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October 30, 2019
Webinars
PowerToFly Parents’ Panel: Work-Life Balance
PowerToFly is excited to host our second virtual Parents' Panel on December 10th! In this panel, we're discussing work-life balance, and how to bring your full self to work each and every day while balancing a growing family at home. Join us for this live Q&A to learn new tips, strategies, and share personal anecdotes that have helped shape these women into the founders and mothers they are today!
Ask these experts ANYTHING during this free, virtual conversation on PowerToFly!
- Eloise Drane, Founder of Family Inceptions
- Violette de Ayala, Founder of FemCity
- Mari Leong, Founder of Petite Crown
Meet the Panelists:
Eloise Drane is the founder of Family Inceptions, an agency that works together with prospective parents, egg donors, and surrogates to help build families of choice. Her passion and unparalleled empathy blossomed from her own experience as an egg donor six times and a surrogate three times. Eloise understands the importance of empowerment and encouragement within the family creation process. When she isn't guiding others in making family legacies, Eloise can be found fostering the relationships in her own family. Reading, learning, and spending quality time with her husband and five children.
Violette de Ayala is a Cuban-American serial and social Entrepreneur, Founder of FemCity®, and virtual mentor to over 20,000 women. She's also the author of The Self-Guided Guru© Lessons for Everyday Humans [For Pre-Order // released 10/30]. Violette has been quoted in Success, Forbes, Entrepreneur, CNBC, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Medium, Yahoo Small Business, Authority, Business Insider News as a small business expert and in MarieClaire. Violette has also been seen in featured campaigns in People, InStyle, Real Simple magazines in addition to bareMinerals "Women We Love" Series. She served as part of The White House: Women Environmental Leaders Program and was a commissioned Keynote speaker for Accenture's International Women's Month Event, the SBA Regional Women's Conference, and Luxury Brand Partners.
FemCity has been seen in Gilt, Vogue, Forbes, AP, Mashable and Fast Company and has over 100 locations in the US, Canada and the Islands.
Violette and Stephen and have three kids that span mid 20's to tween age. Their gracefully aging rescue dog, Cosmo is a frequent pseudo star on her instagram.
Mari Leong is the founder of Petite Crown, an eco-friendly baby product company. She started the business with the mission to end diaper need by donating a diaper for every product sold after learning about families not being able to afford diapers. She is a mother of two, business owner, full-time worker, and graduate school student and immigrant from Japan.
May 28, 2020
New Relic
From Event to Offer: How Sales Exec Danielle Satterfield Found Her Next Challenge at New Relic
When Danielle Satterfield attended a PowerToFly networking event with cloud-based observability platform New Relic last December, she wasn't actively looking for a job.
<p>She was, however, looking forward to hearing from the event's panel of women and learning about potential new opportunities. Years of working in technical sales meant that it was rare for her to have a chance to network with other women in her field. "It's hard as a woman in a male-dominated field to find opportunities to be around other women who are just like me," she says. "I was really excited to hear the women speak about their experiences."</p><p>Four months later, she joined New Relic as an Enterprise Sales Executive.</p><p>We sat down (over video chat, that is) with Danielle to hear about her path from event attendee to a new employee, how New Relic is managing her onboarding during a pandemic, and how she's nurtured her career over the years by investing in out-of-the-box development opportunities.</p><h3>Being open to change</h3><p>Danielle had been to a few PowerToFly events when she saw one with New Relic was upcoming and it piqued her interest. She'd told a friend that she was interested in learning about new opportunities, and he'd suggested she check out New Relic. She wasn't ready to take a new job—she had a few big deals in process with her then-employer, and she didn't want to leave her customers and prospects in the lurch—but she was looking forward to seeing what New Relic was all about.</p><p>At the event, she enjoyed hearing from the panel of women and the openness and honesty with which they addressed questions and shared their experience. She knew that if she were to switch jobs eventually, she wanted to find a culture that was supportive and a product she could believe in, and the panel made it seem like New Relic could provide both. When a PowerToFly recruiter reached out on behalf of New Relic after the event, Danielle was flattered—and interested.</p><p>She didn't interview right away since she wanted to finish out the quarter with her company. But when New Relic's recruiting team reached out to touch base a couple of months later, she was ready.</p><p>Danielle went through the interview process completely remotely, since San Francisco, where New Relic is headquartered, was shut down due to COVID-19. "I must've had ten different BlueJeans calls. The last one was with Sarah Cody, the VP of sales, who was actually on the panel at the event that sold me on the culture of New Relic," says Danielle, smiling. "I was just thrilled with the opportunity. It was clear that they really invest in their people and that they're investing in women."</p><h3>Joining a new company during a pandemic</h3>
