GET EMAIL UPDATES FROM POWERTOFLY
BROWSE CATEGORIES
GET EMAIL UPDATES FROM POWERTOFLY
February 14, 2020
Diversity & Inclusion
Is 2020 finally the year of recognizing that women don't lose competence or sexiness the day they turn 50?
Ageism has long been the norm at work and in the media. Could that be changing?
Let's run through a quick highlight reel of women over 50 shaping their industries and just overall crushing life in the last few weeks:
- Elizabeth Warren, Senator and Democratic presidential candidate, 70, and Amy Klobuchar, fellow Senator and candidate, 59, both polling in the top six during a record-breaking year for female presidential candidates
- Renee Zellweger, actress, 50, and Laura Dern, actress, 53, won the two biggest awards given to actresses; they left the Oscars last weekend with Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress statutes, respectively
- Jennifer Lopez, performer, 50, co-headlined the Superbowl, absolutely crushing a demanding set and doing so in bejeweled Versace bodysuits, to boot
- Gayle King, journalist, 50, led a thoughtful interview that touched on Kobe Bryant's complicated legacy and started a conversation on misogyny in media when Snoop Dogg aggressively criticized her for it
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice, 86, celebrated the first all-women class of editors-in-chief of the nation's top 16 law journals and said "there really is no better time for women to enter the legal profession."
And those are just some of the most visible accomplishments by women already in the public sphere. Women are also leading businesses (the latest Fortune 500 list has the most female CEOs ever, the large majority of whom are over 50), writing bestselling books, creating impactful art and social commentary, pursuing scientific discovery, inventing, teaching, and growing.
But for all of the success experienced by individual women, older women as a group continue to struggle against ageism.
"Ageism is everywhere, yet it is the most socially 'normalized' of any prejudice and is not widely countered like racism or sexism. These attitudes lead to the marginalization of older people within our communities and have negative impacts on their health and wellbeing," says the World Health Organization.
Some sobering statistics:
- Age discrimination is the focus of more than 20% of the cases that the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission brings to court
- A 2019 report found that 21% of US workers have experienced age discrimination
- And a different 2019 report found that 25% of women said age impacted their experience at work, while just 17% said gender did.\
- When looking at how age discrimination impacts hiring for different groups, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that older women fare the worst: their resumes get fewer callbacks than those of older men and both male and female younger job candidates. That's extremely problematic, seeing as how women make less money than men but live longer than men, making sustained employment especially vital.
Those statistics have big impacts on work and on health. At work, companies are missing out on having fully diverse teams, which have been proven to be more creative and better at problem-solving, and on applying experience garnered over a long career. And individuals' health suffers, too: the WHO found that people who think negatively about aging may have up to 7.5 years less in their life expectancy.
It's better for both companies and individuals to think positively about what the years bring. So why don't they?
Ageism has been so long enabled and allowed for two reasons: stereotyped thinking and lack of representation.
A workplace consultant on ageism explained the stereotypes for FastCompany. "Common myths are that their salary requirements are too high, that they're not willing to travel, or they're not good with technology. In some cases, conversations about career development and goals stop happening when the employees are in their 40s or early 50s." She went on to refute those stereotypes, explaining that each situation is unique. An example? An older worker might be even better equipped to take on travel or challenging projects than an employee with young children.
But as we continue with a historically low unemployment rate, companies will need to tap pools of candidates they've locked out in the past. And as they do that, they'll realize how off-base those older-worker stereotypes were in the first place.
When it comes to representation in media and pop culture, older women have been especially shut out. "Women vanish from the screen in central and powerful roles as they mature and do not occupy a significant role in narratives even in comparison to older men," found a 2012 study called "'Can't Have it All': Representations of Older Women in Popular Culture." The study continued: "Older women were less likely than older men to be presented as authority figures who are influential in the workplace, their sexuality was largely muted, and their bodies were displayed as objects of ridicule rather than objects of desire."
Amy Schumer even made a sketch about the older-actress-put-out-to-pasture phenomenon called "Last Fuckable Day."
But it feels like that might be changing.
Gracie and Frankie, an Emmy-winning sitcom featuring the real lives—from sex to business plans to relationships with adult children—of two older divorcees, played by Jane Fonda, 82, and Lily Tomlin, 80, has made history as Netflix's longest-running original series.
