Karen Powell: A Leader Who Believes that “You Can Have It All!”

When asked about her leadership journey, Karen instantly responded, “I’m just curious, I’m always? asking questions with the desire to understand and make things better!” That curiosity, combined with the ability to envision possibilities and the gumption to operationalize the vision, are characteristics that have enabled Karen to rise to the professional position she is in today.??

?Believing in “I can”?

When Karen was young, her stay-at-home mother often cautioned her, “You can’t have it all.” This adage never resonated with Karen and her natural response was to challenge that mindset by asking, “Why?” Karen quotes Oprah Winfrey, “You CAN have it all. You just may not be able to?have it all at once,” and Karen genuinely believes in this. She thinks women often shortchange themselves and her advice is not to. Karen thinks her mother shortchanged herself to take care of her and her siblings. However, when the children went to school, Karen’s mother went back to school to become a nurse, reinforcing Karen’s belief you can have it all—eventually.?

Believing in the Value You Bring?

Karen sees that in the corporate world, some?women tend to say “yes,” apologize, and engage in other behaviors that diminish the value we bring to the table. An often-seen behavior from women is choosing to sit on the periphery of a conference room instead of at the main table or offering to take notes as if to justify their presence in the room.??

Karen urges women to believe in the value they bring. She also urges all leaders and people in influential positions to call out behaviors that suppress the potential value an individual can bring. As a leader herself, Karen does not shy away from speaking up and speaking out on behalf of others.??

Taking Specific Actions to Break the Bias?

Karen thinks women leaders can help reshape the way we are perceived by acting in the moment. Some of the things that Karen artfully does to ensure both men and women on her team are fairly recognized for their contributions include:?

• Encouraging people to claim their role in the room. For example, if a person is critical to the meeting, irrespective of where they sit in the corporate hierarchy, they should have a seat? at the main table.??
• Ensuring that it is not always the most junior person or the woman on the team who is entrusted with note taking, unless that’s their role or reason for being in the room.??
• Questioning how a restated message by a senior leader or man is different to what was originally shared by a junior person or a woman.??
• Giving visibility to the team that’s doing the actual work by bringing them to the senior leadership meetings.?

Many of these specific actions require courage and consideration, and Karen believes that as a leader it is her job to do so.?

Evolving Continuously?

“I’ve been a good leader and a bad leader,” Karen admits. As she reflects on the leader, she was in her 20s. Karen shares, “I thought I knew all the answers or had to know them. I was immature and I emulated some bad behaviors.” Since then, she has evolved as a leader. She understands the importance of surrounding herself with a capable and diverse team. She recognizes that a leader is not a “know it all.” A leader works with and through people to define and achieve a seemingly impossible vision.?

Today, Karen says she gets the most joy out of being a leader when she is “building someone up and letting them shine.”?

Interested in learning more from Karen? Join NIIT Principal Consultant Pooja Singh Mehta, Karen, and the panel of other women leaders for “From Glass Slippers to Glass Ceilings | Celebrating Women Leaders in Learning” on March 30, 2022 at 10 AM Eastern time. Click here to register. ?

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