<p>When Danielle officially joined New Relic in April, two things were immediately different from her previous job.</p><p><strong>First: the whole remote thing.</strong> Every April, New Relic has an annual sales kickoff event in Las Vegas to coincide with the start of their fiscal year, but this year, it all had to be done virtually. Danielle was immersed in learning about a host of new products, joining training, and getting to know her team. </p>
<p>Since the end of the conference, she's split her time between onboarding and getting up to speed on her accounts, all from home. She has a weekly call with her training specialist to check in on her onboarding process and up to "four video calls a day" with her team and new colleagues as she settles in.</p><p>"It's actually enabled me to get a lot more done in the day," says Danielle. "I was just telling one of my coworkers yesterday that not having to get up and do makeup and hair and then commute saves me probably two to three hours a day."</p><p>She explains, "It would be nice to be in the office to be able to ask people questions directly, but I've got those three hours back that I can do more. So I think it's worked out as best it could."</p><p><strong>The second new thing? The chance to work with other women.</strong></p><p>"On my new team of six, two of us are women, and my boss is also a woman. That's the most I've been around women in my career," says Danielle. "At my last job, I was one of 30 salespeople and only two of us were women."</p><p>Danielle says that she's happy to be working for a company that so clearly prioritizes diversity and inclusion. "Women are out there," she says. "You just have to find them. But when you take the time to do so, like New Relic has, you can find good people."</p><h3>Nurturing her career by deepening her technical knowledge</h3><p>Danielle hadn't always planned on going into sales. She studied finance in college, but an internship with Morgan Stanley turned her off of that field. Her first job after graduation was as a network analyst for a voice over IP (VOIP) company.</p><p>"That's where my love of technology started," she says. "I realized that was definitely what I wanted to do."</p><p>Subsequent job opportunities took her to San Francisco, and as she moved up in her career and took on more and more responsibility, she realized she wanted to invest in her technical knowledge.</p><p>"I realized that having a foundation of how everything actually works would help customers have a bit more trust and confidence in me as a rep because I'd taken the time to go and get those certifications," she says.</p><p>Danielle went to Colorado to take a 10-day course for her Cisco Certified Network Associate renewal exam. She was the only salesperson in the entire class—and also the only woman.</p><p>"People asked me, 'Why are you taking the exam?' and my response was always, 'Well if I understand everything down from the physical layer all the way to the application layer and how it all interacts, I can sell better. I can ask deeper questions and help troubleshoot potential issues,'" says Danielle. "And it's really helped me throughout my career."</p><p>Danielle now has her CCNA and CCDA (Cisco Certified Design Associate) certifications and encourages other women in tech sales to take those classes, too. "It sets the bar a little bit higher. Start with some courses and see how you like them," she recommends.</p><h3>Looking to the future</h3><p>Danielle is still getting up to speed with New Relic's products and her accounts, and for now, it looks like she'll continue to do so from home.</p><p>"New Relic had us fill out a survey about what we thought about potentially returning, and I think the majority of the feedback was 'let's take our time,' especially since a lot of us live outside of the city and use public transportation. Their approach seems to be 'it's better safe than sorry.' And we're set up for it—our customers are more than happy to jump on a video call," she says.</p><p>It's not just her customers. Danielle has been reaching out to colleagues across New Relic, including in engineering and product teams, to get to know them and start building relationships. "I must've had 30 meetings like that so far," she says. "Not one person has said, 'Oh, you know, I don't think I have time.' Everyone is just so helpful and going out of their way to make me feel welcome and part of the team already."</p><p>----</p>
<p>If you're interested in becoming part of the New Relic team, take a look at their open roles <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/new-relic" target="_blank">here</a>, and feel free to ask Danielle any questions in the comments!</p>
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Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels through the FB AIR Program
May 26, 2020
Jobs
Applications Are Open for Facebook's Return to Work Program!
