"I want women to dream big and achieve their full potential," said Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, when she published her book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, an ode to women daring to take risks and pursue their goals.
And although I totally agree with her, as a female leader in a technology company, I know that putting it into practice is complex, but not impossible. Today, I want to share my experience on what it has been like to hold that leadership position, not just from a gender perspective, but from a communication one.
Giving a single voice to a 35-market operation
In the last decade, I have had the opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of information technology, leading the communication and marketing department for the Americas for Vertiv, a company dedicated to solving the most important challenges facing today's data centers, communication networks, and industrial and commercial facilities. I can summarize this experience in one word: Thrilling!
On its own, communication is a magical but very challenging world. If we add to that an industry where the only constant is change, a pandemic that accelerated digitalization to another level, and a continent that is highly diverse in languages, cultures, and traditions, we end up taking that challenge to levels I had not known before. And that is precisely what has made this experience more interesting.
The truth is that the diversity of our continent becomes quite a challenge when it comes to unifying talent, commercial vision, and work schemes. We are talking about dozens of teams in a geographical area of 35 countries, where Vertiv must be conveyed as a single force and a single voice.
I am convinced that it is in this multiculturalism where communication becomes vital for any company, as it is the arm that shelters all areas, from finance to technical service, from management to sales.
Do you understand now why I say that such a challenge is, above all, thrilling? Personally, all these peculiarities have forced me to rebuild myself more than once and, above all, have taught me to maintain flexibility within a structured work scheme.
Always keeping our eyes on the results
Undoubtedly, in recent years the responsibility of my position has become larger and more demanding. My work has therefore focused on articulating all these elements, devising new ways to connect with our audiences (internal and external), and developing strategies that meet the needs of the different markets we have and achieve results.
Ultimately, the mission of my work is to ensure that all these communication efforts are reflected in the impact of sales and lead generation. To achieve this, we have promoted a motivated and content-driven vision. The truth is that communication has shifted towards more audience professionalization strategies and for Vertiv, understanding this has been essential in achieving positioning goals throughout its operation.
In such a digital and globalized world, with such massive access to information, brands must find ways to differentiate and stand out, and I firmly believe that content is the key piece to achieve this. It is no longer just about informing about products and services, but about understanding the needs of markets, their consumer journey, and the topics that capture their attention, and based on that, providing them with the appropriate tools. Our work as communicators has forever changed and it is crucial to adapt to it.
“Reaching the full potential”
Today, International Women's Day, makes me think a lot about the words of Sheryl Sandberg and my own story. Thirty years ago, my adventure as a communicator began precisely by dreaming big and daring to take risks. But it is a dream that has not stopped evolving and that makes me work every day to achieve my full potential, in an industry as fascinating but challenging as technology, where women represent only 28% of the workforce, according to data by Zippia.
That is why I say that as a woman, leading in this industry is complex but not impossible, especially if we have passion and enjoy what we do to face each day, even if it requires a lot of time and effort.
Today, to all those women, I want to tell them to feel proud and empowered by everything they have achieved. Don't stop, there is still a long way to go. We have obstacles, but we are capable of overcoming them and holding the world in our hands. I also wish that "they achieve their full potential," the phrase repeats in my mind, because the sky is the limit.