JLo made headline after headline for that incredible Super Bowl performance.
In the last couple seasons of television, women over 50 have played anchoring roles in beloved shows like House of Cards, How to Get Away with Murder, Divorce, Empire, and Big Little Lies.
And as women creators continue to eke out their power in Hollywood and beyond, banding together to fight sexual harassment through #MeToo and starting their own production companies to fund projects that more realistically represent women, the road to a different, more inclusive future seems to be getting clearer.
It's not all sunshine and roses from here on out. Our model of success is still far too dependent around older women looking young and conventionally beautiful—"Mature female bodies are only interesting to media and popular culture insofar as they can be used as a visible proof of a deferred aging process," explains a 2018 paper on gendered portrayals of aging in pop culture—which continues to put undue pressure on women to use cosmetics, surgery, and styling to hide their age. But I'm hopeful that we're starting to see a change.
Women have never stopped being impactful when they hit 50. The world might finally be ready to notice.
April 06, 2021
S&P Global Inc
Prepare for Your Interview at S&P Global with These Tips from Recruiter Kiana Labuhn
Kiana Labuhn, Recruiter at S&P Global, shares an exclusive take on the most important tips to keep in mind when preparing for an interview.
<p>She talks about how S&P Global looks for candidates that not only fit the skills needed for the role but are aligned with their values.</p><p>Kiana stresses the importance of preparing for the interview in advance, first by researching the company and your interviewers and then identifying the core competencies needed for the position—thinking of times when you demonstrated these skills in your past. Have you heard about the STAR model? It's a great tool that Kiana shows us how to use in the video.</p><p>"At S&P Global, we will embrace and support the qualities that make each candidate a unique fit. Building and embracing diversity is a priority for us, and we're committed to unleashing the potential of every individual who works with us," Kiana says.</p><p>Take a look at her list of resume dos and don'ts and her own experience when preparing for her interview process at S&P Global.</p><p>To learn more about S&P Global and their open roles, <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/s-p-global1" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
April 01, 2021
Diversity & Inclusion
How Bumble’s Director of Engineering Learned to Be Herself at Work—and Encourages Team Members to Do the Same
Rose Hitchcock found out she was pregnant with her third child halfway through the process of interviewing to be Director of Engineering at Bumble.
She told the team at the social media and dating app and that didn't change their plans to hire her. "They were completely fine with it, really supportive," says Rose.
<p>She started her new role while pregnant and plans to take six months off when she gives birth. </p>
<p>"They were like, 'Oh, take what time you need,'" she says. "That was another reason for me to come and work for the company, there was just no issue there." </p>
<p>We sat down with Rose to discuss her path to Director of Engineering, how she has found professional success by being herself (including as a working mother), what companies can do to create pathways to leadership for as many women and underrepresented people as possible, and why that matters.</p>
<h2>Finding what energizes her in environments where she can be herself</h2>
<p>Though Rose's role is in engineering, she doesn't have a formal background in computer science or engineering. She studied management science during university, and her first true exposure to programming came just after undergrad when she took a job as a business analyst at an IT consulting firm, which included five weeks of coding training. </p>
<p>Working as an analyst, she served as the liaison between the tech and business sides of various companies before transitioning into a technical project manager. That role was when she really "started to learn more about leading teams," and discovered that leadership and people management challenges were what she most loved solving. </p>
<p>"I really enjoyed helping people progress, promoting them and...working with people who were struggling to improve," she says. As her capabilities grew, Rose progressed into a more strategic role, coming back from her second maternity leave as a manager of other delivery managers. That's where she confirmed that management was where her passion lies.</p>
<p>"I have lots of colleagues and friends who are in management and they probably spend half their day doing coding stuff that they're not supposed to be doing, just because that's what energizes them and that's what they enjoy," she says. "For me, I get to enjoy my job and actually do the things that motivate me and that I'm really passionate about without feeling like I'm missing out on getting my hands dirty."</p>
<p>Throughout her career, Rose realized that she could only really enjoy her job if she was in an environment where she felt comfortable being herself. When she worked in consulting, that wasn't quite the case. "It felt like you had to behave in a certain way," she says. "To have the same attitude in order to get ahead, like being very self confident and self-promoting. You couldn't just do a good job—you then had to go and tell everybody what a good job you were doing."</p>
<p>That isn't who Rose is, so she ended up leaving consulting and going into industry, where she found the career growth she was looking for. "When you're in a smaller company, it's a lot easier to be recognized for your work, because people can see what you're doing," she says. "If you want extra responsibility or challenges, you always hear about them and can put your hand up."</p>
<p>But company size isn't the only important metric Rose considers. In a past job, she'd worked for an inspirational woman founder and wanted the chance to do that again, which is why the Bumble opportunity appealed to her so much.</p>
<p>"Obviously Whitney [Wolfe Herd, Bumble's CEO] is a strong woman founder. The passion she brought into the mission and what the company was trying to do, [with] this mission to support women to make healthy and equitable relationships really appealed to me," she says.</p>
