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January 14, 2021
Career Advice
How This VP of Brand Marketing Found a Job at a Company with a Mission She Loves
One of Jennifer Martin's first jobs was working the front desk of the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where she got very good at asking one question: "How can I help you?"
<p>She credits her earnest, honest interest in the answer to that question with her career success. "I learned everything that I ever needed to know about customer service from working at the front desk of a hotel," explains Jen. "And I quickly learned that I needed to have that guest service lens on in my career. How can I help? What can I do? How can I partner with you? I think if you're more open, people come to you because they know you're open to learning, they know you're open to relationships. They know you're open to failure."</p>
<p>From hospitality to client service to agency to now being an in-house marketer, Jen's career has taken her around the country and through several industries, but the role she feels most excited about is the one she has now: VP of Brand and Advertising for AI healthcare startup <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/olive" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Olive</a>. </p>
<p>Not only is she working with a company whose mission aligns with her own—discovering hidden connections that make people's lives easier—but as a mom of a child with a rare genetic disorder, she knows just how important it is to find those connections within the healthcare industry, which is ripe for innovation. </p>
<h2>How Olive can help patients</h2>
<p>Jen's daughter Sarah has Rett Syndrome. "She's great and healthy and thriving and beautiful—and nonverbal and works really hard to do a lot of the things that come so easily to most of us," says Jen. </p>
<p>Caring for her daughter has given Jen an intimate look at all of the inefficiencies and failures of the American healthcare system. "I understand from a patient perspective how difficult it is to navigate all of it," she says. "The healthcare industry is hard to understand for many people: prior authorization, claims, insurance, appointments, rattling off for the 100th time that yes, she does have an allergy to penicillin...We have so much more to do to fix the system and streamline the patient experience."</p>
<p>Olive is a healthcare-specific artificial intelligence solution that can help hospitals optimize administrative workflows including processing invoices, managing registration, authorizing claims, and verifying benefits. "I want to make [my daughter's] life better," explains Jen. "This is an indirect way for me to do that. I can draw a parallel if I can make another parent's experience with a hospital be more streamlined."</p><h2>Staying open to new possibilities </h2>
<p>If you'd asked Jen as she began her career where she thought she'd end up, she probably wouldn't have answered with her current role or even industry. That's been true for most of the professional transitions she's made.</p>
<p>While working at the Hyatt early on in her career, she started a pilot program with what was then a little startup out of Las Vegas called Expedia. Their partnership began selling 10 rooms, then 40, and then turned into a new role for Jen at Hyatt's headquarters working on building out the hotel chain's ecommerce functionality to sell their rooms directly. </p>
<p>Then her hospitality background was appealing to an ad agency who needed an account director for their client, United Airlines, so Jen made the switch into agencies and marketing work. She and her husband then moved from Chicago to more family-friendly Columbus, where Jen got a job with a women-owned ad agency and took on other big projects, like launching Sherwin-Williams' ecommerce business. </p>
<p>But when IBM bought her agency and Jen realized she was on the fast track to becoming a partner, she had a wake-up call. She was at a training retreat for to-be partners that asked participants to think through their values, and Jen realized her current work wasn't aligned with what she cared about most. "[My coworker] and I spent a lot of time talking about what we wanted in life, and it was in those moments that I realized I wanted my work to matter," she says.</p>
<p>She left IBM and started at a smaller, more traditional ad agency, but it wasn't a good fit for Jen's ambitions. "I knew I wanted to find something that was rooted in technology, rooted in automation—which was a passion point for me at IBM—and rooted in creating better outcomes for humans," says Jen. She also knew she wanted to be on the client side of things. "I wanted to feel good about what I was building. At the agency, you don't get to own it. You have to just build it and walk away from it. And I'm at the point now where I would like to nurture a brand and see it grow and see it become something."</p>
<p>A friend told her to check out Olive. "I was drawn to Olive by her mission to drive innovation within healthcare, to affect patient outcomes. Olive has a vision for how to do it and the right team in place to make it happen," says Jen. </p>
<p>And now Jen is overseeing Olive's major branding campaigns in cities around the country, partnering with Olive's product and sales teams to get their message out, and finally feeling really connected to the work she spends all day doing.</p>
<p>She left us with a few tips for how you can find work that makes you feel the same way.</p><h2>3 tips for finding a company whose mission you're aligned with</h2>
<p><strong>1. Write down your values. </strong>"The personal has to come before the professional. Start there and really try to understand and dig deep into your own self. Figure out what matters the most to you," says Jen, who offers an example: "I can tell you that in this moment, my family matters most to me, and my daughter is certainly a huge part of that."</p>
