Past, Present & Future Interview Series: Part Three, Future - Meet Kristina

As I conducted the interviews for the past, present and future interview series a common theme arose. Before the question and answering began each women stated that they “didn’t think they would have much to say or contribute to my project.” Well I knew that was not true because all three of these women are smart, successful, kind and incredibly fun to be around. Once the conversation began it was clear that we could have talked for hours and by the middle of each interview all three women realized that they do have plenty of opinions and experiences to share…something that I knew all along!

I would like to introduce you to Kristina, a Senior Manager at a large organization. Kristina and I have known each other for close to ten years and have become more like family than friends over that period of time. We see each other often and have many similar interests but infrequently talk about our jobs and career experiences. It was a pleasure to sit down with Kristina to learn more about her career and opinions on how future women can shape their own personal and professional careers. Thank you Kristina for your time!

“Don't be afraid to ask for what you want and need.” -Kristina

Katie: What is your job title and how does the promotion process work within your organization?

Kristina: My title is Senior Manager, which is one level below company partnership (the "highest position"). There is still seniority structure within the Partners role, but it is the top milestone. In my company you don't apply for promotions, a candidate would be nominated by the leadership team depending on the number of years of experience and other merits achieved.

Katie: Can you tell me more about the Women's Networking group you are involved with at work? How often do you meet, how many women are involved, what is the goal of the group?

Kristina: My company is committed to the success of women and other minority groups to advance in their careers. We have established women's networking groups to help people advance in their career and we focus on things like sponsorship, mentoring, networking, career training, etc. I am part of our Steering Committee for the West Coast region. We meet twice a month and plan different events and programs both internally with our women and with our client's women groups. I know other organizations have similar groups in place. In fact, I recently came across a terrific website that a financial firm created to bring awareness to the gender gap and promote the advancement of women within the workplace. If more organizations could invest in content like this and strive towards gender equality, change could occur at a much faster pace.

Katie: Have you experienced any stereotypes being a woman in a senior role? If so, what happened and how did you handle?

Kristina: Nothing notable. I am very lucky to work with men that respect women in the work place and respect my personal contributions to the company.

Katie: That’s great to hear that you’ve had such a positive experience in your organization. What do you want to change for women within the workplace and how do you think this can be done?

Kristina: It is challenging working in consulting environment and having very demanding workloads. There is a lot of travel, long hours and response times to clients must be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24x7). Early in any consultants career this environment and lifestyle is easier since most people do not have a family or other personal commitments that also require a significant amount of time. I would like to see the consulting culture shift so it is possible for women to advance in their career longer. Often times when women are more advanced in their career they leave consulting because the environment and typically the 24x7 nature does not fit with their personal lifestyle and goals. I would like to see us as a society shift the mindset and also be creative to allow women to stay in consulting without significant personal sacrifice (like having a nanny raising your child more than you do and lots of missed time at home from the travel requirements). I think this can be done by leading by example. The senior women in our organization need to change the status quo and demonstrate how it can work. I also think men and women need to be open to the idea so we can all work smarter not harder to create a work and life balance.

Katie: Do you think advertising (digital or print) can influence and help change the perception of women professionally? Why or why not?

Kristina: Absolutely. I think girls at a young age can be shaped towards a certain path influenced by media, teachers, parents, etc. in a subconscious way. Growing up, my parents also engaged me to do well at math and science and also stand-up for what I believe in and want. I don’t believe my life was shaped by the media but rather by my parents. I also wasn’t as exposed to the media during my childhood as much as I am now. I have noticed an increase in positive ads like the Always #LikeAGirl spot during the Super Bowl. There have been some impactful ads recently, which is wonderful to see.

Katie: What is your opinion of Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" stance in the workplace? Do you think it is a positive or negative message to send to women and why? Is there an alternative stance you would suggest instead?

Kristina: Honestly, I didn’t read the book mostly because I think your career is a personal experience. What works for one person will likely not work for someone else. I am happy that Sheryl has been successful in her career from her perspective but that level of success does not define all women. Success means something different to every person and we shouldn't have one goal that women "need" to strive towards. From the conversations I have had and the articles I’ve read about the book, I feel like the “lean in” philosophy makes other women think they are not successful unless they achieve the same success as her. There is a great article that I came across that encourages women to strive for a work and life balance and also discusses the importance of reclining as opposed to leaning in. Everyone has different goals and lives, and it becomes important to recognize this and live your life the way you want, not according to someone else.

“Women need to be able to define their own success and work with others in their industry and network to achieve it. Its not only about career success, but life success as well" -Kristina

I would encourage women to be honest with themselves on what they want out of life both professionally and personally and go get it! Your success may or may not look like someone else's or what 'our society, your company, your family, etc.' expect and that is perfectly fine. In fact, what success looks like for you will change multiple times throughout your life. You will never have a perfect balance or harmony between career and personal life. Throughout your life there will be periods were career takes the driver seat and other times when personal life does. Do not be so one sided unless that is truly what you want. Make sure you are doing it for you not someone else.

Katie: What piece of advice would you offer the next generation of women that are entering the work force?

Kristina: Don't be afraid to ask for what you want and need. Building on my point above about defining what success means to you. Women often times get stuck in a situation at work that doesn't work for them either professionally or personally (e.g., they aren't getting the exposure they want at work, don't have the flexibility to be home more with their kids). More and more companies want to retain women in senior roles, but they don't know how to do it. We have to change the culture and the first step is asking for what you want and need in order to alter your situation to meet your life success goals. It takes courage to ask and it feels awkward but most of the time your company will help you make it happen at some point. Of course be reasonable and position it in a way that they can say yes (i.e., do your homework and have the solutions for them not expect them to come up with the solution).