Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 27
Who has played a meaningful role in your
development so far, and what impact did
they have?
I’ve been really fortunate in the managers I’ve had as all of them
have played a big role in my development. They have struck the right
balance between being supportive, but also quite bullish in pushing me
forward. They’ve put me in situations that felt outside my comfort zone,
sometimes before I felt ready, but always with the understanding that I
was there to learn, not to be perfect.
What made the difference was that they gave me the space to make
mistakes and 昀椀gure things out for myself. They didn’t just keep me in a
lane or hand me tasks to complete, they brought me into conversations,
invited me to the table, and trusted me to step up. That kind of
environment builds con昀椀dence quickly because you feel like you’re part
of something, not just working alongside it.
One conversation really stood out early in my career. My boss fell sick
and I was asked to step in to present to our client’s senior leadership
and felt completely out of my depth. Someone I worked with said to me,
“you are stagnant in your career if you don’t have permanent imposter
syndrome. They wouldn’t have put you in this room if they didn’t think
you could handle it.” That really reframed it for me. It made me realise
that feeling uncomfortable often means you’re growing, and that’s
something I’ve tried to carry with me ever since.
“It’s less about being
included in every
conversation, and more
about ensuring clarity
carries through.”
What do you wish more senior leaders
understood about what it’s like to be
starting a career today?
One of the biggest things when you’re starting out is recognising that
you don’t know what you don’t know. This is especially important in a
fast-moving industry, where direction can shift quickly and if you’re not in
those conversations, it can be really hard to keep up with why things are
being done in a certain way.
It’s less about being included in every conversation, and more about
ensuring clarity carries through. Even brief context on what’s changed
and why can make a signi昀椀cant difference in helping more junior team
members stay aligned and contribute effectively. And then on a more
practical level, clear and honest feedback is really important. Having
some structure around that, even in a fast-paced environment, helps
people understand how they’re progressing and what they’re
working towards.
Ultimately, it’s about creating an environment where communication
昀氀ows both ways, and where people feel comfortable asking questions
and being part of that dialogue.
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