Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 92
How can the industry better recognise
qualities like empathy, listening and
communication as essential strengths in
how we de昀椀ne leadership and success?
We need to completely rethink how we value those skills, because
the reality is they’re not “soft” at all, they’re essential. There’s still this
assumption, especially in tech, that technical skills are the only things
that matter. At the end of the day, we all work with people. The ability
to navigate relationships, communicate, adapt, and bring people
together is what actually gets things done.
What’s interesting is that many of these qualities - empathy, listening,
emotional awareness - are often more naturally developed in women,
simply because of how we’re raised. We’re taught to adapt, to read
the room, to manage dynamics. That’s a huge strength in a business
environment.
Yet, those skills are still undervalued. Even the idea that women are “too
emotional” doesn’t really hold up. I’ve seen far more visible emotional
behaviour from men in senior roles than women. The difference is women
are often judged more harshly for it, so they learn to manage it differently.
In today’s environment, especially with AI taking on more technical and
repetitive tasks, these human skills are becoming even more important.
People want to work with people they like and trust. They want teams
that collaborate well, not just individuals who are technically strong.
For this to really shift, it can’t just happen at work. It starts much earlier.
It starts with how we’re educated, and how responsibilities are shared at
home. If women are still carrying the majority of responsibilities outside
of work, it limits their ability to fully participate and progress in industries
like this.
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“There’s still this assumption,
especially in tech, that technical
skills are the only things that
matter. At the end of the day,
we all work with people.”
How do you think about leadership?
For me, leadership is about leading by example. You can say all the
right things, you can talk about change, values, culture, but if your
actions don’t match, people won’t follow. Whether it’s at work or even in
everyday life, people respond to what you do, not what you say.
I also think a big part of leadership is about being a giver. There’s this idea
of “givers and takers,” and it really resonates. The best leaders are the
ones who give to their teams, they support, they create opportunities, they
bring people with them. And when you do that, you get better outcomes,
not just individually, but as a team and as a company.
The opposite doesn’t really work. You can have very strong individuals,
but if they’re only focused on themselves, it actually weakens the group
over time. Leadership isn’t about being the star. It’s about enabling
others to perform at their best.
That’s also where inclusion comes in. If you’re building teams, products,
or even shaping the direction of an industry, you need different
perspectives in the room. Otherwise, you miss things. We’ve already
seen examples of that, where products have been designed without
considering half the population.
So leadership, for me, is about how you show up, how you support
others, and how you create an environment where people can contribute
and succeed. It’s about impact rather than control or status.