We're excited to announce applications are now open for Facebook's Return to Work program. We have positions open for 10 roles:
<ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/2667898850006232/" target="_blank">Data Engineer, Infrastructure</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/239103370652935/" target="_blank">Research Data Scientist, Infrastructure</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/3285384208140025/" target="_blank">Capacity Engineering and Analysis Engineer, Infrastructure</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/261338615072095/" target="_blank">Mechanical Engineer, Infrastructure</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/254684762312074/" target="_blank">Mechanical Engineer, AR/VR</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/243807506686947/" target="_blank">Firmware Engineer, AR/VR</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/862881854191570/" target="_blank">Electrical Engineer, AR/VR</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/254092072615335/">Technical Program Manager, Infrastructure</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/1134328926931366/" target="_blank">Technical Program Manager, AR/VR</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/608484156423560/" target="_blank">Fulfillment Operations Program Manager, AR/VR</a></li></ul><p><em>Roles are based in the Bay Area and Seattle area offices, as well as our Boston office. Please check each job requisition for the corresponding locations.</em><u></u><u></u></p><p><em>What is the Return to Work Program?</em><u></u><u></u></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><em>A 16-week immersive program designed for those who have left the workforce for 2 years or longer and are looking to re-enter the workforce full-time. </em><em>At the end of the term, those who have demonstrated their abilities to succeed and have an impact at Facebook will be considered for a full-time position.</em><u></u><u></u></li></ul><p>Hear stories from Return to Work Program graduates:<u></u><u></u></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/facebookcareers/photos/a.1655288474757840/2383199131966767/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Roopam's Story</a><u></u><u></u></li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/facebookcareers/photos/a.1655288474757840/2388098258143521/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Geetha's Story</a><u></u><u></u></li></ul><p><em>When?</em><u></u><u></u></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><em>The Fall Program starts at the end of August and runs through December.</em><u></u><u></u></li></ul><p><em>How?</em><u></u><u></u></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><em>To view opportunities and apply, visit our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/careers/facebook-life/return-to-work?q=return" target="_blank">website</a>. Please apply early, as we're expecting a high volume of applicants and have limited positions.</em></li></ul>
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May 21, 2020
Work From Home
The Two Causes of Conflict Within a Team: And How to Resolve Them
(With specific tips for remote teams!)
Teams have conflict. It happens. Whether it's disagreeing with your manager's feedback, going head-to-head with a coworker for a promotion, or feeling supreme levels of annoyance at the department head who consistently claims credit for work he didn't do, all of us have gotten into it at some point on the job. (One of my favorite personal conflicts was when a woman who worked for me refused to use our publication's style guide when communicating on behalf of the business. Yes, I once found myself screaming in a newsroom about the need to use size-16 Tahoma in marketing materials rather than size-12 Times New Roman. But I promise I'm better at dealing with conflict now.)
