Amazing interview with alanatkaren and GinnyClarke!
As part of our ongoing series Adventures of Women in Tech, host Alana Karen sat down with Ginny Clarke, Leadership Strategist and former Director of Executive Recruiting at Google.
While I was working for these other companies, in financial services, I always volunteered to go on campus and recruit on their behalf. I’ve always loved assessing people, engaging with people and finding the matching pieces while understanding the business situation, so I decided I wanted to be a professional executive recruiter.
Can you share what you wanted to be when you grew up? I have this report I did, when I was 10, on careers. I wanted to be a model – because I’m 6’ tall and everyone told me I should be – and a veterinarian or an orthopedic surgeon, because my mother had been a physical therapist and worked extensively with orthopedic surgeons, and I thought that was really cool.
I’ll share another angle, about the most difficult time in my life, which was right when I joined Spencer Stewart in 1997. My son was one and I started a day after his birthday, then my mom passed away the following month. At the end of that year, I had asked my husband for a divorce. That first year or two was rough. I spent my entire career in Chicago – even though I’m a California girl – and I didn’t have a deep system of family to help with my son.
My son, who’s 25, taught me a great deal of patience and he also taught me that I am a guide. I am not here to tell him what to do. I am a humble guide and my parents were that way with us. What if I could offer something that’s providing insight into how this all works so people could take away and use it for themselves for their own benefit?
The quick one is, as women, we don’t do it as well because we’ve been socialized not to promote ourselves.People see it as being braggadocious to say, “I’m really good at such and such”. I can tell you, as a recruiter, if you don’t tell me what you are good at, how do I know? Now that you’re a bit out of tech with a rear-view mirror into what you’ve been through – what do you think some of the sins of tech are and what aren’t we doing right? Or what could we be doing better? All any organization is, is talent. You need to be assessing that talent and developing them effectively. Let me give you an example as to why tech companies are the way they are.
When you start moving from being an individual contributor into the leadership ranks, different competencies are required and I’m not sure these tech companies are expecting and holding leaders accountable for exhibiting those behaviors. This contributes to the DEI and the representation issue. If leaders are not used to dealing with people that don’t look like them, how good are they going to be at leading them? Some might be instinctive but many are not.
Question from Audience: What executive skill traits should anyone think about having to manage and go about their day-to-day? Aka being the CEO of your own life in addition to being a professional woman. Ginny: The linguist in me is going to say skills and traits are different. Skills are what you have learned. Traits are more innate. You can modify and enhance, but I think they’re different things.
Alana: As a working mom, one important thing I’ve figured out I needed to do has been sheer prioritization. Certain things are going to get done today and certain things are not going to get done. In that prioritizing, I have to be on that list. It can’t be for 18 years, or however long, that I am at the bottom of the list.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Our Favorite ‘Luxurious’ Universal Standard Bodysuit Is on SaleOne Strategist contributor owns not one, not two, not three — but four.
Leer más »
Simone Biles Does Her Own Hair and Makeup at the Olympics Because What Can't She Do?'If we're looking busted, mind your own business.' Simone_Biles
Leer más »
Camila Cabello Celebrates “Curves and Cellulite” In Body Positive TikTok“We got to own that, baby.” ❤️
Leer más »
Still Dodging Movie Theaters? Create One At Home With These Awesome ProjectorsTo get the biggest screen possible, there's still nothing quite like the best projectors. Big screen TVs might be more affordable than ever, but even the uber rich can't get high-resolution screens over 100-inches. For that, you need a projector.
Leer más »