Now that we’ve touched on topics such as resilience, growing your influence, and defining your brand in Day 1, Day 2 of the WEST Leadership Summit focused on navigating transitions, especially regarding career, family, and life. Explore the key takeaways from each session through the eyes of our attendees!
Thank you to Gusto, Box, Teal, The Energy Project, and NextArrow for helping sponsor the Summit. Thank you also to our WEST volunteers - Kelli Rockwell, Henry Beaudin, Guadalupe Emigdio, and Danielle Walker, for their support!
Beyond the Career Ladder: Defining Success on Your Own Terms
Featuring Suja Viswesan, VP Security Software Development, IBM, Rebecca Murphey, Field CTO at Swarmia, and Subechya Person, Co-founder of a stealth startup, ex-VP of Product & Design at Vacasa.
Key Takeaways:
The application of this discussion is so relevant and helpful! This really gave me clarity in my own position in my career.
There will be things that you don’t know, but trust in your ability to figure it out and learn!
Being uncomfortable with new scope or domains is an opportunity to stretch
Know your superpower and start taking risks(keeping it calculative at the same time)!
When you stop feeling like an imposter, it's time for a new adventure.
Navigating Transitions In Career, Family, & Life
Panel Discussion featuring Rohini Pradeep, VP of Product Engineering, Gusto, Manasa Battula, Sr. Manager of Program and Technical Program Management, Twilio, and Kalia Aragon, Director of Product, Flatiron Health. Moderated by Heidi Williams, Founder, WEST Diversity & Inclusion.
Key Takeaways:
Loved hearing about having a family while building your own career.
Kalia has given me the courage to “act now, worry later.” If you bring your best self to your new challenge, you will land on your feet!
So many takeaways! How to be a mentor, how to navigate neurodivergence, how to transition and not try to balance all things since there’s no such thing. Excellent session!
Me time, you can’t be 100% in everything. Good reminders!
Was a great panel with a lot of insights! I loved the introduction and openness on neurodivergence in the workplace and how that affects transitions and careers.
Building and Developing Resilient Teams
Afternoon Keynote presented by Teresa Dietrich, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Ex-Stack Overflow
Key Takeaways:
Resilience is one of the most important qualities to try to look for and build in team members
Lots of great takeaways. Really appreciated PAST + 3 topics
Love the all-encompassing scope of consideration on leadership!!
Great framework to understand how to evaluate and develop resiliency
Appreciate the tangible ways to dig into the team’s capabilities
Mindful Leadership: Finding Balance on the Path to VP
Featuring Ali Littman, VP of Software Engineering, Modern Health
Key Takeaways:
Great insights about mental health and work-life balance. It’s been amazing to hear that you are not alone in struggling to lead a “perfect life”
There’s a lot we can do to maintain good routines for ourselves and ask for more from management to create a better workplace.
Measure success against impact and not tasks completed. Share short-term focuses over the longer term with senior leadership to ensure it's aligned and set expectations.
Make prioritization a consistent practice both at the micro and macro level
Evaluate your relationship with overperformance. May be important for promotion but is not sustainable