Women Leaders In Technology (WLIT) Coffee Talk: Empowering Data With Passion
July 13, 2022
Last week, Rocket Software held its quarterly Women Leaders in Technology (WLIT) Coffee Talk. WLIT is made up of a remarkable group of Rocket ambassadors who work to create an environment of mentorship and connection that supports and provides guidance for women working in a typically male-dominated industry.
For this session, Rocket’s Global Head of Field Marketing, Kelly Sutter, sat down with Joy King, a former vice president at Vertica with over three decades of professional experience in the tech industry, to discuss how women can harness the power of data using personal and professional passions. Joy shared several personal anecdotes about her experiences looking beyond the technical aspects of data and analytics and focusing on the power of what that data was doing to see the overall importance of her work. She also shared stories of how pursuing her passions within the tech industry allowed her to find purpose within her profession.
Below are the three biggest takeaways from those anecdotes to help our community of WLITs on their own journeys of empowering data with passion.
- Find Purpose in Your Work
The global pandemic helped us recognize life’s fragility and led many employees to question their worth within a company. This has pushed many employers to offer better pay and greater employee benefits and create a more inclusive work environment.
But while better pay and benefits are important, they cannot and should not be the prevailing reason employees choose to work for an organization. Today’s employees—no matter their gender—are looking for purpose within their profession and an opportunity to understand the difference their work is making in the world. In Joy’s opinion, this is especially true for women, who she noted are likely to care for and protect their loved ones and the earth (more on this below). It is the responsibility of both the employee and employer to uncover and create purpose behind each role within a company.
- Embrace your sense of caring
One of Joy’s more compelling stories focused on the genetic predisposition of females to care about their loved ones and the world around them. To highlight these inherent drives, she referenced the female black bear, that is non-aggressive around humans unless they are with their cubs. Women are genetically designed to care. Joy believes women throughout the tech industry should embrace their “mama bear” mentality.
Data and analytics are the driving force behind creating a safer today and building a better tomorrow. Whether it is helping farmers improve crop production and farmland sustainability by providing analytical analysis of farmland data, soil chemistry and weather patterns, or innovating pediatric cancer treatment for children through human-geoanalytics, women leaders from all sectors of the tech industry can not only find purpose in the work they’re doing today, but also understand the integral role they play in improving the future.
- Tap into what truly fuels you
In order to sustain a fruitful and fulfilling career, it is critical to look inwardly and ask yourself, “what excites me?” The technology industry provides myriad avenues for women to create positive change in the world—whether you want to help preserve the planet, cure diseases or reimagine the education system. In Joy’s experience, if you are able to understand what your passions are, both personally and professionally, and seek out positions based on those passions, no lack of inclusivity, experience or any other hurdles will be able to stop you.
To use data as a tool to empower passions and create purpose within the tech industry, we as leaders must continue to convey its importance and the positive change it brings to our world. By embracing both the power of data, women will bring purpose, drive and positive change to our industry.
Listen to Kelly and Joy’s full discussion on-demand by clicking here. Register now for the next WLIT Coffee Talk on October 11th at 11 am ET. Rocket will be joined by Kimber Chin, Author & Mind Power Coach, to discuss how to align your passion and purpose to focus on what matters most. Visit the WLIT homepage and join the WLIT community to watch past Coffee Talks and read the WLIT blog.