<p><strong>2. Do your research.</strong> Jen notes that she didn't follow her own advice when she left IBM for another agency. "Find the leaders within whatever company you're evaluating and follow them on LinkedIn. See what they're saying, how they position themselves, how they position their company. Find multiple leaders to get a perspective that's more holistic," she says. She also recommends looking at hashtags that matter to you and seeing which companies use those in their posts. "Look to see how diverse the leadership is. Diversity drives much better thinking within an organization, much more well-rounded thinking."</p>
<p><strong>3. Be yourself.</strong> "It manifests in different ways," says Jen, who notes that especially now, in extended work-from-home setups, it's important to be able to be your true self at work and feel like others are being authentic with you, too. </p>
<p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/olive" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more about Olive, their mission, and their open roles. </a></p>
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January 13, 2021
How To Kickstart Your Career In Tech
Interested in pivoting to tech?
Lisa Tagliaferri, Senior Manager, Developer Education at DigitalOcean, shared her top tips for breaking into the industry, from the best open source tools to key transferable skills.
Have more questions about launching a tech career? Let us know in the comments! And learn more about DigitalOcean's open roles here
January 13, 2021
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12 Tips for Setting Better Goals
We asked 30+ women how you can make 2021 your best year yet.
Resolutions are one thing. Goals are another.
How do you move from vaguely hopeful statements about what 2021 will mean for you personally and professionally to thoughtful plans that are likely to come to fruition?
<p>You set good goals. Specific goals. Goals that tie back to your values, goals that can be tracked, goals that make you excited to get out and start working towards them.</p><p>We asked 32 incredible and accomplished women about the advice they'd share with anyone looking to make 2021 their year. Here's what they had to say!</p>
<p>--</p><p><strong>Think you may want to work with one of the incredible women highlighted here? </strong>Check out open roles at the companies mentioned:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/cargurus" target="_blank">CarGurus</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/national-security-agency-nsa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NSA</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/folsom-labs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Folsom Labs</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/autodesk-inc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Autodesk</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/clyde" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clyde</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lockheed-martin" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lockheed Martin</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/relativity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Relativity</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/smartsheet" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Smartsheet</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/vts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">VTS</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/mongodb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MongoDB</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/chainalysis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chainalysis</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/moody-s-corporation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moody's Corporation</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://blog.powertofly.com/pymetrics-page-2646063125.html" target="_self">pymetrics</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-north-carolina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BCBSNC</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/state-listings-inc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">State Listings</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lattice" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lattice</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/siemens" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Siemens</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/raytheon-technologies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Raytheon Technologies</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/stack-overflow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stack Overflow</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/primer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Primer</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/datadog" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Datadog</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/csl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CSL</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/netskope" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Netskope</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/software-one-inc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SoftwareONE</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/ciena" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ciena</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/quicken-loans" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quicken Loans</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/clarus-commerce" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clarus</a></li><li>Apply for open roles at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/elastic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elastic</a></li></ul>