<p>From the tech side, the fact that Bumble is still building most of its tech internally was another plus. "Teams that are building their own products are so much more motivated and engaged," adds Rose.</p>
<h2>Encouraging others to grow and creating space for them</h2>
<p>As a Director of Engineering, a big part of Rose's focus is creating a culture of growth for the teams she oversees. This starts with remembering the things that helped her to grow.</p>
<p>Those include:</p>
<ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>Giving praise in public. </strong>"I tell people that I've noticed when they're doing a good job and praise them or thank them," she says.</li><li><strong>Giving pass-through praise.</strong> Rose doesn't stop by telling individuals when they're doing well—she also talks them up to other members of the leadership team, including the CTO. "I advocate for them," says Rose.</li><li><strong>Providing opportunities to shine. </strong>"It's important to communicate the talent within your team to folks outside of your immediate department. This allows room for a cross-functional awareness of your team's incredible work and how other departments can tap into a member of your team for future projects," says Rose. "I look for opportunities for my team members to showcase their unique set of skills and expertise, whether that's giving a presentation or attending a meeting."</li></ul>
<p>She also works to create a healthy attitude towards work that avoids the self-aggrandizing and presenteeism that she found exclusionary in previous roles by:</p>
<ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>Focusing on output rather than time.</strong> Instead of worrying whether people are getting to work late or leaving early, Rose just asks one question: "Are they delivering?" </li><li><strong>Modeling behavior. </strong>Rose says that she started to work more flexibly after she became a parent, coming in early and leaving early to see her kids before bedtime, and working only four days each week. She encourages other people to set the schedules that work for their lives. "I try to consciously make an effort not to apologize [about my schedule] so that other people don't feel it's something to feel guilty about," she says. </li><li><strong>Planning with outside commitments in mind. </strong>"When we're talking about project delivery, I work really hard to consider things about people's home lives," says Rose. An example: if she has a project launch date in mind, she won't assume that everyone is okay with working overtime to make it. Rose also asks the managers on her team to consider things like school breaks and holidays when planning. "It's actually trying to put the people side of things first, rather than always the delivery side of things," she says.</li></ul>
<h2>Why a diverse team matters at work</h2>
<p>Rose thinks about diversity in everything she does, from recruiting to promoting to retaining talent. Here's what that looks like:</p>
<ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>Finding diverse talent:</strong> "If you say, 'Oh, it's really hard to find woman developers,' well, let's train some, then," says Rose, who works with recruiters to bring in strong junior technical candidates and trains them up in-house.</li><li><strong>Making diverse talent feel welcome:</strong> As a working parent, Rose knows the importance of a flexible schedule. While recruiting for open roles on her team, she saw that some candidates didn't want to change jobs because they didn't want to lose the existing flexible working arrangements they had with their current employers. So she made sure to let them know that the roles she was hiring for would come with flexible scheduling, including it in job postings as well as bringing it up in interviews. "I've had people, especially women, say to me that flexible schedules were a big driver in their decision to come and work for us," says Rose. "They knew they could have [flexibility] from day one and they didn't feel penalized asking for it." </li><li><strong>Promoting diverse talent:</strong> As soon as someone new joins her team, Rose sits down with them and helps to identify personal and professional goals. "I make a conscious effort to set objectives around where the individual's gaps are and what skills they would need to build on if they are interested in leadership positions in the future," she says. From that point, Rose starts giving them tailored stretch opportunities and exposure. Some examples include: asking a direct report to prepare a presentation for a small audience of 20 team members, having them represent a project at a tech-wide meeting, having them host a lunchtime session for an external audience, or sponsoring them to talk at a tech conference. </li></ul>
<p>Building and retaining diverse team members isn't a priority of Rose's just because it feels right—it also makes for better work products and procedures, she says.</p><p>For Bumble, the perspectives of people with different gender identities and sexualities are especially relevant. "If you have a diverse team, their ideas and their expectation of what they want in our products is moving at the same speed as what our customers are expecting because they are representative of our community," she says. "How do we make sure that we're actually meeting the needs and wants of our community and bringing them new things that they actually want? [Well,] if you get people with more diverse experiences and different ways of thinking, you'll get innovation."<br></p>
<p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/bumble" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more about Bumble's open roles in Austin, London, Barcelona, Moscow, and more.</a></p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
April 01, 2021
popular
How These 9 Companies Are Celebrating Difference This Autism Awareness or Acceptance Month
Five million adults in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder, per the CDC. More are considered neurodivergent, which can refer to people with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
You've met some of them—maybe they're your family, friends, classmates, or coworkers, or perhaps you identify as neurodivergent yourself.
