Celebrating Women In Tech

Question: What drew you to HR, did you know that’s what you wanted to do? 

Answer: I always knew I wanted to work with people, I initially wanted to become a psychologist (the classic kind, that diagnoses people); however, that didn’t account for my love of Business and Law. I did a Vocational Test in Grade 9 which said Industrial Psychology would be a good career path for me. I researched it a lot since then; that’s what I worked towards, so in some ways, I’ve known this is what I’ve wanted to do for a long time now.

Question: How has being in Tech differed from any other sector? Have you found it harder or on par with any other company in other industries or sectors? 

Answer: I found the Tech industry to be more challenging and constantly changing, there’s one ‘in language’ today and another tomorrow. I like the fast-paced environment and I welcome change; I do think if you’re a person who doesn’t like change as much, it can be difficult… especially in the beginning. However, working within the HR space the Tech industry isn’t much different from other industries in my experience.

Question: What do you think the biggest obstacle is for women perusing Human Resources? 

Answer: Sticking to your guns, or better said ‘learning to say no’. In HR, different stakeholders sometimes want you to perform miracles, which we often do by being unethical or doing something we’re potentially against. Know the law, know your values and where you stand – don’t do something just because someone asked. This isn’t easy, especially at the beginning of your career, and isn’t made easier depending on how they handle rejection (both at the individual level and company level). Remember, if you’re always liked in HR, you’re not doing your job right.

Question: What has been the largest obstacle in your career as a woman? 

Answer: Myself, a part of me wishes I could blame something/someone else, but ultimately Imposter Syndrome is a real thing & it’s something I’ve needed to work on and get better at daily. I think we women tend to put ourselves down before someone else does, we tend to apologise more, and we tend to reject our own ideas before someone’s even heard them. The largest obstacle in my career has been the voice in my head saying ‘You’re not good enough to sit at the round table’ instead of just taking a seat.

Question: What advice would you give to any young woman looking to go into HR? 

Answer: Work for a good company, the HR industry can get unethical very quickly. Work for a company with good values and who values their staff. Don’t be afraid to leave a company that doesn’t treat its people well (you’ll be the first to know if this is the case). Often, we have this impression that we’re never going to be hired or taken seriously if we change jobs too often, but our work life spans over 30+ years. You have time to find a good company, don’t be afraid to make that change.

Question: What is your biggest hope for women in the working world? 

Answer: My biggest hope for women in the working world is that they believe in themselves. It seems so cliché, but so many women I’ve spoken to don’t believe in their skillset or in the value that they bring to the table. I’m not saying it’s easy to unlearn what society has taught us or to be confident when you’ve been shot down multiple times before, but I hope that women try and try and try again to believe in themselves and know their worth.

Question: How do you use your role to uplift and enable other women?

Answer: I teach and I share. I lecture Organisational Psychology at Wits where I talk about my experiences as a young woman in the HR field. I also have mentored a few emerging Industrial Psychologists. However, the most important way I believe I do this is by being kind, genuine and vulnerable. Women don’t often see this side from other women in positions like mine as we’re taught to be ‘more like men’, ‘don’t show emotion’, ‘don’t make mistakes’; whereas that’s not feasible and doesn’t show other women that the qualities they do possess are needed and valued.

Question: What drew you to Scrum Master, did you know that’s what you wanted to do?

Answer: Initially no. I had never heard of the role of Scrum Master and never knew it existed! I started as an industrial psychologist! It's where my true passion lies, and I hope to one day hold that position in a company; helping businesses and teams obtain their goals. One day I hope to have my own practice one day. I fell into Agile purely by chance while working in the banking industry. An old mentor of mine needed a local contact to help manage a project while he was in the UK. He then saw that I had strong management and leadership skills and insisted that I take a course in project management. I think with my Industrial psychology and project management skills, I have a natural flair for Agile Scrum Management, and it satisfies the need for me to work closely with people and make use of my goal delivery and team assistance needs. 

Question: How has being in Tech differed from any other sector? Have you found it harder or on par with any other company in other industries or sectors?

Answer: I think that being a woman in the tech space has been a little harder, mostly because of the personalities that you come across in our industry. Developers tend to be a little more introverted and quieter. There’s a huge difference between focus in finance and tech - Finance people are always selling, whereas tech is so product and end-goal focused. Being someone who is a bit more extroverted, and with my background in psychology, it has helped me bridge the gap and be able to speak to people and my team! 