1. Make goal setting a ritual.
<p>Sure, a new year is just a change of date, an arbitrary way to mark time. But if we create meaning around it, it can become something else entirely. Carmen Kelly, Training & Development Team Leader at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/quicken-loans" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quicken Loans</a>, likes to see it as a real beginning. "I enjoy embracing the fresh, new year with hope of what could be, and a huge part of that is goal setting," she says. "Having goals in life is essential. Even creating goals for different areas of your life is key. This can help with making sure you are balancing out all critical aspects of your life that are most important to you."</p> <p>Starting with reflection can help make sure that your goals are well-connected to where you are mentally, personally, and professionally. "I always start with reflecting on my past to gain better understanding of myself," says Ankita Patel, Principal Software Engineer at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/clarus-commerce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clarus</a>. "What my capabilities are versus what I really foresee myself doing in next quarter or so. It allows me to see where I stand, what difficulties I have faced, and to shift my perspective from doubting myself to believing in myself. It forms the baseline of starting fresh and helping me plan for my future."</p><p>For Jess Tsai, VP of Business Operations at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/vts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">VTS</a>, the ritual of goal setting begins with a long journaling session. "I reflect on the last year and rate myself on a scale of 1-10 for how happy I am in these ten areas: health, emotional/mental, relationships (friends/family), love/romance, service, learning/personal growth, experiences, spirituality, career, and finances," she says. "In the areas where I scored lower, I reflect on why. Then I go through each area and write out in detail what my life would look like if I scored 10 in each area, and try to visualize that life and feel like I'm already there. Depending on my scores and what's most important to me right now, I set some intentions for where I want to focus for the year."</p>2. Build around your values.
<p>Disparate goals scattered across different aspects of life aren't as likely to motivate you as one set of goals that coalesce around a theme, says Jac Le, a Senior Territory Sales Representative at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/autodesk-inc" target="_blank">Autodesk</a>. "Whether or not you're conscious of it, values are the foundation of goals, dreams, character, and decision making," she says. "Instead of creating New Year Resolutions, I create a Theme that I want to focus on for the year, which is based on my values. It can be a word or phrase. From there, every goal set throughout the year is measured in alignment with that Theme to ensure that my goals are an expression and enhancement to my values instead of a stressor to check off."</p> <p>If you're having trouble thinking of a good place to start from, or naming the values that drive your everyday life, Dipabali Chowdhury, a Learning & Development Specialist at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/mongodb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MongoDB</a>, has advice that can help. "The more self-awareness you can build, the more specific your goals will be and the more motivated you will be. Sometimes, we set goals without understanding what's important to us. We follow someone else's compass instead of our own," she says. She suggests asking yourself reflection questions: "When I was happy at work, what contributed to that joy? When and why was I frustrated at work? What mindsets held me back from achieving my goals this year? What challenges did I overcome? What are my natural strengths? What skills, knowledge, or behaviors do I want to build in the new year?"</p> <p>Claire Lucas, Senior Manager, Services Operations at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/elastic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elastic</a>, suggests beginning with an end vision in mind. "I work backwards," she says. "I journal about my vision for the end of the year, trying to think about it uninhibited from any constraints. I then focus on creating a declaration for myself that will help me break through to reach my goals. The declaration ties together who I am today, and who I need to be in the future to fulfill this goal."</p>3. Consider making personal and professional goals in harmony.
<p>You might have personal goals that are completely unrelated to what you do at work. That's okay! Great, even. But you do need to make sure that they are complimentary at least so far as how they'll be achieved, says Lee Ann Mangels, Senior Director of Program Management at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/clyde" target="_blank">Clyde</a>. "Your personal and professional goals have to be somewhat aligned. If you decide to improve your time management in the new year, it will only work if the practice or process you start applies to your home and work life," she says. She gives an example: "Several years ago, I started taking 30 minutes on Sunday afternoon to review the week ahead. What meetings do I need to prepare for? What are we having for dinner? Do I have to coordinate any personal appointments for our family? Investing 30 minutes on Sunday has been a game changer for me."</p>4. Start big, then whittle down as needed.