<p>You may have recognized that some neurodivergent people are exceptionally skilled, excelling in things like pattern recognition and mathematics, and that those skills deserve to be celebrated, as the <em>Harvard Business Review</em> did in their report "<a href="https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage" target="_blank">Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage</a>" in 2017.</p><p>But whether highlighting the significant contributions that neurodivergent employees have made or just honoring who they are as people, we wanted to take a moment this April to share some ways that industry leaders are marking World Autism Awareness Month.</p><p>We also want to acknowledge that <a href="https://www.autismspeaks.org/world-autism-awareness-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Autism Speaks</a>, the organization that began World Autism Awareness Month in the 1970s, has had a complicated relationship with the autism community. (<a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/should-you-celebrate-autism-awareness-month-4134347" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here's</a> a good guide on that context.) We recognize that some prefer to celebrate <a href="https://www.autism-society.org/get-involved/national-autism-awareness-month/#:~:text=This%20April%2C%20we%20continue%20our,its%20%E2%80%9CCelebrate%20Differences%E2%80%9D%20campaign." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Autism Acceptance Month</a>, or to align with other organizations' World Autism Awareness activities, <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/autism-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">like the UN's</a>.</p><p>However you decide to "<a href="https://www.autism-society.org/get-involved/national-autism-awareness-month/#:~:text=This%20April%2C%20we%20continue%20our,its%20%E2%80%9CCelebrate%20Differences%E2%80%9D%20campaign." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Celebrate Difference</a>"—the Autism Society of America's theme for April 2021—this month, PowerToFly and these 9 companies are celebrating right along with you!</p>
<p><br/></p><p><br/></p><em></em>
Sharing inclusivity, not stereotypes, at Raytheon Technologies
<p><br></p><p>"Raytheon Technologies and our Raytheon Alliance for Diverse Abilities (RADA) Employee Resource Group (ERG) is committed to trying to bring focus on invisible disabilities, as they are among the most misunderstood. Autism/neurodiversity isn't a mental illness and we recognize how important it is to bring awareness, be inclusive of everyone and avoid stereotypes. During Autism Awareness Month RADA is featuring a multi-regional presentation about Autism Awareness & Acceptance, as well as neurodiversity overall. The presentation is focused on educational information, including what Autistic people want in terms of inclusion and meaningful work, as well as dispelling common misconceptions."</p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/raytheon-technologies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Raytheon Technologies</em></a>.</p>Hiring a world-class workforce at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
<p>"The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency recently launched the Neurodiverse Federal Workforce (NFW) pilot program, a collaborative effort between NGA, MITRE, and Melwood. The NFW pilot aims to help government agencies hire neurodiverse talent for U.S. Federal Government agencies. 'NGA mission success is contingent on a world-class workforce with a wide diversity of opinions and expertise,' said NGA Deputy Director Dr. Stacey Dixon. 'Neurodiverse talent can bring new perspectives to the NGA workforce and make important contributions to the mission.' The pilot is a great learning opportunity for NGA to continue to grow and improve our first-class workforce."</p><p>Learn more from the podcast "<a href="https://www.podcastone.com/episode/The-National-Geospatial-Intelligence-Agency-takes-workforce-diversity-in-a-new-direction" target="_blank">The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Takes Workforce Diversity In A New Direction</a>"</p><p><em>Learn more about the </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/national-geospatial-intelligence-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency</em></a><em>.</em></p>Supporting each individual's preferred environment at Elastic
<p>"We distribute anonymous surveys that allow anyone, including neurodiverse folks, to address potential barriers that we should address.</p><p>Our accessibility working group acts as an employee resource as well as an equity-seeking team that works to create and develop a disability inclusive workplace at Elastic.</p><p>The majority of our Elasticians work from home. Our hope is that this empowers neurodiverse employees, including those who may be on the spectrum, to have more control over their environment so that they can manage noise and light sensitivity, control their personal space, and manage their own schedule to reduce anxiety."</p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/elastic" target="_blank"><em>Elastic</em></a><em>.</em></p>Pioneering neurodiversity at Freddie Mac