<h3>Two main causes of conflict within a team: <br></h3><p>Whether we're talking about remote teams where everyone works from different locations (whether by design or <a href="https://blog.powertofly.com/a-guide-to-remote-work-during-coronavirus-2645402589.html" target="_self">because COVID-19 required it</a>) or traditional office settings, conflict at work tends to stem from one of two places:</p><p><strong>1. Substantive or task-based conflict arises when people clash over a specific goal or action. </strong>This kind of conflict is usually contained to the issue at hand and can be more straightforward to solve. For example, you as an engineer want to get to work on coding a new feature, but your product manager might want to deploy you to fixing an old bug instead, and you disagree about the right use of your time.</p><p><strong>2. Emotional or interpersonal conflict arises when people can't get along. </strong>The root issue might be jealousy, insecurity, annoyance, or just plain incompatibility. It can be harder to solve emotional conflicts, since you're unlikely to change someone's entire personality. As an example, if you hate interacting with your fellow sales rep because she's self-obsessed and constantly gossips about the rest of the team, that's an emotional conflict that you can't sit down and cut through quickly.<strong></strong></p><p>Within <strong>task-based conflict,</strong> your team might struggle with:</p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li>Competition for resources that pits people against each other</li><li>Disagreement over strategy where there's no clear path forward</li><li>Planning issues that reveal weaknesses in people or in processes</li></ul><p>Within interpersonal conflict, your team might have issues with:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Differences in behavioral styles that lead to frustration or misunderstandings</li><li>Failure to take responsibility that leads to resentment and lack of a team attitude</li></ul><p>And there are some causes of conflict that can be both substantive and emotional:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>Communication issues</strong>, whether they're pet peeves or structural inadequacies in how your team communicates</li><li><strong>Cultural issues</strong>, where your team's culture is a negative and toxic one that either allows or actively supports pettiness, bullying, or gossip</li></ul><p><strong>Remote teams </strong>will see all of the above kinds of conflict, but might have unique issues, too, including:</p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li><strong>Loss of context and communication signals. </strong>Teams that don't work face-to-face and communicate mainly over email or messaging apps miss out on the trove of information that human beings communicate through body language and facial expressions. That makes it easier for a message to be misinterpreted or someone to take offense to a perceived tone.</li><li><strong>No informal run-ins. </strong>If you work in the same office and get a weird vibe from a coworker, you can grab them casually in the hallway and ask them if there's anything wrong. Working remotely means you may need to be more purposeful about addressing conflict when it happens, whether that's in a team meeting or a direct message (more on those options later).</li></ul><p>Even though interpersonal conflict can be more complicated, both kinds of conflict can be resolved. Remote teams that don't have the option to quickly pull everyone together into a room to solve a problem are at a bit of a disadvantage—but at the same time, their focus on constant communication can actually be a boon in fixing issues and making sure they don't happen again.</p><h3>Exercises to resolve conflict (whether in-person or remote)</h3><p>All of these exercises share a common framework, which can be summed up as<strong> "understand what the problems are, understand why they're happening, and create a plan for the future." </strong>Sometimes the plan will be to do nothing, like with some interpersonal conflicts where you can't force two people to like each other. But you need to be aware of what's going on and why if you're going to manage conflicts well. Try one of these methods:</p><h4>Diagnose issues with your team.</h4><p>Get into the nitty gritty. When an issue arises, make it an agenda item at the next team meeting, and have someone who isn't part of the conflict walk through a resolution process. (Since issues will happen all the time, a good practice is to have a standing "issue resolution" agenda item for every meeting and update it with whatever the biggest problem of that week is.) Start by stating the problem, then have the people involved explain what should have happened versus what <em>did</em> happen, why it happened, and what they'd do differently next time.