<p>Being aspirational when you make your goals is key—but so is creating a practical plan to achieve them. "I always try to look at the bigger picture [when goal setting]," says Beatriz Alvarez, Talent Acquisition Sr. Analyst - Recruitment Events Lead at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lockheed-martin" target="_blank">Lockheed Martin</a>. "I try to set a long term goal that seems impossible, making sure it is measurable, down-to-earth, and real—and most importantly, that it is motivating. Once I have my eyes on the prize, I strategize by setting up a group of smaller goals that will help me achieve it."</p><p>That being said, it's important to not lose sight of those aspirations, either. Amanda Fennell, Chief Security Officer at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/relativity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Relativity</a>, has advice for finding the Goldilocks moment between too-easy and too-hard goals, finding the just-right pace where you're pushing yourself: "You never know how far you can go unless you set stretch goals. If I only set goals that I knew I could ace, it would be stacking the deck. I want to know how far I can push myself and in taking this approach, I have achieved some pretty amazing things. As Captain Marvel says: 'Higher, further, faster.'"</p><p>Yasameen Raissinia, APAC Commercial New Business Manager at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/smartsheet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smartsheet</a>, is a fan of the stretch goal, too. "I always like to push myself either personally or professionally to hit smaller attainable goals that add up to a big audacious goal. For example, I always try to set the goal of getting to the Presidents Club which typically has a goal post of 130%, which is massively difficult to achieve. In order to get there, I try and break down my weeks and my quota to overachieve, and try to give myself smaller goals around numbers of accounts, or contracts I close per week, helping me get to the major and impressive goal!" she says.</p><p>Bridget Barrot, <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/chainalysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chainalysis</a>'s VP of Customer Success, has a three-step framework for getting that balance right. "The best lesson I've learned about setting goals is they need to be simplistic, realistic, and strategic," she says. "Simplistic: It's important to find things that are easy to measure, so that you can regularly assess them. Anything that requires too much work to analyze will set you up for failure. Realistic: Stretch goals are important, but it's also important to be practical about what you can complete in any quarter or year. When they get too lofty or too numerous, it's easy to just give up on them all together. Strategic: It's important to differentiate between goals and a 'to do' list. Goals can be a mix of big and small things, but they must be grounded in results rather than just a list of tasks to check off."</p>5. Write goals down.
<p>"We're all familiar with the numerous studies that underscore the correlation between writing down our goals and our ability to achieve them," says Shavit Bar-Nahum, Senior Vice President of Leadership Development at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/moody-s-corporation" target="_blank">Moody's Corporation</a>. "The bottom line is, if it's not documented, it's less likely to happen, you are less likely to hold yourself accountable, and it's much easier to slip back into old habits and behaviors. So whether you are embarking on a new opportunity, learning a new skill, or increasing your sales objective, write it down. And not just for yourself. From documenting it in a system of record to creating a visual reminder for yourself, capture your goals in a way that you and others can see your intentions and can support you on your journey."</p> <p>Going beyond writing down goals can help, too. Mary Kay Evans, <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/pymetrics">pymetrics'</a> Chief Marketing Officer, recognizes the power of writing down her own story: "One of the most challenging and rewarding exercises for me was actually writing out my story. Not goals in a bullet point list, but rather in a story format as though it's already happened. I began the year 2018 by writing the story I wanted to tell by January 2019. It was a narrative looking back on my accomplishments and challenges faced and how exactly I overcame them. By being vivid and specific, like a good narrative requires, I really had to bring my vision of the year ahead to life. It went beyond simply listing my goals to describing outcomes and how I would experience them. This preparation made all the difference as 2018 was a year of tremendous growth and accomplishment for me. It works!"</p>6. Find a way to track your goals over time.
