From Individual Contributor to Manager In Tech: An “Impressive Group of Leaders, Who Happen to Be Women”

“You may be the first to do many things. Make sure you’re not the last.” 

From the time Vice President Kamala Harris was a young Oaklander, these words of advice from her mother have served as her true north. As the first woman — and the first woman of color — to serve as Vice President, Harris has made women’s leadership a cornerstone of her public service, focusing on the concept of paying forward leadership development resources and strategy.  

“We must pay attention to gender equity and do the good and important work of lifting up the status of women in every way — supporting women to achieve their goals and knowing that they can be and do anything,” Harris said at a recent leadership summit, noting that the state of a country can be measured by the status and strength of the women within it. 

On a more granular level, this concept can be applied to the state of a company, whose health is often visible in the diversity of its leadership team. But for women, making the leap from individual contributor to first-level manager — where only 40 percent of peers are women, according to a 2022 McKinsey report — can be daunting, especially in the even more male-dominated tech industry.

As Harris alluded, elevating women to leadership often starts with initiative and the right mentor. These eight leaders of New York-based companies agree. “An impressive group of leaders, who happen to be women,” as Vice President Harris dubbed her cohorts at the summit, these eight women sat down with Built In NY to discuss the path from individual contributor to manager.

 

 

 

Merck is a global biopharmaceutical company that aims to bring forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases.

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their careers to prepare for a management role?

As individual contributors, one of the most important areas to focus on is demonstrating your abilities on the job, including sharing your desire to learn and finding practical ways to develop and demonstrate your management skills.

 

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at Merck.

Early in my career, my experiences in the workplace empowered me to think differently. These early career experiences continue to shape and drive my leadership today. I learned that by listening to customers and giving ourselves permission to think differently about how we deliver products or services, we can cultivate a collaborative team culture. Staying close to our customers and thinking with a one-team enterprise mindset has always stayed with me.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

Compassion. There is no one correct way to manage all people: We are all unique with different motivations, perspectives and lives outside of work. The aim is to create trust and the right conditions for your team to thrive and do their best work. This is a skill that can be practiced today with your colleagues and business partners, whether you are already in management or not. It will serve anyone well in the workplace to lead with compassion and assume positive intent of those around you.

 

 

 

Contentsquare is a digital experience analytics company dedicated to making the digital world more human through online experiences built on trust, privacy and accessibility.

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their career to prepare for a management role?

The shift to first-line leadership from an individual contributor role is incredibly difficult. It’s a mind shift from managing projects to enabling teams to run their own — while not falling into traps that lead to burnout. I’d recommend a few things in order to get ready for the ascent to leadership.

First, finding a good mentor or sponsor is critical to personal growth. On the sales side, new leaders often find themselves continuing to manage deals for their reps or serving as deal strategists and telling their reps how to run their cycles. It’s a huge efficiency loss for the company and isn’t scalable. Finding a mentor can help provide insights into the trials that new leaders will experience and can advise on strategy, potential challenges or dealing with failure. 

It can be daunting to ask someone to become a mentor, and I think all leaders should make it known that they are open to providing mentorship to anyone looking to grow their career. “A rising tide lifts all boats” after all!

If there is a consistent issue within your team that you’ve heard about, explore it, make yourself visible and bring recommendations on how to solve it to your leaders.”

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at Contentsquare.

Understanding that leadership goes beyond managing your team’s time, projects and growth has helped me tremendously in my career. Leaders contribute to the overall optimization of company processes. I’m a big fan of the “raise and tap” philosophy — if you raise an issue, you are tapped to solve it — and future leaders should consider taking part. 

We all have frustrations with processes or problems within our organizations. But leaders don’t complain, they work to understand and solve problems. If there is a consistent issue within your team that you’ve heard about, explore it, make yourself visible and bring recommendations on how to solve it to your leaders.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

Make yourself more visible. Contribute to projects. Bring ideas to the table that improve operational efficiency or contribute to revenue. Book time with your leaders. Expose yourself to different people and roles. Leadership is cross-functional, so the best thing to do is to better understand how teams work together and what improvements can be done. 

Use this strategy to find a mentor. Everyone in leadership needs one!

 

 

 

Axoni is a New York-based technology firm that specializes in multiparty workflows and infrastructure.

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their careers to prepare for a management role?

I learned early on in my career that delegation is a skill that you have to learn and be intentional about. I have been in individual contributor roles, and I was lucky to have managers and mentors who guided me through the path from individual contributor to management. It can be as simple as going through your daily task list and asking which of those tasks could be transitioned to another team member for their development and overall performance improvement of the team. 

Delegation is a skill that you have to learn and be intentional about.”