</p><p><strong><em>Example:</em></strong> Your team released a product update that was full of errors. Your manager brings it up at a team meeting and has the head developer explain what went wrong. She says that normally, a release goes through two stages of testing before being shipped, but that this time around, it only went through one, since half the team was busy doing recruiting interviews on the day the update was meant to go live and no one was around to help with the testing. Your manager and the head developer agree that next time, if they're short on resources, they'll delay release instead of pushing through an imperfect product.</p><h4>Communicate productively and personally. </h4><p>No blame game here. Find a direct way (face-to-face or over the phone is best) to touch base with the person you're in conflict with. Communicating productively around conflict means understanding why you are upset, communicating that using "I" statements and not blaming others, and communicating a need and a suggested resolution.</p><p><strong><em>Example:</em></strong> You're pissed that your coworker left you off a meeting invite for a check-in with your client, so you ask him if you can do a 1:1 call. On the call, you say, "Yesterday, when you left me off of the client invite, I felt frustrated, as I didn't get a chance to present my work and build a rapport with the client. In the future, I'd appreciate it if you could double-check the invites to make sure I'm on them. I'd also like you to send a note to the client introducing me so that we can start building a relationship. Does that sound reasonable?"</p><h4>Create a space for surfacing conflicts.</h4><p>If your team doesn't already have one, suggest that you start a special channel for logging problems as they happen. You can ask to make it anonymous, if you're worried about retribution, or you can keep it tied to employee names. Send in issues big and small, from disagreements with management on corporate strategy to someone forgetting to send a new hire welcome email and making said new hire feel awkward on their first day.</p><h4>Invest in conflict training.</h4><p>So much of what flusters us at work is due to bad communication, whether our own or others'. Not everyone has been exposed to productive, positive communication techniques before (like the therapists' tips mentioned above), and investing in bringing that to your team can bring huge payouts. Look at training companies or consultants who specialize in effective communication and see if they can do a live session, whether in-person or over a videoconference, for your team.</p><p>They should cover things like:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Keeping discussions about interpersonal conflicts relegated to behavior, not personality (saying "Sometimes you don't give people time to ask questions when you're presenting" versus "You're impatient and condescending")</li><li>Listening actively and repeating what you understand (after someone shares their perspective, saying, "So what I am hearing is that you felt unappreciated" instead of jumping in with solutions or disagreements)</li><li>Learning how to self-soothe when you're too upset to communicate well (asking if you can take a break before continuing and going on a walk, listening to music, or taking a few deep breaths in private)</li></ul><p><strong>Conflict at work isn't fun—but it doesn't have to derail you, either. </strong>It happens, and learning how to communicate productively through it will serve you well at work and beyond.</p>
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May 21, 2020
Diversity Reboot Summit Speakers
Join Us to Discuss the Future of Work: Come to Our (Virtual!) Diversity Reboot Summit
Join Diversity reboot 2020 virtually
COVID-19 has forced us to map the future of our workplaces at a dizzying new pace.
The Diversity Reboot 2020 Summit is a virtual gathering for professionals who want to share how we can all rebuild faster in partnership with diverse talent. Join us, along with thousands of diverse women and allies, to remake our world the way it ought to be.
Learn more here
May 18, 2020
Work From Home
5 Tips to Manage Up While Working Remotely: Advice from Lattice software Engineer Mona Bocharova
Mona Bocharova knows a little something about managing through change.
