The VP of Lender Experience shares valuable advice for women in technology who want to network, grow, and maintain their authentic selves.
The fact that you’ve been invited to the meeting means you have the right to be there, to speak up and to present your point of view.
Kate Henderson.1
Celebrating Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Day, it seemed the perfect time to ask our VP, Lender Experience at Newton Connectivity Systems to share some of the perspectives she’s gained during her time in the tech industry. The advice she provided was enlightening, providing valuable lessons about authenticity, and the unique value women bring to the table.
An Early Affinity for Technology Presented a Clear Career Path
Kate describes becoming enthralled by technology at a young age.
“My father was an engineer who also taught computer-aided design, so growing up, it was normal to have a computer in the house,” she recalls. Her father would bring home computer magazines with pages and pages of code, which Kate would dutifully type into the enormous family computer, just to be able to animate stick figures and create simple games. She knew that being a woman in STEM could present challenges, but was confident in her abilities.
Because of her background, Kate anticipated it would be a smooth transition.“ I made the assumption that it didn’t matter that I was a woman, because I had the same skills as everybody else,” she says. “Why should I be treated differently than my male peers?” Kate had roles as a technical writer, a programmer and a systems analyst before progressing into her current leadership position.
Finding Your Authentic Self as a Woman in STEM
During her first 5-10 years in the industry Kate says she tried to integrate as ‘one of the boys’, during golf tournaments and other networking events, but it felt fake and had little success. The experience taught her a valuable lesson: be yourself.
Always be authentic and comfortable with who you are. You can’t pretend to have a type-A personality if you don’t have one. People will see through it. You have to find a style that works for you, and build on that style to the best of your abilities.
Women Bring Unique Perspectives to STEM
Kate’s experience has taught her that women provide a unique viewpoint to the technology industry. She believes that teams can benefit from the different approaches women bring to problem solving, collaboration, and networking.
“When I’m in meetings I try to encourage everyone to participate and ask questions” she says. “Getting engagement and buy-in is so important as we work together on projects.”
Mentorship, a Valuable Tool for Women in STEM
When reflecting on her own journey, Kate credits a boss who would give her advice about how to deliver her message in a way that was tailored to her (male-dominated) audience.
“I was lucky to find a great mentor,” she says. “I started out as a young woman who needed to build more self confidence, even though I may have been the strongest subject matter expert in the room. I didn’t want to be wrong in front of my peers. The lesson I learned was that even if you fail at something, or you’re wrong, it’s still part of the learning process. My mentor would always ask for my opinions, and in the end I got used to delivering it in meetings.”
Kate believes that women should take advantage of mentoring opportunities that are at their disposal.
“You have to find somebody that you trust and whose opinion you value and try to emulate them.” She also recommends participating in seminars that aim to empower women and help them grow.
Normalizing Women in STEM
As Kate reflects upon her time in the industry, she’s aware of her own growth.
For me, the biggest change has been in the way that I approach networking and collaborating. Any time I join meetings with our clients and I see that there are more women than men on the call, it makes me even more optimistic about women in STEM and what we are capable of.
1 Direct communication with Kate Henderson