 

We all have been in situations where doing it ourselves is the easiest and fastest, but I am a strong believer that investing the time and energy to delegate will not only support your team’s career advancement but also your success as you transition to becoming a manager. With the support of my manager and leadership at Axoni, I was able to hone this skill, and I am a better manager and a team member for it.

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career.

I was offered a position to become the business manager for the treasurer of a major investment bank. It was a new and undefined role at the time. I considered all aspects of the role and how it could impact my career path and decided to accept the offer. This position would challenge me to communicate with senior leaders and make an impact on over 175 people in the organization. 

It was the best decision to step up, as I grew professionally and became more adept at communicating with executive leadership. I was tasked with driving an organizational restructuring effort working with various team leads and was able to influence them to reach a collective decision. Stepping into the unknown can be very uncomfortable, but it can be a defining point in your career.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

I think one of the most important skills to develop is the ability to ask powerful questions that can address the root of the problem. I watched many senior leaders throughout my career masterfully craft questions that led to an efficient resolution of an issue. Gaining mastery of this skill requires a lot of practice. I learned that asking open-ended questions can unlock the mystery of the problem at hand.

 

 

 

Ogury aims to be a global leader in personified advertising. It has created an advertising engine designed to deliver comprehensive audience interests, brand performance, privacy protection and sustainability within one mobile-optimized technology stack. 

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their career to prepare for a management role?

I would encourage individual contributors to understand roles and responsibilities outside of their own. Get to know cross-functional stakeholders and how your roles work together to contribute to the company’s success.

Take on small projects outside your scope of daily work. Find an area of interest that you feel needs improvement. Develop an action plan and timeline for achieving your project. Share the project and timeline with your manager, a cross-functional stakeholder or mentor to help keep you accountable.

Take on small projects outside your scope of daily work.”

 

Keep learning and finding ways to challenge yourself. Try taking an online course to expand or grow a skill set, connect with someone in another department to work on a project together, or attend a conference or seminar.

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at Ogury.

Early in my career, I focused on client-facing roles, as I believed my skill sets were strong communication, organization and attention to detail. After a few years in client service roles, I reached a plateau and was interested in making a move. I’ve always had a lingering interest in more technical, analytical and operation-based roles but had been hesitant to pursue them based on what I deemed a lack of experience.

I am fortunate to be surrounded by mentors and co-workers at Ogury who encouraged me to go after a lateral move to a technical account manager role. It may seem counterintuitive that a lateral move accelerated my career, but it ultimately led to a trajectory of learning, growth and development. The operation-focused role allowed me to showcase my skill sets from previous client-facing roles while further developing my analytical skill sets.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

Communication. I believe strong communication skills can lead to better efficiency, problem-solving and stronger relationships. It’s beneficial to understand that not everyone has the same communication style and adapt to their needs. Especially in a post-pandemic, virtual world, learning to hone and craft our communication skills can benefit not only professional but personal growth. 

I’m a big fan of two-way communication in a leadership setting. I value feedback and want to know where my shortcomings or strengths are.

 

 

 

The Farmer’s Dog aims to change the pet food industry, replacing bulk bags of processed pellets with a personalized subscription service that sends healthy, freshly-made dog food directly to customers’ doors.

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their careers to prepare for a management role?

Pay attention to your own leaders. What did you like about their leadership style and what would you change? You can learn so much from individuals you report to — regardless of whether working with them was a positive or negative experience.

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at The Farmer’s Dog.

It was less a specific moment and more a transition. Once I started being authentically and undeniably myself, I started fostering better relationships. Interactions were genuine, and this shift allowed me to lead at a different level. In my earlier years, I tried to emulate other successful leaders I saw. It never lands the same way as when you embrace being yourself.

Be curious about what drives each individual.”

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

There are several important traits, so this is difficult. But I’d say curiosity. I have a love for understanding what engages and inspires people to be the best form of themselves both at work and at home. Be curious about what drives each individual. Be curious about their future life goals and their passions. Be curious about how others would take on a task to get results. And encourage curiosity within your organization.

 

 

 

Mesh Payments aims to transform the way finance teams operate with a centralized and automated spend platform. 

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their careers to prepare for a management role?

It’s important to understand the strategy of the organization, to actively seek new opportunities to learn and grow and to look for opportunities to problem solve and suggest solutions. Take classes to further your knowledge and experience, and discuss your career goals with your manager and mentor. If you don’t have a mentor, seek one out.

It’s important to understand the strategy of the organization and to actively seek new opportunities.”

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at Mesh.

I spent over eight years at a company called Transactis, working side by side with the founder to build the company from the ground up, so I’ve got that very hands-on experience working for a startup from the early stages to acquisition. Ten years ago, I was unexpectedly offered a promotion to CFO at Mesh. The confidence that the board and the CEO had in me really drove me, along with their support, advice and mentorship.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

Always believe in yourself, take on challenges that stretch your skill set, and find ways to mentor and support other women.