<p>"Freddie Mac values the insights and different perspectives that result from employees bringing their authentic selves to work. Our Office of Inclusive Engagement works with several organizations to identify qualified candidates, consider them for suitable roles and pair them with mentors who can help them adapt to an evolving new normal. In 2020, we evolved our neurodiversity internship initiative into a more robust training, education and hiring process called 'Neurodiversity at Work' to directly place candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorders into full-time roles."</p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/freddie-mac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Freddie Mac</em></a><em>.</em></p>Decoding inclusion at MongoDB
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTk0NzE2OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDY3MTY2MH0.Q-ko6g65MC-epHBrx_vr6k9v-lSawHH5jfhPWOVTozI/img.png?width=980" id="a4487" width="1112" height="626" data-rm-shortcode-id="a686a88d639ff3a91a5a4f6b455ce0cc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>"MongoDB supports the neurodivergent community through interview accommodations, providing new hires the opportunity to select equipment and denote special requests, and onboarding checklists broken down into useful sections. To raise awareness about neurodiversity in the workplace, we have a learning and development (L&D) platform which has content on collaborating with different working styles. Our L&D Program focuses on building skills in managing teams inclusively. We also host Decoding Inclusion, a series of events aimed at building community and sharing foundational knowledge about D&I topics, including neurodiversity, to further our understanding of differences."</p><p><a href="https://www.mongodb.com/blog/post/why-now-cool-time-different-steph-johnson" target="_blank">Read more about how MongoDB celebrates difference in this interview with their VP of Corporate Comms</a></p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/mongodb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>MongoDB</em></a><em>.</em></p>Encouraging allyship at Folsom Labs
<p>"At Folsom Labs, we are passionate about building a culture of acceptance and inclusion. Our goal is not just to spread autism awareness but to strive to be allies and elevate the voices of those with disabilities. Now more than ever, this is important as many are facing the added weight of mental health and wellness challenges due to the pandemic. Encouraging allyship throughout the community and building a culture where everyone can thrive are at the forefront of our current initiatives. We are proud to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month — to set a stage where we can celebrate our differences and continue to create a space of inclusion and support."</p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/folsom-labs" target="_blank"><em>Folsom Labs</em></a><em>.</em></p><em><br></em>Recruiting for diverse problem solvers at Dell Technologies
<video controls id="7ebf6" width="100%" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d5c114fad218a953432630dfe99716b2" expand="1" feedbacks="true" mime_type="video/mp4" shortcode_id="1617842842194" site_id="17377755" url="https://roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/runner%2F23124-Neurodiversity_Shortform_0325.mp4" videoControls="true"> <source src="https://roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/runner%2F23124-Neurodiversity_Shortform_0325.mp4" type="video/mp4"> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video><p>"Dell's Neurodiversity Hiring Program provides professional development training, internships, and full-time career opportunities for neurodivergent job seekers. The program rethinks the traditional interview process by removing barriers that may limit an individual from fully showcasing their skills and capabilities. Additionally, program participants benefit from job coaching and mentorship provided by our community partners and True Ability ERG members.</p><p>A variety of critical positions across the company have been filled through the program. In doing so, we are bringing in diverse perspectives for problem solving that have helped us differentiate ourselves within the marketplace all while cultivating a culture of inclusion."</p><p><br></p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/dell-technologies" target="_blank"><em>Dell</em></a><em>.</em></p>Supporting professionals with autism throughout their talent journey at Deloitte
<p>"At Deloitte, everyone contributes to our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Our inclusive culture, empowers all of us, including those with diverse abilities, to connect, belong, and grow. Deloitte's Autism@Work program supports our professionals with autism throughout their talent journey. A customized, autism-friendly assessment process helps draw out our candidates' strengths. Our employees have an internal Coach, an Onboarding Advisor, and access to external job coaching. Our Onboarding Mentor/Buddy Program pairs professionals with autism with other Deloitte colleagues/allies. Through Neurodiversity Training, our professionals can help support and manage our differently-abled professionals. We also have our Abilities First Business Resource Group for people with disabilities plus allies."</p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/deloitte1" target="_blank"><em>Deloitte</em></a><em>.</em></p>Sharing stories to support awareness at Lockheed Martin