Question: What do you think the biggest obstacle is for women doing Scrum Management? 

Answer: Respect… I think that women have to work harder to earn the respect of their peers in this space, even when it is earned. As women, we do need to work harder to prove ourselves. Thankfully this isn’t something that I have experienced here at Smoke.

Question: What has been the largest obstacle in your career as a woman? 

Answer: I will say that it’s been a little harder to find mentors who are not only the same gender as me but also the same skin tone but, I’ve always been hands-on and am willing to take on a leadership role in most situations. If I have to think of something it would be that I have struggled to get buy-in as a young black woman and to be taken seriously. 

Question: What advice would you give to any young woman looking to go into Tech? 

Answer: I have found that my opinion can be bypassed occasionally due to the fact I am female in a male-dominated industry, or that I am easily dismissed in situations. For instance, if I am justifiably annoyed or put out and express that, I am treated as if I am emotional, whereas a male colleague with the same reaction to the same situation would be seen as validated.

I’d advise women to surround themselves with similar people in their space. For me, when I was able to fully immerse myself in the role, I met a young, black woman who acted as my mentor and could guide me. She taught me to back myself, have a voice, and stand by that voice irrespective of if I was the only person speaking up and if you are the only person pushing those boundaries. Push! 

Question: How do you use your role to uplift and enable other women?

Answer: Gosh, this really does go back to us working in a highly male-dominated workplace! I only have one other woman in my team at the moment, but I do make sure that I keep an eye out for her. I strive to give her space and empathy so that she always feels safe and like she can express herself and have her voice heard. 

Question: What advice would you give to any young woman looking to go into Tech? 

Answer: I hope one day I can see more female managers and leaders. I want to see more role models that I can aspire to! I know that it’s up to us to fight to be those leaders and role models, but I just hope that all women everywhere can see more representation in the workplace!

Question: What drew you to being a CSM (Customer Success Manager), did you know that’s what you wanted to do?

Answer: I’ve always wanted to be a writer and as such I was drawn to the marketing industry initially. As I started interacting with clients I realised that I loved working with people and finding unique ways to provide value in an ever-changing tech landscape. The challenge of finding solutions to unique problems across industries appealed to me and I have been in the customer success and account management space ever since.

Question: How has being in Tech differed from any other sector? Have you found it harder or on par with any other company in other industries or sectors? 

Answer: Each industry presents its own unique challenges. In my personal experience however, Tech can be more challenging as you often represent the forefront of innovation and due to the high-speed, high-competitive nature of the industry, you often come across challenges that haven’t been experienced before and that can be quite interesting - as out of the box thinking is required to find solutions and you can’t always rely on research and past-experiences to move forward.

Question: What do you think the biggest obstacle is for women doing customer management? 

Answer: In today’s business landscape consumers are flooded with options and have come to expect flawless service and CX. We are in a time where if we want something, we click a button and we get it now. We have online shopping, same-day delivery, streaming platforms, etc. and if we don’t get it how we want it and when we want it, we simply move to the next business or provider. As consumers we expect and demand a high level of service and I feel that that is starting to become apparent in the B2B market as well. The biggest obstacle I think for CSM’s is finding ways to keep up with delivering a high-quality service and finding unique ways to keep providing clients with value in a competitive environment.

Question: What has been the largest obstacle in your career as a woman?

Answer: For me, the hardest part is proving yourself especially when you are young and just starting out. I had to learn confidence and strong conviction to portray that I have the knowledge and expertise needed to be taken seriously.

Question: What advice would you give to any young woman looking to go into Customer Success Management? 

Answer: Ask yourself whether you are passionate about people and helping them create value in their space. A very rewarding part of being a CSM is the fact that you can move the needle in your clients’ organisations and help them reach their business goals. If your answer is yes, I would say to go for it.

Question: How do you use what you’ve learned and experienced to uplift other women on your team?

Answer: I try to share information and outcomes wherever possible. I believe that knowledge-sharing is an incredibly powerful way to build confidence and skill. The more you know about something, the more confident you will be when you are faced with a similar situation.

Question: What is your biggest hope for women in the working world? 

Answer: Unfortunately, women are still facing struggles such as gender pay gaps, stereotyping, and a lack of representation especially in certain male-dominated industries. My biggest hope is for women to be unapologetically ambitious and successful in the working world and to drive their industries forward despite any prejudices or expectations of our roles and where we fit within society.