 

 

 

SevenRooms is a guest experience and retention platform for hospitality operators that aims to enable them to build more profitable direct relationships, deliver exceptional experiences and increase repeat business.

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their careers to prepare for a management role?

The first step that individual contributors should take is to identify what leadership styles resonate with them. At SevenRooms, I’ve had the pleasure of working for several different managers and have taken bits and pieces of their management styles — molding them all into my own. 

When you’re identifying what traits you value in a leader, ask yourself how you can embody them in your current role. For example, if you like the way your manager gives feedback, learn how you can mimic that in conversations with your peers. If a leader is a master of a certain subject, figure out which areas of knowledge are lacking on your team and become the “go-to” person for that topic. Not only will this help you develop your own unique management style, but it will help you develop credibility and earn your team’s trust.

Another key element is to have a proactive mindset. Get ahead of projects rather than play catch-up. If you’re working on a task and you need assistance, seek help instead of waiting for your manager to come to you. It’s easy to ask for guidance, but it’s another to execute it. This shows that you can not only take initiative but follow through. 

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at SevenRooms. 

When I first expressed interest in management, my then-manager gave me an amazing piece of advice. He told me I should act like I already had the role so that I would be a “no-brainer candidate” once the position opened up. Following that meeting, I immediately took action and identified gaps in the business where I could directly contribute, rather than wait around for an opportunity.

Another key moment happened in the summer of 2021, when we hired our first class of account executives in more than a year. I always loved coaching and had supported previous enablement efforts at SevenRooms, so I took ownership of recreating, establishing and running a comprehensive new-hire training program.

This program became the building block for our current enablement team and their global training curriculum. While this required additional work outside of the scope of my role, it reaffirmed my desire to move into management, as well as establish myself as someone who would go above and beyond to support her team.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

Empathy is the key to managing effectively and authentically. In a world where many employees are still working remotely, personal and professional lives are more intertwined than ever. 

Empathy is the key to managing effectively and authentically.”

 

Embodying empathy as a leader establishes a safe environment for you and your reports to communicate openly and freely. This creates transparency and trust. If your reports trust you, it’s more likely that someone who might be experiencing a difficult time will open up to you. This open communication enables you as a manager to best support your team and help set them up for success. 

Cultivating an empathetic mindset can be done through conversations with prospects, clients and peers. It can be as simple as jumping on a call to ask for another person’s perspective, particularly if there’s been an obstacle or disagreement. It’s natural to feel frustrated if something doesn’t go as expected. However, approaching conversations with curiosity establishes trust and encourages transparent, compassionate conversations — resulting in a supportive team culture.

 

 

 

Customer Management Practice is an analyst, advisor and industry network that aims to help companies turn customers into loyal fans.

 

What should individual contributors be doing during their careers to prepare for a management role?

The list can go on, but a few things stand out to me that will help prepare someone for a management role.

First, nail the individual contribution. Understand the ins and outs of your current role and what makes you successful will help you support someone in their development and success.

Observe what makes others successful. As you grow in your career, see how others got to where they are, how they work with others and what defines their success.

Sharpen your goals and cultivate a results-oriented skill set. Keeping the business goals and results front of mind will help you focus on your organization’s growth and show you can help others do the same.

Take initiative to support other team members and act as a role model. Take on aspects of a management role ahead of time and support others you work with.

Innovate. There are countless other people that can do the job. What will you do that makes you stand out from the rest?

There are countless other people that can do the job. What will you do that makes you stand out from the rest?”

 

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the progress that has been made and keep yourself accountable for working towards your next career step.

 

Share a moment in which you did something that accelerated your career and helped you stand out as a leader at Customer Management Practice. 

I’ve always known exactly how I wanted to grow and where I wanted to see myself one year, three years, five years from any point. With that, I made my interest in continued growth clear to others, I put the work in and took on any project that came my way and proactively asked for more responsibility so I never felt stagnant.

It’s important to remember that you are in control of your success. I like to have the mindset of not expecting what you don’t ask for. While I’ve always had people in my corner, I can do more by knowing I can impact my growth the most.

 

What is the number one skill a person should cultivate if they’d like to move into management?

It’s tough to pick just one, but I would say really sharpening the big-picture and strategic-thinking skills will help take someone at the individual contributor level to the management level. 

Managers are successful because of the successes of their teams, so managers have to think big picture in order to create paths forward and set their teams up for success. Teams need those clear paths, plus as they work in the tactical day-to-day managers can keep the big-picture strategy in mind to make sure the team is on the right track.

It’s imperative to have solid lines of communication with those below and above you. The more communication the better as people work more effectively the more they communicate. Empathy is key, and being able to put yourself in anyone’s shoes will help you understand and relate to anyone at any level.