<p>"Lockheed Martin shares employee stories internally to help others understand Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and hosts internal events to support ASD awareness and education. The Able & Allies business resource group, whose mission is to build an environment that empowers employees with disabilities, has recently partnered with ASD advocacy organizations to offer resources to assist with managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with persons who have ASD and their families. Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) is a member of the Florida Ability Inclusion Network and strives to educate employees and leaders on disabilities and recommend best practices to promote a disability-friendly workplace."</p><p><em>Learn more about </em><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lockheed-martin" target="_blank"><em>Lockheed Martin</em></a><em>.</em></p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
April 01, 2021
Career Advice
The NBA’s CMO Kate Jhaveri on Her Marketing Superpower: Building Community
Kate Jhaveri does one thing every day that she suggests you try: belly laughs.
The EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at the NBA credits her two kids with much of that levity—"They're very silly and they, at least once a day, make me laugh out loud," she says—though she seeks to make those lighter connections with her team at work, too.
<p>"Especially at this time, it's so incredibly important to have that perspective with everything that's going on," she says.</p><p>We sat down with Kate to hear about her career journey, why she left tech to work in sports, how she led her team through the pandemic, and what advice she has (beyond laughing often) for other women seeking to build fulfilling careers—and communities. </p><h2>Solving creative problems for different consumers</h2><p>Growing up, Kate always had a book in her hands. "The ability to tell stories and move people with words and images is something that started with me very young," she says. She thought about parlaying that love of stories into becoming a college professor, but her father encouraged her to try something new before committing to that path.</p><p>So she took a job in consulting and immediately loved it. "I really, really loved the problem solving and the ability to see opportunities for different businesses and consumers," she says. Those skills translated well to a job at Dell, where she got to go deep on one set of problems and enjoyed the energy of her fast-paced team of coworkers. "I fell in love with the velocity that was happening in the tech industry and...really getting to know who you are interacting with."</p><p>But having focused on English and Spanish literature in college, Kate wanted a chance to shore up her business skill set, so she got her MBA at Tuck, Dartmouth's business school. "It was a good way to refine all of the different ways I could think about business problems and solve them," she says. It also helped her define the kind of job she wanted post-graduation: one as a marketing leader.</p><p>"Marketing is where the two halves of me come together: this ability to really think about and problem solve combined with this love of art and creativity and storytelling," says Kate. "I wanted to run a marketing team for a brand that I cared about," she says. </p><h2>Finding her community with the NBA</h2><p>When an opportunity to be the NBA's CMO popped up, Kate knew it was the kind of job and the kind of company that aligned with her values. "It's a brand that really seeks to unite people," says Kate of the NBA. "Whether that's through the sport of basketball, or the values we hold around diversity, equity, and inclusion, it's about how can we bring people together and do so with something that makes people feel really joyful."</p><p>Her role as CMO includes every aspect of marketing, and Kate likes that challenge. "Marketing is really changing; it's super exciting now, this amazing blend of art and science that gets me excited and gets me out of bed in the morning, thinking through how to talk to consumers in ways that matter to them."</p><p>And even though she switched industries from tech to sports, and picked up new lingo to go along with it, Kate has found the transition to be a smooth one. "The organization has been super open to a lot of the ideas that I bring from a different industry and is already super innovative, [so] it wasn't that big of a change," she says.</p><p>Kate's approach to marketing, whether for a tech product or for professional basketball, is focused on communities. She's long been fascinated by how communities are created and how they develop, and in her current CMO role, she draws on her own experience feeling part of sports communities, from rooting for the Celtics as a kid in Baltimore to living in Chicago during Michael Jordan's heyday with the Bulls. </p><p>"There is no better community than the community of NBA fans," says Kate. "The NBA has done such a great job of building that community and bringing fans in to feel close, not just to the players or the game, but to what the NBA stands for."