<p>The many women we talked to had different ways of tracking, but the unifying thread is that each had found a way that worked for them. Alisa Cash, Director of IT Solution Delivery at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BCBSNC</a>, sums up the key approach: "Do not set a goal that cannot be measured. This does not have to be an emphatic measurement (such as achieving 100% on time delivery = x; 90% on time delivery =y), although the more you can do this, the clearer resources tend to be."</p><p>For Sarah Morningstar, Ph.D., Data Researcher at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/primer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Primer</a>, breaking her goals into timely metrics helps. "I have found that I am more likely to achieve my goals if they include specific and actionable metrics; otherwise, it is hard to determine if I am successful," she says. "For example, one of my goals for 2021 is to practice more yoga. However, the term 'more' is vague and difficult to know when I have achieved it. Instead of more yoga, I decided I wanted that to mean that I will practice yoga at least two times per week. Over the year, I need to practice 104 times or 26 times per quarter to be successful. Each quarter I work backward from 26, I do more some weeks, and others it's less. I allow this flexibility because I know that being a mom and a working professional, I can't always control my schedule."</p><p>Amanda Sternklar, Marketing Director at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/state-listings-inc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">State Listings</a>, agrees, and notes that she checks in on her progress every week: "The most important thing for me is ensuring my goals are measurable, through metrics directly related to my own activities. That means that if I want to increase our blog following in the new year, my goals would look something like 'Create 3 original blog posts each week' and 'Be a guest contributor on 10 blogs in 2021.' That way, I can create a tracker—mine is a physical page in my planner, but there are also various apps that help with this—to see my progress at a glance. I review my tracker on the first Monday of each month to make sure I'm on track and figure out any steps I need to take if I'm not."</p><p>Amy Luo, Senior Product Designer at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/lattice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lattice</a>, likes identifying specific behaviors that she can easily keep in mind. "Be specific and focus on actions or behavior when defining your goals," she says. "Try setting a number you want to achieve or a completion date. It'll help keep you on track and you can clearly measure your progress toward the goal over time. For example, if you want to work on your writing skills, a general goal like 'Become a better writer' would be too vague and difficult to measure. A specific and actionable version could be 'Write for 30 minutes every day' or 'Publish an article every month.'"</p><p>For Stacey Chase, Senior Manager Internal Audit at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/siemens" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Siemens</a>, adding a visual element to her goal metrics is what keeps her on track. "I use a Kanban board on Trello to plan and organize my activity," she says. "In my first column I list my goals for the year and assign them a color. As I work on things throughout the year and add tasks I tie them back by color to the goal the effort is in service to. This helps me multiple ways. First, it is a visible reminder I see daily or weekly of the goals I have set. Second, I am constantly tying back my efforts and time spent back to my goals. Third, it gives me early warning that my goals or my efforts may need to be reevaluated if I find most of my energy is spent on things other than my goals."</p>7. Don’t keep your goals to yourself!
<p>Many of the women we spoke to highlighted how important it is for your goals, personal and professional, to exist outside of your own head. "Be sure to share your aspirations with others and ask for feedback along the way—don't assume your supervisor knows your near and longer-term plans," says Wyetta Morrow, Executive Director, Human Resources at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/raytheon-technologies" target="_blank">Raytheon Technologies</a>. That's particularly true for goals that can be advanced at work, she notes, adding, "Our career journey includes a village and it helps to have others that can advocate for you when you may not be present."</p><p>And there's no need to limit that sharing to just your manager—what about all of the other people that care about you and want to see you succeed? Janet Higgins, Vice President of Regional Sales at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/ciena" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ciena</a>, suggests broadening your circle. "Build a support group around you. Share your goals and your thinking with your trusted mentors and friends. Actively think about who you can leverage in this way. Chances are they would be more than happy to reciprocate. Seeking the perspective of people outside your industry who only have your best interests at heart and are willing to give you straight honesty is pure gold," she says. </p>8. Considering making your goals three-dimensional.
