Empowering Leadership: Insights from Women Shaping the Office Technology Industry

Performance and diversity are two commonly held metrics for the success of a company, but is it possible that one predicts another? According to the Ready-Now Leaders report from The Conference Board, a global non-profit organization providing innovative research and data, companies where at least 30% of leadership roles are held by women are 12 times more likely to be in the top 20% for financial performance. At DLL, we pay close attention to statistics like that when creating leadership pipelines in our business. Today, 37% of our global leadership positions are held by women within the Office and Workplace Technology vertical. In reflection of that benchmark, we sat down with a few of our female leaders to discuss the impact that a gender-diverse team has in the workplace and office technology industry. Here are the top 5 takeaways:

1. The Power of Female Mentorship

Being surrounded by empowered female colleagues, team members, and managers provides many opportunities for mentorship. Every leader we spoke to was able to pinpoint multiple examples in which they have been supported through female mentorship, whether it was formal or informal. Simply the presence of a meaningful network of women pushed each of these leaders forward in their careers. Head of Strategic Marketing, Julianna Landolt, spoke directly to how this has impacted her development as a leader: “the feeling of safety is a crucial element of growth for women. If you do not feel safe to ask what you might perceive as dumb questions, if you do not feel safe to take risks, and if you do not feel safe in being yourself - growth can be stunted. Female mentorships create a safe haven for that kind of development that is required to be a leader.”

2. Communicate impactfully and empathetically

Whether managing through change, experiencing a momentous year as a team, a difficult year as a team, or things are status quo – women must lean into the power of our words. Our female leaders noted that they felt their ability to communicate effectively gave them an advantage in their role. The capacity to influence others and effectively communicate ideas, critiques, and initiatives sets one leader apart from other – and for women, it is paramount that they sharpen their communication skill set as, at times, women are out-numbered in corporate settings. Susanne Glykofrydis, Chief Risk Officer, has decades of experience in a number of different roles, ranging from legal to operations to risk. In her experience, she has been tasked with handling the communication of complex and difficult messaging. What is her secret to success? Transparency and frequency, “… never underestimate the importance of communication during the entire change process. If you assume people understand, or you do not think something is necessary to communicate, you will create a knowledge gap in your team. It is better to overcommunicate than assume your team members understand.”

3. Knowledge is not just power; it is opportunity

Each of our leaders used the words ‘student’ or ‘education’ in our discussion, and they were not referring to what university they attended. Being a perpetual student of your craft is a critical element of development. It is easy to be caught up in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities that a job demands; however, for women looking to create leadership opportunities, having a firm understanding of the technical elements of a job support a solid foundation and the confidence required when assuming a leadership position. As Head of Sales for DLL North America, Shannon Stangl noted, “How can I influence behaviors and serve as a source of knowledge for my team during periods of change if I don’t fully and completely understand the nuance and complexities of what I am asking my team to do?”

4. Fail fast and learn faster

Each of our leaders discussed that fear of failure is a key component to some women never trying or taking risks. Jacqulene Zambon, DLL Canada Country Sales Manager, articulated it well during our discussion: “The knowledge you gain from failing is just as important as the knowledge you gain from successes. My philosophy has always been to maintain a positive outlook knowing that I am using my best judgement, my expertise, and my intuition as I lead. If I fail, what can I do to improve and what can I learn?” Women are often wired to strive for perfection and avoid mistakes or failure at all costs. Rather than let those mistakes or failures consume you, what can be learned? What can be changed? And how will this make you and your team better? Sophie Bingham, DLL Country Sales Manager for the United Kingdom, added, “… during failure, you must ask questions of yourself and your team. I need to determine if something was misunderstood, was there misalignment? I never view asking those types of questions as a weakness. I see it as a strength that allows me to make informed change and grow from failure.”

5. If you do not advocate for yourself, no one will

Self-advocacy is difficult in any person’s career, but it can be exceptionally challenging for women. According to a survey by the employment site Indeed, 73% of the population surveyed expressed fear over how women are perceived if they were to self-promote. So, how does one find the balance of feeling comfortable, confident, but also acting as an advocate for themselves? Start small and practice. Take one achievement at work, large or small, and share it with your manager and team. Use sharing successes as a best practice – we all can learn from one another. It can feel strange to send an email sharing what you did well, but it is step one in building your self-advocacy skill. As you build that foundation, you begin to amass a foundation of pride in your work that will make harder conversations, like asking for a promotion, easier.

Thank you to our leaders who took the time to share their knowledge, Susanne Glykofrydis, Shannon Stangl, Sophie Bingham, Jacqulene Zambon and Julianna Landolt.