Female entrepreneurs have the skills and experience to take tech to a new level.
By Tricia Sciortino (President, eaHELP)
As the buzz around getting more women in tech is skyrocketing, I wonder: Are we doing it simply to level out the playing field in a competitive, booming industry? While gender equality is essential in the workplace, bringing more women into the tech industry shouldn’t just be about fairness or equality. It comes down to merit.
Women are uniquely equipped to thrive in and drive tech companies. Because of our experiences and gifts, women can take tech to a whole new level.
1. Women Naturally Wear Many Hats
The roles of a woman at home and as a team member in tech companies are remarkably similar. In both scenarios, it’s crucial to take on a diverse variety of responsibilities.
It’s not uncommon for women to switch from role to role in daily life — and have no problem doing it. This ability is essential for tech companies who need team members to handle an influx of responsibilities at once and effortlessly glide from one role to the next.
2. Women Are Hardwired to Focus on the Team
Innately community-minded, women are natural collaborators and consensus builders — which is critical for organization-wide cohesion and effective teamwork. It’s all too easy for startups to veer off course due to lack of unity and shared focus. Women typically possess a drive to understand the plight of others and, as a result, often bring unique insight about what’s necessary to bring people together into a collaborative whole.
3. Women Are No Strangers to Pivoting
Women are oh-so-accustomed to adjusting on-the-fly, commonly confronting multiple demands with home life, family needs and work demands. This makes pivoting second nature for women, who have to constantly adapt to the pace of change.
And the tech industry changes fast. Adjusting the course or rethinking a direction isn’t foreign to a woman; it’s completely aligned with how she operates in her normal life.
4. Women Easily Identify Connections
Women tend to “see” connections with exceptional clarity — whether it’s in teams, between applications, or among competitors.
Instead of assuming the “lone wolf” mentality, women often focus on interconnections and how they can support one another — from sharing clients and services across organizational divisions to partnering with competitors for mutual benefit and sustained growth.
5. Women Tend to Welcome Other Voices
The collaborative, community-minded nature of women leaders gives them a propensity for welcoming others who can offer guidance into their organizations. Inviting other thought leaders to speak or bringing outside advisors into the mix is a natural step for women, and that makes everyone smarter.
The sharing of ideas and perspectives is vital for tech companies who want to keep learning, remain competitive in the marketplace, and ultimately, keep their companies growing.
Organizations are always better when more voices and perspectives are representative, and technology companies are no different. Women make tremendous tech industry leaders because of their experiences and abilities. For most female leaders today, they’ve essentially been running startups their whole adult lives when it comes to their families and careers – and smart tech leaders will recognize and incorporate those experiences into their teams to help everyone succeed.
About the guest blogger: Tricia Sciortino is the President of eaHELP. She joined eaHELP in November 2010 as a virtual assistant and first employee of the company. Follow her on Twitter at @triciasciortino.