<p>Writing down your goals is a classic approach, but if you have a creative bent or are a more visual learner, maybe going a step farther and making a concrete representation of your goals will help you focus on them. "Try creating a vision board that includes pictures and words of the mini goals and milestones you want to focus on to help you achieve your bigger picture goal," says Gursharn Dhami, Senior Global HR Business Partner at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/stack-overflow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stack Overflow</a>. "If you make it visible, you may just feel more accountable to accomplish what you've envisioned for yourself!"</p><p>Brooke Kaylie, Program Manager, National Security Group at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/primer" target="_blank">Primer</a>, agrees with the power of seeing your goals around you. "Visualize it. Decide what it is you want to do and make it so real you can touch it, see it, taste it. When I decided to change my career completely, I put things into my workspace that reminded me of where I wanted to go. Articles, photographs — anything that kept my focus on my goal," she says.</p>9. Tackle the hardest things first—if that’s possible (ribbit).
<p>There's an argument to be made for starting with easy wins, but Laura Ripans, <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/datadog" target="_blank">Datadog</a>'s Director of Channels & Alliances, won't be making it. "Get the important things done first," she says. "For me, this is early in the morning when I have no distractions. Stay focused and concentrate on the things that matter most." She suggests reading <em>Eat That Frog </em>by Brian Tracy. "There's an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're done with the worst thing you'll have to do all day. For Tracy, eating a frog is a metaphor for tackling your most challenging task—but also the one that can have the greatest positive impact on your life," she says.</p> <p>As it turns out, Claudia Petrocchi, Executive Director of HR Operations for <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/csl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CSL</a>, is a big fan of the frog approach, too. "Years ago, someone shared a Mark Twain quote with me: 'If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.' This quote clicked with me—it's so visual that it really helps me. Normally I would wait the whole day and think how awful this frog will be. But now, I'll eat the frog right away. For years I had a sticker of a frog on my laptop. So, if I had that crazy email or that crazy project, that would be my frog."</p> <p>Sasi Murthy, VP, Product and Solutions Marketing at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/netskope" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Netskope</a>, has a visual trick to help you remember to keep that big, hard goal front and center: "Invest time in thinking about what you want to achieve, not how you will do it. Then find a jar and place a big rock or a few that represent these goals inside, and fill the rest with smaller rocks. This will be a reminder that we are most effective at anything we set out to do, when we give it the space in our 'mental jar' first, and follow it with the smaller goals."</p> <p>That being said, make sure the hard thing you're going after is even possible. For Shelly Anderson Bodine, a Chief of Staff at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/software-one-inc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SoftwareONE</a>, remembering that she's operating in an environment where she can't control everything is key. "I once had a leader tell me you needed two things to get promoted," she says. "First, a position had to be available, and second, you had to be ready for the role when it was available. That feedback has always stuck with me throughout my career. I realized I really only had control over the latter. So each time I would move into a new role, I gave myself 6 months to acclimate. At that point, I evaluated what I could do to be better than the next person in the role I have and where do I want to go next. From there, I would create a list of things that would bring me closer to my end game, narrow down to the 2-3 most impactful, and those became my goals."</p>10. Goals aren’t set-it-and-forget-it.
<p>If you set goals in January and ignore them from then on out, your chance of marking them "achieved" at the end of the year is low. "Try not to think of goal setting as a yearly activity," says Sarah Burke, Senior Director of Software Engineering at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/ciena" target="_blank">Ciena</a>. "Achieving goals requires continual review and reassessment of priorities. Book some personal time in your calendar once a month to remind yourself to check in on how you're progressing and hold yourself accountable for re-adjusting. You are responsible for your success!"</p>11. Go beyond a 12-month horizon.
<p>Many of the things you're most interested in—be it <a href="https://blog.powertofly.com/how-to-become-a-vp-2644977654.html" target="_self">becoming a VP</a>, launching your own company, writing a book, finishing an advanced degree moving to a different country, or any other number of goals—might not happen in just one year. Tami Early, VP and General Manager Sales—Major Accounts at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/ciena" target="_blank">Ciena</a>, suggests breaking down your goals into "digestible and achievable bites." She uses the VSEM method: setting a 5+ year vision, a 2-4 year strategy, a 12-18 execution plan, and 12-month rolling metrics. "This method of goal setting allows me to think about my long- and short-term objectives, while holding myself accountable to measurable outcomes inside of a year," she says.</p>12. Treat yourself with grace.
