed in Czechoslovakia and began traversing the landscape to understand what was required to complete the deal. Kim quickly realized that there was a vast chasm between expectations and reality. The expectations were that a few desktop computers would be sufficient to get operations up and running. Kim educated her team with the awareness that some things go beyond desktop hardware. The standard QWERTY keyboards were not compatible with the Czech language and needed to be replaced since the employees in the new office were not native English speakers. The Czech team’s way of doing business was also very different. They were using carbon paper to manually create copies of documents. The level of integration into using email and photocopiers was quite intensive. Kim prepared a budget which, as she phrased it, ‘had multiple commas.’ When she presented her budget to her senior business partner, an animated discussion ensued as Kim attempted to explain the connection between technology and the human side of the equation.
“Technology isn’t the only answer. You have to find the place where technology makes sense.”
At the conclusion of the successful acquisition, Kim remembers an incredibly rewarding moment when her business partner stated, “I get it now.”
Fast forward a number of years and we now find Kim an established member of Discover’s IT department. One of her key initiatives is bringing under-represented women into technology, as part of an accelerated boot camp. This team was tasked with testing one of Discover’s largest projects.
“Quality Assurance is a great way to get your foot in the door and build relationships. The members of this team have gone on to work in Deposits, Student Loans, CyberSecurity, Server Security and Enterprise Software. They just needed the opportunity.”
One of Kim’s inspirational female leaders is a truly spectacular Project Manager who found new ways to create a sense of community while spearheading a project launch with an extremely aggressive timeline.
“She made coming to work enjoyable. For example, she created a newsletter highlighting team wins. It also included light-hearted items such as the sharing of recipes and the announcement of life events, such as baby showers. This led to a close-knit feeling of teamwork and camaraderie.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of Kim’s career was finding ways to connect people with each other and their greater mission.
“People are always my go-to solution. When I asked new employees, ‘What do you enjoy doing?’ they expressed surprise that an employer would demonstrate any level of interest in their activity preferences.” These reactions awoke Kim to a sense of how she wanted to lead teams and influence the organization so that people would have a chance of working on things that engaged them.
“Be prepared to be persistent. You will experience challenges, some of which are not of your making. Learn to be clear on what you’re looking for and don’t hesitate to share this with others. Folks know I’m not shy about sharing and they’ve come to me with ideas on new ways that I can get involved. For example, I was offered the opportunity to be the company’s IT representative at campus career fairs. I found that I really enjoyed talking with young people and showing them, not just by my words but also by my presence, that women of color can have a great career in information technology.”
This story was written by Saranya Murthy, Wogrammer Journalism Fellow. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Support our mission to celebrate more amazing women in tech, like the one featured here, by donating to AnitaB.org.
