What is a good strategy for entering the C suite? Are there any women here on Blind who are in the leadership level? I see myself one day standing in front of a huge audience and delivering a keynotes speech. The question is what can I do now for that to happen in 5 years? Asking women here since the men always say the whole diversity is farce and I am trying to get something I can't otherwise and all that BS; it may be true.. I don't care. If I can use that to my benifit, I will. 8YOE; HWE (doing a niche role, with high Visibility)
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I ain't. I am naturally ambitious; I want to grow big.. I already told you I see myself doing that; compounded with the whole bringing more women in the C suite strategy companies have. I want to take advantage (you would do that too!). No one is putting an untalented lady in those positions, the one that can use it to their benifits and see how to bring a change and grow and compete there is the challenge. Trust me, it's pretty lonely up there, so the ones who can survive are equally aggressive and competitive women. I am just using that free economy to Business class upgrade!
Learn how to navigate multiple types of waters. Make big waves. Sink big ships. I am one of the very very few women anywhere near my level in my field. I have been hired both because of diversity points for the hiring company and in spite of the fact that I am the only woman in the company. Always bust your ass and never let them see you sweat. Takes time and working harder than everyone else around you - x2.
No, there aren’t very very few anymore, look at any company and you have a good mix of both genders on the SLT’s.
@302 I’m not in Tech ..... yet! But looking to make the move and it would be sooo strange to be working with women all of the time! I’m used to being an oddity.
@OP - What’s you skill set and YOE ?
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> I see myself one day standing in front of a huge audience and delivering a keynotes speech. Do you also see what the keynote is about? That sort of matters.
Yes, technology. Brining the ecosystem into the next generation, where the company will drive and project to future, this will influence partner's, competition. I am a decent speaker, not in the keynote level but I have got that in me.
> Brining the ecosystem into the next generation, where the company will drive and project to future, this will influence partner's, competition. Then you should accomplish that, and then circle back to the matter of being promoted to c-level. Or are you asking for hacks? There's always the Elizabeth Holmes way of getting to the top.
While I respect your ambition and agree that it is lonely as women, the view that C suite is the only growth is is just absurd. You can be a staff engineer or VP of engineering, that is still growth and pays the same.
I thought that too; VP of Engineering is always a marketing driven job. You can't develop something that is not going to sell; so that's why instead of Engineering, I feel marketing or something on the business strategy is more interesting to me.
That is very subjective to where you work. I have worked at places where that is not really true. You might need a job change. I am not sure how do you know that business strategy is more interesting when you haven’t tried that. I do want to see more women Engineers, please break the stereotype and don’t make a choice because it is easy or you like power. PS my wife is a HW Engineer, <3 from her.
Thank you everyone who has added some value to this post. I am going to leave this in the anticipation that women/men in leadership roles pitch in ideas. I was initially planning on posting on the general forum by hiding my gender fearing the whole "don't worry you are a female, so you will get promoted regardless" BS. Hence I chose the women in Tech and even here the shit doesn't stop; and you men wonder why Grace Hopper happens? Even in an anonymous forum like Blind, the harassment and bullying doesn't stop and I have to fend for myself. The intention of the post was to gather data points.
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