<p>You won't achieve all of your goals, and that's okay. As Megan Sykes, Contracts Manager at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/elastic" target="_blank">Elastic</a> reminds us, "Don't set overbearing expectations on yourself. Afford yourself grace. While it's important to progress personally and professionally, we have to be adaptable to the circumstances around us (which can change over time) and live with integrity."</p> <p>That's never been more important than after the year 2020. "I'm very goal orientated both personally and professionally," shares Amanda Eleuteri, a Sr. HR Business Partner at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/cargurus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CarGurus</a>. "Early on in my career, I would feel defeated if I didn't achieve my goals for the year. I try to be mindful that sometimes a goal is not achieved because priorities change. That was certainly the case in 2020 as needs in the business evolved and what I was focusing on shifted in response."</p><p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/national-security-agency-nsa" target="_blank">NSA's</a> Meredith D., PhD, echoes the importance of revisiting, and revising, your goals: "Your goals are not meant to be set in stone! There are several factors that can require them to change, even dramatically at times. Be flexible and willing to change your SMART goals. Sometimes we can foresee that the goal is not going to be achieved in our original timeframe. Or we change our mind completely! This is not a failure. It is an opportunity to reflect and revise the goal given the new information at hand."</p> <p>After all, it's about the journey, not the destination. "The process of working toward a goal is often more important than achieving the goal itself," says Stephanie Cheng, Product Engineer at <a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/folsom-labs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Folsom Labs</a>. "The shape or timeline of your goal can change as long as you check in with yourself and continue to consistently work toward them. It's okay if you don't achieve your goal on the first try. Working toward goals is really about building the muscle memory to form slightly better habits each year. With consistency, patience, and positivity you can build the tools you need to succeed."</p>
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January 11, 2021
DigitalOcean
How DigitalOcean’s Mentorship Program Prioritizes Employee Development
The ocean metaphors are strong at cloud infrastructure company DigitalOcean (DO). Their all-company retreat is called Shark Week. Linux-based virtual machines that developers use are Droplets. And their annual employee engagement survey is called The Tide.
<p>A couple of years ago, that survey, which is designed to understand the employee experience in order to identify ways to improve it, revealed a gap: employees, particularly in the tech organization, were looking for more development opportunities, especially around mentorship.</p>
<p>Many of DO's employees worked remotely, even before the pandemic. As Nicole Jablon, the Organizational Development Program Manager at DigitalOcean, explained, "Teams tended to be siloed in the way they work together, and with us being remote, it was hard to make those connections."</p><p>To address that need, DO's People team partnered with Senior Technical Leadership to pilot a mentorship program. Under the guidance of Danielle Traynor, Sr. People Business Partner for DO's CTO division (the tech side of the organization), a mentorship committee was formed to get the program off the ground. </p>
<p>Now with two mentorship cycles under its belt; a growth rate of 275%, from 12 mentor-mentee pairs in its first year to 45 in 2020; 88% of mentees agreeing that the program has given them greater confidence in achieving their goals; and 96% of mentors volunteering to serve as mentors again, it's proven to be a success. "Having a formal program facilitates collaboration and makes networking a little bit easier," explained Nicole, who is working to make the program a permanent part of the DO employee experience.</p><p>We sat down with Nicole to learn more about how DO's mentorship program works and where her team is looking to bring it next.</p><h2>How the program works</h2><p>For now, DO's mentorship program has focused on the tech side of the organization, where most of its engineers and technologists sit. Nicole is currently planning with the rest of the Organizational Development Team what an organization-wide mentorship program could look like in 2021.</p>
<p>To run the program, the CTO Mentorship committee asked would-be mentors and mentees to fill out applications explaining their interests and personal goals in detail. For example, Peace Obasi, a Team Lead in DO's Customer Support and Success department, says that she applied because she wanted guidance navigating her next career move with DigitalOcean. "I have always been interested in management but had no idea where to start," she explained. </p>