<p>Over the last eight or so years, she's lived in four countries on three continents and worked in three different roles, going from a freelance writer in India to an account manager in Ukraine and England to a software engineer in the U.S.<br/></p>
<p>Each time, she's gotten used to a new country and a new set of responsibilities. That transition never went so smoothly as it did when just last year she started working as a software engineer at performance management software company <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lattice" target="_blank">Lattice</a>. She joined the San Francisco-based company after pursuing her passion for programming and loving Lattice's thoughtful interview process and diverse interview lineup.</p><p>And then everyone went remote as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Mona had to adapt again — it's a good thing she's had some practice.</p><p>We sat down with Mona to talk about her successes and failures in managing up and giving/receiving feedback, how to do so even when you don't see your manager in person, and how Lattice's employee-driven culture supports personal and professional growth.</p><p>Read on for her advice!</p><h3>1. If you don't already have a regular (a.k.a weekly) one-on-one with your manager, schedule one. </h3><p>Just because you're not seeing your manager's face every day and don't have the option to grab them in the hallway to go over some feedback doesn't mean you can't have quality time together.</p><p>Set up a dedicated meeting time, says Mona, and don't treat it like any other check-in.</p><p>"Having one-on-ones helps you create a connection and can make you feel like, 'Okay, I'm not forgotten, my opinion matters, I matter,'" notes Mona. That's especially important if you're working from home for the first time and are feeling isolated from your team and company.</p><p>These meetings should include a regular agenda item of mutual feedback: you to your manager and your manager to you. Lattice's products include performance reviews and a range of manager tools to facilitate productive check-ins, but even if your company doesn't use set tools, make sure that you go through the entire agenda and share takeaways after each meeting so that you have a record of feedback and growth over time.</p><h3>2. Deliver on your responsibilities and be proactive when you can't.</h3><p>"Make sure that what you promise, you deliver," says Mona. That's not to say you always have to get it right, though. "There will be projects that you can't deliver on time. Just communicate that proactively," says Mona, who stresses how learning to think from your manager's point of view and raising problems for them ahead of time can deepen their trust in you.</p><h3>3. Take initiative.</h3><p>Once you've got your responsibilities handled and you're delivering on your goals, figure out what you can take off of your manager's plate. For example, says Mona, your manager is probably in charge of onboarding new members to the team, but you can take an active role in "getting to know that person and providing any help and support they need" to support your manager (and make a new friend, to boot).</p><p>This team-first mentality goes a long way towards creating a positive team culture, explains Mona. "At Lattice, we look at all projects or problems as a team, not as individuals, so nobody feels like they're in it alone," she says.</p><h3>4. Be explicit in asking for more responsibility.</h3><p>Identifying areas that you can help out is great, but if you're looking for a step change in your responsibilities that goes beyond a few side projects, ask for it, says Mona.</p><p>"Don't be shy in taking on challenging projects. If you feel like you've been working on a team for a while and you haven't gotten a project that would make significant impact, just ask for it straight away. Go and talk to your manager, share your concerns, and don't shy away," she says.</p><p>Letting your manager know what you're ready for more gives you control over your growth and shows your manager that they can count on you. "You should not always have the expectations that people will give you something. You have to ask and tell them, 'yes, this is what I want to do,'" says Mona.</p><h3>5. Don't shy away from sharing your questions and suggestions.</h3><p>Lattice uses their own products, so Mona has various avenues—including some anonymous ones—to present questions or ideas to management, including weekly pulse surveys, biannual performance reviews and engagement surveys, and regular feedback entries.</p><p>But whether or not your company has set ways of raising questions, Mona stresses how important it is that you surface any confusion or suggestions you may have.</p><p>"Don't think, 'Oh, I don't want to upset someone,' or 'Maybe I'm the only person in the group who doesn't know this,'" says Mona. If you have an idea on how to improve something, present it with confidence. "Come with facts, information, some case studies about it working at other teams or companies. If you're still getting pushback, you can propose it as an experiment, not an immediate overhaul," says Mona of the best approach for getting your ideas heard.</p><p>And if you're confused as to what's happening with a project or strategy, don't stay quiet. Mona shares, "I used to not ask questions because I was worried someone would think I was stupid. But then I realized that in the long term, it's for my own benefit—that's how you grow and develop."</p><p>And if you're confused about something, chances are, someone else is too, so don't let fear hold you back from asking your questions in a centralized forum, says Mona. By putting the answer in a team channel or shared location, you're helping other folks, not to mention saving the person with the answer from being pinged half a dozen times!</p>
<h3>Summing It Up</h3>
<p>When it comes to managing up and soliciting feedback, the strategies don't differ drastically whether you're in or out of the office — they just become infinitely more important when you're working remotely. In the absence of facetime and spontaneous run-ins, scheduled one-on-ones, taking initiative, and regular communication are essential to success. </p>
<p>If you're interested in learning more about Lattice's products and open roles, check out their<a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lattice" target="_blank"> PowerToFly page</a>. And if you have questions for Mona about managing up while working remotely (or about finding a passion and following it halfway around the world), let her know in the comments!</p>
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