</p><h2>Pandemic pivot: standing up with the NBA community </h2><p>Kate joined the NBA in August of 2019. Seven months later, the world was put on pause—and so was basketball.</p><p>The whole NBA found themselves reimagining how a season of professional basketball could look. Kate felt like they had a unique opportunity to bring people together, and that figuring out how to do that in new ways would serve their audience now and in the future, especially since she says that less than 1% of basketball fans ever make it to an arena to see a live game. "One of the most interesting things about [this last year] is that we're all craving community in some way, and whether that's in person or online, we all want human connection," she says.</p><p>That community was especially important last summer, when the Black Lives Matter movement took off after a string of extrajudicial police killings of Black Americans. "The absolute tragedy and horrific loss of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor was a moment where we really could stand with players …[and] our fans," says Kate. As NBA players chose to wear <a href="https://theundefeated.com/features/social-justice-messages-each-nba-player-is-wearing-on-his-jersey/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jerseys with social justice messages</a> and the league painted Black Lives Matter on the court, Kate saw it as " incredibly powerful and values-driven."</p><p>The NBA's transition to a bubble with games played without live fans meant new opportunities for the marketing team to share content and interact with their communities. "[I'm proud of our] ability in that time to tell a really compelling story about how we had changed the game and how fans could interact with the game specifically to bring them closer," says Kate. </p><p>Those new ways of telling stories included professional games of H-O-R-S-E, <em>The Last Dance</em> documentary in partnership with ESPN, trivia games, reruns and new commentary of classic match-ups, and the first-ever 2K Players tournament, not to mention tons of social engagement with the NBA's community of super-engaged fans. </p><p>"We really tried to meet what fans needed and wanted, and we learned a lot about what content is super interesting and what platforms are particularly great for individual pieces of content," she says.</p><p>So far, her favorite innovation—and one that she plans to bring into the post-pandemic world—has been the <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/virtual-fans-help-restart-atmosphere" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">digital fans</a>. The NBA created a virtual fan experience where more than 300 fans each game were invited to appear live on the "Michelob ULTRA Courtside" 17-foot-tall video boards surrounding the court, allowing for an atmosphere of cheering (and occasional jeering) even with otherwise empty seats. "It's such a great way to bring people closer," says Kate. </p><h2>Paying it forward: tips for building your career</h2><p>Kate has four key tips for other women looking to build careers—and communities—that work for them:</p><ol class="ee-ol"><li><strong>Remember that your dream role might "hire on hustle."</strong> Kate is a builder: "I like to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty," she says. Leaning on her ability to get things done, even with a scrappy team or a limited budget, has been how she's gotten several roles, she says. Focus less on what degree you have or who you know and more on a track record of making things happen.</li><li><strong>Before accepting an offer, ask "Do I want to have a beer with these people?"</strong> That's the question Kate makes sure she'd say "yes" to before starting a new role. "You're spending a good portion of your life, whether on Zoom or sitting in the office, with these people. If you aren't really enjoying [them], it makes the job less fun. It's about the passion and the people," she says.</li><li><strong>Once you're in a new role, make sure to speak up and share the ideas that got you there.</strong> "For women especially, it is deeply important to not lose your voice. There are times when you may be the only woman in the room, and there are times when that room could be fairly large. It's still really important that you know that you belong there," she says. "Everyone has a little bit of doubt about what they're doing, but don't lose your voice. Have every confidence that you belong at that table. And your ideas are welcome and needed. Otherwise you wouldn't be there."</li><li><strong>As you take on new roles and responsibilities at different companies, be kind to everyone you come across. </strong>"Marketing is a small world," says Kate. "You will have the opportunity to cross paths with people again." She says that now, her community of peers is her biggest source of inspiration and continuous learning. "I see where they've gone, they see where I've gone, and we have a connection," she says. "Focus on relationships and individuals, because they will stay with you far longer than you think."</li></ol><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/nba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Learn more about the NBA and their open roles.</em></a></p>
READ MORE AND DISCUSS
Show less
Loading...