<p>From there, Nicole and Danielle worked in partnership with the CTO Mentorship committee to match individual mentors and mentees. "We wanted to make sure that the pairs were as effective as possible," she said. "We looked at the goals of the mentors and the mentees, as well as what the mentors felt like they could offer from either their skills, their experience, or their strengths."</p>
<p>Next, they facilitated a training session for mentors to ensure they were set up for success and had all the tools and resources they needed to be effective mentors. They also conducted a group training for both mentors and mentees that focused on the goals of the program—professional and personal development—and some of the options for coaching and relationship-building. "We tried to keep it relatively flexible because we knew each pair was going to work a little bit differently depending on each mentor and mentee's needs, desires, and goals for the program," she said.</p>
<p>From there, mentees and mentors were free to kick off their relationships, but knew they always had additional support if needed from Nicole, Danielle, and the CTO mentorship committee. The committee implemented several checkpoints throughout the program to course-correct where needed. An early survey revealed that mentors and mentees wanted more structure in the conversations they were having, so Nicole worked with the committee to provide additional resources and templates Additionally, mentors also expressed interest in connecting with other mentors to share ideas and best practices. Nicole created an opportunity for this need by creating a forum and facilitating a conversation among the mentors.</p>
<p>The program was structured to run for six months. If people dropped out or left the company along the way, Nicole worked to find them a new match. Otherwise, everyone made it to the end and the majority of participants—70% of mentors and 68% of mentees—believe an informal partnership will continue after the program formally ends. </p><h2>Who the program works for</h2><p>Nicole recognizes that the appeal of a mentorship program is about going deep on some of the bigger questions that a focus on everyday responsibilities can obscure. "It's not just at DigitalOcean—many people just don't have the time to self-reflect or they don't necessarily know the best way to do that," she said. "It's important, and we've seen that our mentors can really ask the mentees the right questions to understand what they want out of their careers."</p>
<p>That's what Archana Kamath, a Senior Manager in Engineering at DO, was hoping to do as a mentor. "I have had several excellent mentors throughout my career who have helped me navigate both my professional and personal growth. Mentors are especially helpful when you are at certain crossroads in your career and [are] looking [for] advice and experiences which can help guide you. I wanted to pay that forward," explained Archana. </p>
<p>Here are some other highlights Nicole and the committee received from the feedback program participants submitted.</p>
<p><em>For mentors, the program has been a great way to:</em></p>
<ul class="ee-ul"><li>"Build relationships with people at DO that they may not otherwise connect with"</li><li>"Give back and also to interact with newer perspectives from people at different stages of their careers"</li><li>"Break down barriers to information internally and promote more healthy working relationships between orgs within the company"</li><li>"Help someone achieve their goals"</li><li>"Understand and help mentees define their growth goals, then work together to find an actual plan or strategy to get them moving in the direction they want to grow in"</li></ul>
<p><em>For mentees, DO's mentorship program has allowed them to:</em></p>
<ul class="ee-ul"><li>"Not only speak, but work alongside someone who is experienced in the areas I wanted to develop; it greatly improved the way that I approach problems and I am grateful for it"</li><li>"Bounce ideas around that were challenging in my day to day role in technical support, and take a larger picture on things to deliver on a more robust learning program when I transitioned to learning and development"</li><li>"Realize what I wanted to do with my career and do a self-reflection on whether that would be the right fit for me"</li></ul>
<p>"We are so excited that from our pilot of just 12 pairs, we were able to expand the program to 45 pairs," said Nicole, who hopes to see an even bigger mentor/mentee class in 2021. "I think that's just really telling of our culture that people know they want this development, they want mentorship opportunities. They want to learn and they want to grow."</p>
<p><a href="https://powertofly.com/companies/digitalocean1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Learn more about DigitalOcean and their own roles.</em></a></p>
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