On being empathetic with Ruth McDavitt

Ruth, what are the most impactful leadership skills you use? Which ones would you point to and say ‘those were vital’ to success in my career?

Empathy—I’ve always taken a “people-first” approach to leadership, so empathy is not so much a skill as what’s in my DNA. Having the right people lined up with the right roles and feeling fulfilled and appreciated has led to the highest impact and best work environment.?

Can you share why a diverse workforce is important to your success at Summer of Tech?

Our vision is a strong, inclusive tech sector, and we are striving to support equity of opportunity for new people coming into our tech workforce. A diverse tech sector means that the digital products and services we deliver are designed for everyone, and an inclusive tech sector means that Aotearoa can be the place where talent wants to live, contribute and thrive.

We are stoked that our 2023 cohort of interns and grads was made up of 51% women, the first time we’ve gone over 40% in our 18-year history. There is a definite shift in the industry’s desire to include more women in our tech workforce. We would love to see more equity for other underrepresented folk, such as Māori and Pasifika, people with disabilities and neurodiversity.

We’d also love to see more diversity further up the career ladder, as we see a very leaky middle and senior leadership pipeline where we’re unable to retain women in the tech industry.

But hey, we’ll take the bump in intern/grad hires as a sign that some things are improving!!

Why is Summer of Tech partnering with Powrsuit??

We have a small team of talented wahine, and Powrsuit resonates as a place for us to learn and grow. We want to expand our network and invest in ourselves and our learning and growth.

Can you recall a specific moment or experience that shaped your leadership style?

Call it stubbornness, but when I was called out by a (woman) manager for being too empathetic in my approach at work, that was the moment I understood that my style was different, that it was important to me to be authentic and work in a values-aligned organisation.

Having the privilege to walk away from that role is something I am so grateful for, and I want to help others on the journey to do work they care about in a way that is authentic to them, too.?

How can women better define or seek out strategic roles or opportunities?

My work is with people who are early in their careers, so my focus is on building confidence that they have value to add and skills to know when and how to contribute to a team. Knowing how to put ideas forward, get credit for your work, and knowing that you can ask about new and different opportunities is often all it takes to get them on the path.?

I also work with mentors, managers and leaders, most of whom are already on the lookout for future talent. In order for this to succeed, we need more senior leaders who are champions for newbies, putting the ladder down and knowing that nurturing someone else’s success enhances the whole team, it’s a great investment in everyone’s future.

How did you know the ‘best next step’ in your career?

It's nothing scientific, and definitely a “squiggly line” rather than a linear career path. I actually came across Claudia Batten’s “squiggly line” metaphor around the time I had a run-in with a manager who accused me of bringing my feelings to work. This gave me the confidence to make a bold career move on the basis that the place I was working wasn’t appreciating me and that it was possible to walk away from a traditional “career” and forge my own path.

Claudia’s 2014 KEA talk about stepping off the career conveyor belt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22GViM4ZBZ4

Ruth McDavitt, CEO Summer of Tech?

Ruth is CEO at Summer of Tech, working to connect and inspire interns joining Aotearoa's tech industry. She's been with Summer of Tech since 2008, and her background is in economic development and business development. In the pre-2020 times, she was active in the Wellington meetup scene and once even organised meetups for women startup founders alongside Natalie. A strong believer in squiggly lines for career and life paths, Ruth doesn't like writing bios but is grateful if you read this far.