Lifting Others Up

Today is International Women’s Day, and I’d like to take this opportunity to lift up the women in my life who inspire me to be my best self.?

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Being a female in high tech is hard—especially when it comes to software sales. It’s historically a male-dominated field, that can prove challenging to gain sponsorship, fit in or have your voice heard.? The good news is that I see that changing. I especially see it changing here at ServiceNow, due to our company’s focus on and dedication to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Part of that dedication includes bringing Karen Pavlin on board to serve as our chief equity and inclusion officer. With Karen’s leadership, we will certainly continue to make strides in our inclusive culture at ServiceNow.?

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My female colleagues here at ServiceNow are the best in the business—whether they’re in solution consulting, sales, strategy, go to market, marketing, or any other area within our organization. They are paving the way in this high-tech industry?for many more to follow. Some of those colleagues that I am lucky enough to work with include Vanessa Smith, Aditi Chhaya, Carolyn Cox, Cheryl Fitzpatrick, Alice Santeiu, Dimitra Maniatis, and Cindy Sayers—just to name a few. We have many more amazing female employees here at our company—some lead in management roles, others lead as individual contributors. While I would love to call out each and every one of them, the list would be lengthy.?

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I would, however, like to highlight two incredible women who have stood out to me recently—both of whom have witnessed their confidence, ability to lead and drive amazing things within their individual roles.??

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First, I’d like to recognize Shawnee Nicholas, a senior solution consultant on the AMS Solution Consulting team. Shawnee joined ServiceNow almost two years ago and has proven to be a force multiplier and a natural leader in that short amount of time. Shawnee impacts our company in several ways—one of which is through our mentoring program. If she’s not seeking a mentor to learn from, she’s mentoring our new hires by hosting one-on-one sessions with them and helping them accelerate their onboarding, so they can see success faster themselves. I always see Shawnee leading from the front, helping others and celebrating their successes with them. She embodies our core values of “Win as a Team” and “Hungry and Humble” in a way that makes everyone around her better, regardless of experience or tenure. When I think of Shawnee, I hear these lyrics in my head from a Tim McGraw song, Humble and Kind, “When you get where you're going don't forget turn back around and help the next one in line. Always stay humble and kind.”?

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The other female colleague I’d like to recognize is Madhuri Kovvali, who serves on our leadership strategy team as the corporate strategy director for AMS. Madhuri recently received the MVP award for AMS Sales at Sales Kickoff and deservedly so. She guides the leadership team with incredible insights to help drive our strategy. Madhuri brings together cross-functional teams from across ServiceNow, helping us quickly solve problems and roadblocks on our growth journey to $15B. Madhuri is probably one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Her intelligence is simply amazing. She is graceful in her delivery of a plan and her courage to lead is an inspiration. Madhuri doesn’t let anyone deter her, and she handles the executive team like a champ.???

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These two strong women have bright futures ahead of them. I recently read an article entitled, “5 Feminine Traits That Make Leaders Great,” and from what I’ve observed, they not only have these traits, they’re making a dynamic impact in the world around them. Those five traits are:??

• Empathy?
• Humility?
• Persuasiveness?
• Entrepreneurial spirit?
• Resilience?

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Outside of ServiceNow, I’ve deepened my professional connections with women in the technical workforce by serving on the board for the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation (MCWT). I've met some great female leaders, as well as customers, who are all inspiring in their own ways. It’s such an honor to be a part of this incredible group of women.?

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As we reflect on International Women’s Day, take a moment to think about your circle of professional colleagues, as well as your friends and family. Who has inspired you today???