Please Stay: How Women in Tech Survive and Thrive

By Kelley Irwin and Debra Christmas

Women in technology are primed to claim their well-earned seat at the table.We have heard about the glass ceiling and the broken rung. We are prepared to take action and achieve high velocity progress. Join us as we take a step forward to change the trajectory of professional careers for women in tech.Debra and Kelley, two technology executives,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Women in Tech Tribe Publishing
• Release date: Nov 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781777301811

Kelley Irwin

Kelley Irwin is a technology executive whose leadership style combines both emotional intelligence and superb business skills. She is value-driven, leading with a strong sense of responsibility to create positive change.

Book preview

Introduction

On a warm summer evening in Florida at a business conference event on a patio overlooking the water, Debra and Kelley were introduced to each other for the first time.

Just as most significant ideas happen between women – over a shared meal and an engaging conversation – two individual and very personal visions turned into a joint commitment to start a movement. Two women with 75 years’ combined experience in the field of information technology got to know each other and, as so often is the case when women come together, they talked about areas of interest and topics that matter. Two women from different backgrounds, cultures, and countries talked about their lives, their career journeys, the challenges they encountered, the joys of their profession and the many lessons learned along the way. After sharing some delicious hors d'oeuvres and interesting conversations with the other 100 people at the event, these women locked into a conversation that would change their lives. They eventually looked up to discover they were sitting alone with the restaurant employees waiting to close. With a smile and a polite goodnight to the staff, they made their way out of the restaurant and committed to stay connected. That was the first conversation.

Many more conversations ensued from that initial life-changing exchange, and the collaboration and friendship have culminated in this book. Both women have been successful in their careers, overcome barriers, and supported other women every step of the way. They challenged the status quo, and led with courage and integrity for more than three decades.

Why a book?  We have so many avenues of communication – blogs and social media dominate our world. Everyone has something to say, and many people talk about writing a book. We both felt that not only did we want to write a book, but that book was in us and wanted to come out. We didn’t want to just share our journeys and our stories, but wanted to help other women navigate their path in this field with insights, guidance, and strategies – specific tactics and actions they could use. We have been mentors and sponsors for both women and men along the way, and participated in public speaking, workgroups, and committees. We found that people could be inspired, but what is often lacking is the HOW. How do we find our voice?  How can we be a friend, and not a foe to other women? How can we stop sabotaging ourselves? Part of our mission is not only to share what we have learned along the way, but to provide real advice on what you can do.

Our goals include recognizing talented women in tech (you will hear from many of them in the book), inspiring the broader community of women in tech, and encouraging the next generation of young women to join us. It is equally important for us to embrace our women in tech tribe – a human social group – and to support and retain the women currently in the profession.

We’ve all heard statistics about the challenges and the need to encourage young women to join the tribe and to reduce the attrition of talented women currently in the technology profession. Women in tech are uniquely positioned to demonstrate their leadership as we know how to build communities and engage people to bring out their personal best.

Join this tribe of women in tech. We are creating a movement to help our women in the tech tribe grow, excel, flourish, and stay!

There are no accidents or coincidences in life. Our paths were meant to cross, and a friendship was cemented. From that friendship a mission was born. We hope you join us on this journey.

Please Stay

This is happening now.

Women are working in the Information and Technology (IT) sector, and more are joining every day.

But women still make up less than 24% of the global IT workforce¹.

At times, they are professionally challenged and personally experience unconscionable and inexcusable behaviour directed toward them because . . . they are women.

Women at a major high-tech firm were told – in a broadly distributed company memo – they were anxious because of their gender’s higher level of neuroticism. Should we consider instead a contributor to this anxiety is actually the hostile work environment?

Women in the video game industry were targeted by an angry mob online. Their addresses and other personal information were published, and death threats were made in an organized manner to destroy their lives. Should women need to fear for their lives because of their career choice?

A woman in a high-tech firm was being sexually harassed by her manager. She spoke with HR and had proof of the conduct but was told the harasser was a high performer, and she would need to either continue working for him or find a job in another department. Should women accept illegal and immoral attacks because their employer turns a blind eye?

Many of these women leave their jobs because the culture is toxic.

This is happening now.

These incidents are not unique.

We could fill an entire book with stories of marginalization, abuse, and the mistreatment of women in tech careers.

But we are better than that.

And women in tech deserve more than that. We need to openly talk about a career for women in tech, what that really feels like, how we can excel, how we can overcome barriers – both real and self-imposed – to thrive in an industry that presents amazing opportunities to make a difference. We need to talk about how we ask for help, how we offer support to each other through these challenges, and how we can not only be successful, but thrive, in a career in technology.

Technology has and continues to change our world; both our professional and personal lives are impacted by technology and innovation. The trajectory of advancement and innovation in this field is beyond measure. As technologists, we are changing civilization, and it is exciting to be part of this field. This isn’t just about coding, or even computer science, as they are both only a part of what information and technology is today. The skills and aptitude that we need far surpass a degree in math or science. We need creative people, innovative thinkers, excellent problem solvers, and people with social and communications skills. We need people who understand both the human needs and the technical jargon and can marry the two to unleash wonderful, usable, feature-rich solutions for real life and real people. We need leaders who can engage and collaborate with a workforce comprised of five generations. We need women from all walks of life, with a wide range of knowledge and competencies, to choose technology as a career. And maybe more importantly, for those women who are already here, already working and succeeding in technology careers, we need you to please stay.

We need your energy, your ideas, your experience, your power, and your unique gifts to bring IT to life in a way we have never seen before. Please don’t go.

We have stories and people and methods to help you navigate the challenges you face, whether that means how to find your voice, secure your seat at the table, deal with discrimination and bias, or partner with your female and male colleagues and professional contacts to carve out a fair road for yourself and all of us.

Please stay is about finding your tribe and thriving in the area of your choice. Women in tech have made progress and yet, there is so much more to be done. This will take more than a village. It will require women like you, around the world in all industries and all communities, women who are talented, smart, capable, and courageous to continue to demand our right to be here, our right to lead, and our right to speak so we can all excel.

The good news – a women in tech tribe is all around us. This is a group of like-minded women who believe women belong in IT, wish to be connected to each other, enjoy being part of a meaningful community, and want to make a difference. We just need to embrace each other.

Our tribe is growing. We want you, we need you, and we are here for you so --- PLEASE STAY!

Barriers

Barriers – a limit or boundary of any kind

Women in tech can thrive in exciting careers. They can also face barriers imposed externally from others or internally from our own thinking. These barriers, or boundaries, are obstacles that we allow to impact our lives. Two people can be faced with the exact same obstacle, and where one will see a barrier, the other may see a challenge to be conquered. We can also experience the same barrier two times in our life and choose